Cecilia Chang- NY Mag
- Thread starter Moose
- Start date
Should he have known???? Come on now, unless your head is buried in the sand. Good family man or not, if your are getting free trips to the Caribean and gifts such as Rolex watches, should you not suspect something was up? These clowns ( and that includes Fr. Harrington ). Got off way too easy. At the very least they should have vacated their positions some time ago.
Agree with you on that. One reason that the Catholic church has always been viewed as behind the times was their stand on celibacy which is quite archaic. However, since he did take a vow of celibacy and is the visual head of the arrest catholic university in the country, this indiscretion looks bad. Kind of like a police officer shooting an unarmed dope dealer even if it's perceived to be OK by most of us.
beast of the east
Active member
First off, unless the article is using a resource that was verified, the allegation that Cahill had a girlfriend has very sketchy roots. This was a rumor going back to the 70s. According to some who had his class, he once made reference to his daughter, corrected himself, and said, "I mean my niece". That fueled gossip that lasted for years that Cahill had a kid and possibly some long term relationship. Considering he is dead, it's all scurrilous stuff unless the article provided substantiated facts. If the article states that without basis, it gives reason to think this article is another Catholic attack job, albeit this time with substnatial reason without going out on limbs and speculation.
I'm trying so hard not to unload on this whole subject but will just say that you are completely on point and also on point on your other post in regards to the cash donations. I'm just going to let you be the voice of reason on this because I agree with everything you say and I might say worse things
beast of the east
Active member
We've all heard that power corrupts. I think the full quote is power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. You know, I'm not a Catholic basher. One of my life's heroes, Pope John Paul II, died without any assets whatsoever - just a few hundred dollars in total worth - no jewelry, real estate, cash, nothing. I've known a lot of priests in my life - some have very little. Others who come from families with a little more, often use an inheritance from parents to buy a vacation type home, or to travel or some other personal use. Then again, when you are in a high profile position, like president of a university, having a vacation home, no less co-owned with a university layperson, doesn't give the greatest impression of a life focused on spreading the gospels through religious vocation.
beast of the east
Active member
I finally set aside some time to read this article. This should be required reading for any St. John's student or alum. While I thought that some of the posters here calling for Harrington's head were just spouting off without basis, there is no question the Harrington and Wile are CRIMINALLY complicit, not ignorant dupes as Harrington professes.
How could anyone accept credit card bill in Chinese characters, with NO RECEIPTS? Nobody is that stupid, NOBODY. 30 years and no one questions who these anonymous donors providing "gifts" that are part of the asian culture? Again, NO ONE is that stupid, no less a University Presidnet who fancies himself a CEO.
In testimony, Harrington feigns being just a Brooklyn guy, who didn't know how to turn out the envelopes with a few thousand in cash, and then instead of logging them and turning the money over to University coffers or the Vincentians for charitable distirubtion, somehow can't account for the "5 or 6 envelopes" given to him over 30 years? Yea, right. My guess is the money came more frequently and in larger numbers. Just enough to satisfy the avarice of a greedy priest, and allow Chang to continue to steal like crazy.
What business does a priest who has taken a vow of poverty have to do with a real estate proposition in NJ with Wile? Where did a priest, with a vow of poverty, get the money necessary to guy a $660,000 home and then finance the building of a home that sold for $1.4 million?
How did Wile mysteriously find that he could also did his finger into the well for expensive wine, gifts, dinners and vacations?
Interesting that Chang offered to Harrington that they should offer honorary degrees to wealthy people, and then cancel them if they rebuffed advances to donate large sums to the school. See below:
On April 2, 2009, a despairing Chang e-mailed Harrington to suggest a new approach: What if they confirmed a date for the conferment ceremony and then in coming months “provide[d] with the opportunity to contribute”? If the proposed degree recipient balked, she wrote, “we will give him an excuse for canceling [the ceremony].” Harrington e-mailed the following day that he was “very interested,” but needed to speak to the board. -
Harrington claims he never wore the expensive watches, yet somehow his watch broke, and instead of having it repaired himself, gave it back to chang to get repaired for $1600.
It makes you wonder if all the BOT appointments were trades - cash for authority.
How did Harrington and Wile avoid criminal investigation and prosecution? Just think that some of the most powerful people in NYC, including Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, are closely connected to St Johns. Harrington has run the guantlet avoiding criminal prosecution with the benefit of some of the smartest businesspeople and attorneys on the BOT.
Chang was a criminal, cunning woman, plain and simple. When her spending began outstripping what she brought in, her usefulness to Harrington and the University were finished. Her mistake was thinking all the illicit gifts, all the relationships, everything she KNEW, and maybe even more scandalous stuff, would keep Harrington from ever turning on her. She was wrong, and Harrington turned on her, like a mobster rubbing out his closest partner in crime. Like Marilyn Monroe killing herself a half century before, before she becmae a huge problem for JFK, Chang did Harrington and Wile a big favor, taking her allegations and truth to the grave. She was outsmarted by the not-so-dumb Harrington and she knew it.
