[StBernard] 4 Investigates: Why was St. Bernard Parish money used to move a private home

[Westley Annis]

4 Investigates: Why was St. Bernard Parish money used to move a private home

wwltv.com

Posted on May 17, 2012 at 10:37 PM

Updated today at 6:16 AM

Mike Perlstein / Eyewitness News

Email: mperlstein at wwltv.com | Twitter: @mperlstein

VIOLET, La. - Former St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro lists
himself as lay minister at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Violet.

Taffaro's efforts on the church's behalf includes a building currently under
renovation to become a meeting space. But the house wasn't built on church
grounds.

Contractor Nicky Mones said he was contacted by former Parish President
Craig Taffaro.

In fact, the house was built on another lot in the neighboring town of
Poydras. It was built by Habitat for Humanity for a woman who lost
everything in Katrina.

But when neighbors protested, the woman decided not to move in and Habitat
donated the house to the church.

But now there are questions as to how the house got moved to the church
grounds. Construction contractor Nicky Mones was hired to move the building.

"It was just a private favor, as far as I'm concerned. It was a personal
favor,” said Mones.

According to documents obtained by Channel 4, Mones' company - N & N
Construction - was paid $33,000.

The documents show that the first $20,000 came from a longtime Taffaro
associate and political supporter, Jim Besselman.

Besselman is owner of Ernst Café, but is best known in St. Bernard for the
hundreds of thousands of dollars he made as a caterer during the BP oil
spill cleanup.

But Mones said he never met Besselman.

"I never spoke a word with him,” said Mones. “Craig handed me the check. It
was in an envelope."

But that money wasn't enough to finish the job so Mones was paid an
additional $13,000. The records show that money came in the form of two
checks, both from St. Bernard Parish government.

Current St. Bernard Parish President David Peralta said there was no
explanation of the parish’s interest in the move.

Eyewitness News filed public records requests for any donations to the
parish from Habitat for Humanity and parish officials found a check written
some two months later from the house-building charity to the parish for
$11,000.

Peralta, who defeated Taffaro in an election last fall, said he remains
concerned about the unusual transaction.

"I have some real problems with this. I don't understand why government was
involved in this type of operation at all."

Peralta said his review of the arrangement raises even more troubling
questions: Why parish employees and equipment were used during the move as
seen in some photographs from the event.

Mones said he estimated seven parish employees helped him with the job.

Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino said the state has strict guidelines on
the use of public resources for private purposes.

"The use of parish resources to benefit a private entity in which a public
official was an officer or director
. that's flatly prohibited by the code
of governmental ethics and, as I said, perhaps could constitute public
payroll fraud,” said Ciolino.

Eyewitness News called the priest at the church - Father John Arnone - and
he declined comment, referring us to the Archdiocese of New Orleans. So we
contacted the Archdiocese, where a spokeswoman said the church did not
solicit the house donation and had no knowledge of who paid for the move.

Taffaro, who now works as the state director of hazard mitigation, would not
answer questions on camera. But he did provide a lengthy written response
defending the move as “a productive, legal and ethical resolution."

"It was clear that completing the task was in the best interest for the
neighborhood, for Habitat, and for the parish,” he wrote in the response.
“Just as our Public Works crews were used to eradicate a private blighted
structure in neighborhoods and along our thoroughfares, the assignment was
consistent with the parish's stated budget activity within the scope of
recovery of St. Bernard Parish."

Peralta has now launched a formal investigation into the matter.

"There's no explanation as to why government funds were used,” he explained.
“Hopefully our internal investigation and, if necessary, the sheriff's
office investigation will determine the purpose. And at this point we really
don't know what the purpose was."

Besselman, the caterer who helped pay for part of the move, did not respond
to calls.

In his statement, Taffaro wrote that the new church building will be a
public benefit to hundreds of families in the church and Violet community.

Taffaro also accused the current administration of trying to discredit his
work as parish president.