By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Durham District Attorney Satana Deberry has asked the State Bureau of Investigation’s financial crimes unit to investigate allegations of fiscal embezzlement by past officer of the political action committee for the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.
Former state Sen. Floyd McKissick, who took over as chairman of the committee last January, issued the following statement in response to the SBI probe: “We are optimistic that any person or persons that engaged in criminal wrongdoing will be held accountable, but we cannot discuss it any further because of an ongoing investigation, which we initiated, based upon the findings in a report prepared by a CPA.”
Reportedly, that CPA was hired after “serious financial irregularities” were discovered last February after new officers took over leadership of the PAC.
Published reports indicate a review of PAC’s bank statements revealed that there was a good deal of unauthorized personal spending being conducted, “ranging from expenditures at the beauty supply store to numerous PayPals.”
There were also allegedly tens of thousands of dollars that “appeared” to be paid out to friends of the former Durham Committee’s PAC chairperson.
In addition, it’s been alleged that fiscal reports submitted to the North Carolina Board of Elections did not accurately reflect the spending that was done from the PAC’s bank account.
This was concerning because of two contributions equaling $75,000 from the North Carolina Democratic Party to the Durham Committee’s PAC to help pay for political action activity right before the 2024 November general election.
According to its website, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People “…is a community-based organization founded in 1935. (DCABP Inc. (the 501(c)3 fiscal administrator and PAC of the Durham Committee established in 2014) works in cooperation with other public and private groups, to improve civic, cultural, economic, educational, health, housing, legal affairs, human rights and youth affairs conditions in this community.
Democratic candidates always seek the endorsement and influence of the Durham Committee at election time to ensure strong support of Durham’s black community.