Of course the vincentian leadership is engaging in what the Catholic Church purports to detest immensely - moral relativism. Harrington's net effect financially on St John's is almost half a billion dollars in its coffers, and perhaps a couple of hundred million more in university improvements. So what if he pocketed some chump change along the way. That's the way the world works, isn't it?
How could anyone accept credit card bill in Chinese characters, with NO RECEIPTS? Nobody is that stupid, NOBODY. 30 years and no one questions who these anonymous donors providing "gifts" that are part of the asian culture? Again, NO ONE is that stupid, no less a University Presidnet who fancies himself a CEO.
In testimony, Harrington feigns being just a Brooklyn guy, who didn't know how to turn out the envelopes with a few thousand in cash, and then instead of logging them and turning the money over to University coffers or the Vincentians for charitable distirubtion, somehow can't account for the "5 or 6 envelopes" given to him over 30 years? Yea, right. My guess is the money came more frequently and in larger numbers. Just enough to satisfy the avarice of a greedy priest, and allow Chang to continue to steal like crazy.
What business does a priest who has taken a vow of poverty have to do with a real estate proposition in NJ with Wile? Where did a priest, with a vow of poverty, get the money necessary to guy a $660,000 home and then finance the building of a home that sold for $1.4 million?
How did Wile mysteriously find that he could also did his finger into the well for expensive wine, gifts, dinners and vacations?
Interesting that Chang offered to Harrington that they should offer honorary degrees to wealthy people, and then cancel them if they rebuffed advances to donate large sums to the school. See below:
On April 2, 2009, a despairing Chang e-mailed Harrington to suggest a new approach: What if they confirmed a date for the conferment ceremony and then in coming months “provide[d] with the opportunity to contribute”? If the proposed degree recipient balked, she wrote, “we will give him an excuse for canceling [the ceremony].” Harrington e-mailed the following day that he was “very interested,” but needed to speak to the board. -
Harrington claims he never wore the expensive watches, yet somehow his watch broke, and instead of having it repaired himself, gave it back to chang to get repaired for $1600.
It makes you wonder if all the BOT appointments were trades - cash for authority.
How did Harrington and Wile avoid criminal investigation and prosecution? Just think that some of the most powerful people in NYC, including Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, are closely connected to St Johns. Harrington has run the guantlet avoiding criminal prosecution with the benefit of some of the smartest businesspeople and attorneys on the BOT.
Chang was a criminal, cunning woman, plain and simple. When her spending began outstripping what she brought in, her usefulness to Harrington and the University were finished. Her mistake was thinking all the illicit gifts, all the relationships, everything she KNEW, and maybe even more scandalous stuff, would keep Harrington from ever turning on her. She was wrong, and Harrington turned on her, like a mobster rubbing out his closest partner in crime. Like Marilyn Monroe killing herself a half century before, before she becmae a huge problem for JFK, Chang did Harrington and Wile a big favor, taking her allegations and truth to the grave. She was outsmarted by the not-so-dumb Harrington and she knew it.
Of course the vincentian leadership is engaging in what the Catholic Church purports to detest immensely - moral relativism. Harrington's net effect financially on St John's is almost half a billion dollars in its coffers, and perhaps a couple of hundred million more in university improvements. So what if he pocketed some chump change along the way. That's the way the world works, isn't it?
As the story goes Father Harrington comes from old oil money, and although he has taken a vow of poverty he has inherited millions. A man so powerful that apparently right after 9/11 when there was a no fly rule across the country he was 1 of 4 people that were able to get on a private plane (LAX to JFK)
The whole thing smells, what is it going to take for Harrington to go? and the entire staff to be ousted and replaced? what else must happen under his watch? with the New Big East set to now earn from $3-$4 Million per year, I would prefer if he isn't around for that, because who knows whats going to happen to that money.
The whole thing smells, what is it going to take for Harrington to go? and the entire staff to be ousted and replaced? what else must happen under his watch? with the New Big East set to now earn from $3-$4 Million per year, I would prefer if he isn't around for that, because who knows whats going to happen to that money.
beast of the east
Active member
The modus operandi of the Catholic Church in scandals is to duck and wait for everything to blow over. Cardinal Law and Father Murphy, while in Boston, moved perverted priests around like chess pieces to protect abusers and the coffers from law suits. When the heat turned up on Cardinal Law, he was summoned to Rome, where he lives quietly as rector of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Father Murphy, the Cardinal's secretary in Boston, whose signature was on these transfer letters, was promoted to Bishop of Rockville Centre. He has denied any involvement, saying this was another Father Murphy, even as his signature was found on these documents.
