Auditor Says Ballance Foundation Riddled With Conflicts

Rep. Frank W. Ballance Jr., D-N.C.,

was riddled with conflicts of interest and had no formal structure for awarding grants from state funds.

Auditor Ralph Campbell said his office found the John A. HymanFoundation received more than $200,000 a year from thestate.

The audit

was sparked by a call to the auditor's confidential hot line.

Campbell said he was clearly troubled by what auditors found.

"These issues are very concerning and troublesome, because we know that so many of our organizations, nonprofits, work extremely hard with with very limited sources of funding to carry out some of the missions that the appropriations are intended for.

Federal investigators also are examining the now-defunct nonprofit foundation's records.

In a statement, Ballance, a longtime state legislator who waselected to Congress in 2002, said the auditor's report was"helpful and instructive" and he was committed to improving thefoundation's policies and finances.

"The Hyman Foundation has been criticized for some of itsadministrative oversights with respect to filing reports. I agreeerrors were made," Ballance said. "I believe the public monieshave always been used for the public good for which they wereauthorized."

State auditors said in a report that funds for theWarrenton-based foundation were put in the state budget whenBallance was a state senator and vice chairman of the SenateFinance Committee.

Auditors found numerous conflicts, including payments from thefoundation's funds to Ballance's relatives and foundation employeeswho had served on his election campaigns.

The foundation wrote one $5,000 check to Ballance's daughter forwork that wasn't performed.

The audit also said there was no formal process for seekinggrants from the foundation whose stated mission was alcohol anddrug counseling.