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According to sources Moisés Pérez, co-founder, president and CEO of Alianza Dominicana, and one of the most important Latino leaders in the city, announced to his leadership team Fri., Aug. 6 that he was going to step down from overseeing the operation of one of Northern Manhattan’s largest nonprofits.
The decision comes after the city’s Department of Investigation found what they considered to be an improper transaction to a company that loaned money to nonprofits, including Alianza.
The city had asked Pérez to resign, but supporters helped negotiate an agreement for a three-month leave-of-absence, according to sources. The agreement will allow Perez to defend against DOI allegations, continue working on the construction of Alianza’s new headquarters and return to the organization by Nov. 1 as its director once allegations are cleared.
Alianza’s human resources director Maria Hernandez will reportedly take over the top leadership position for the three months.
The city began investigating Pérez’ transaction as it continues its sweeping look into the ledger books of Upper Manhattan Council Assisting Neighbors (UCAN) in the wake of uncovering the financial misdeeds of former City Council Member Miguel Martinez, who pleaded guilty last year to stealing over $100,000 in taxpayer money by routing it through nonprofits such as UCAN.
Pérez helped found Alianza in the 1980s, growing it to a multi-million dollar operation spread over 11 sites, including the South Bronx, providing a full range of services for youth and families including: education, arts, folkloric appreciation, substance abuse treatment, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, health promotion and child abuse prevention.
Pérez’ main focus in recent years has been the construction of Alianza’s new headquarters, a six-story, 48,000-square-foot triangular building at the intersection of W. 166th Street and St. Nicholas and Audubon Avenues.
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