Nothing will happen to Harrington, unless there is an uproar from Alumni and students. Until the money stops pouring in, the Vincentians will keep him in place.
Wile signed off on some of the charges on one of the Credit cards. Many of the charges were at least questionable. In addition, while granted immunity for his testimony, the article state he admits to making charges on one of the company credit cards under her budget for items in very high end stores. What did these items have to do with the business of St. John's?
Moose
Well-known member
Where there is smoke there is fire
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/03/st-johns-digs-deeper-into-chang-corruption.html
In the wake of new revelations (see "The Dean of Corruption") about the gifts Cecilia Chang, the St. John's administrator and fund-raiser who committed suicide in the midst of her trial for fraud, lavished on her supervisors, the university has tasked an outside counsel to look deeper into the case.
Frank Wohl, a partner in Lankler, Siffert and Wohl, who played a role in the original Chang investigation, will now be reviewing the actions of Father Donald Harrington, president of the university, and his chief of staff and senior vice president, Rob Wile, both of whom received numerous expensive gifts from Chang.
The board also wants to know more about GRH Group LLC, a real estate partnership formed by Harrington and Wile that purchased a property on the Jersey shore. The real estate venture – which appears to have netted about $200,000 – is of interest to the board in part because at about the same time Wile received $370,000 of interest-free loans from the University. The loans were recommended by his boss, Harrington, as part of Wile’s compensation package and approved by the board's audit committee — though, at the time, committee members didn't know about the real estate partnership.
That business relationship wasn't disclosed to the IRS either, though its Form 990 requires nonprofits to report business dealings among key employees. Wile’s total compensation is the highest of any current university employee, excluding the men's basketball coach. (Harrington, a Vincentian priest, has his salary paid to his order.) In 2010, the last year for which filings are available, Wile's total compensation was about $549,000.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/03/st-johns-digs-deeper-into-chang-corruption.html
In the wake of new revelations (see "The Dean of Corruption") about the gifts Cecilia Chang, the St. John's administrator and fund-raiser who committed suicide in the midst of her trial for fraud, lavished on her supervisors, the university has tasked an outside counsel to look deeper into the case.
Frank Wohl, a partner in Lankler, Siffert and Wohl, who played a role in the original Chang investigation, will now be reviewing the actions of Father Donald Harrington, president of the university, and his chief of staff and senior vice president, Rob Wile, both of whom received numerous expensive gifts from Chang.
The board also wants to know more about GRH Group LLC, a real estate partnership formed by Harrington and Wile that purchased a property on the Jersey shore. The real estate venture – which appears to have netted about $200,000 – is of interest to the board in part because at about the same time Wile received $370,000 of interest-free loans from the University. The loans were recommended by his boss, Harrington, as part of Wile’s compensation package and approved by the board's audit committee — though, at the time, committee members didn't know about the real estate partnership.
That business relationship wasn't disclosed to the IRS either, though its Form 990 requires nonprofits to report business dealings among key employees. Wile’s total compensation is the highest of any current university employee, excluding the men's basketball coach. (Harrington, a Vincentian priest, has his salary paid to his order.) In 2010, the last year for which filings are available, Wile's total compensation was about $549,000.
Perhaps Ms. Chang's allegations that Harrington and his posse were complicit in her actions had more merit than we gave her credit for.
Let me again invite someone who supports Harrington or thinks he has done a good job as St.John's president to enter the discussion and defend him or his performance as president.
Thanks.
Let me again invite someone who supports Harrington or thinks he has done a good job as St.John's president to enter the discussion and defend him or his performance as president.
Thanks.
beast of the east
Active member
These revelations are freaking unbelievable and speaks volumes about how Harrington could operate unchecked to do ust about anything he wanted with no oversight. This university is just about the cheapest employer in the metro area in terms of the salaries it pays. To pay a guy that amount who was hired at 20 and given the chief of staff position at 24 smells so rotten that this may go way beyond a strong friendship.
I've wondered how a university employee could afford to go into a real estate venture with a vow-of-poverty university president. Well, now we know, if these allegations are true.
Now, top this. Based on what is written, Wile lives in NJ. Early in my career, I landed a job in NJ, literally weeks after buying my first home on Long Island. After three and a half years of hellish commute, I was ready to move to NJ when a very good job opportunity surfaced in NYC. Nobody would opt for that commute, unless they have very flexible hours at work. Just as Chang rarely showed up on campus, maybe its the same with Wile. Then again at a $500,000 salary, maybe he has an apartment near campus as well. Or maybe he stays with Harrington during the week, which would explain a lot.
beast of the east
Active member
The mob hates to whack a big producer. I suspect you are correct.