Reported Corruption in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional investigators have found that
legal aid programs meant to help poor people have misspent federal
money on things such as liquor, interest-free loans for staff and
late charges on overdue bills.
In a new report, obtained by The Associated Press, the
Government Accountability Office says Legal Services Corporation
has failed to monitor how state and local legal aid officials spent
the money. The organization distributes grants to programs in all
50 states. The report does not say how much money was misspent but
questions more than one million dollars in payments.
Top officials of Legal Services say they have referred all
potential violations to its Inspector General and "will take
whatever actions are warranted when all of the facts are known."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)