Questions Surround New York Firehouse's Disappearing Donations

July 31, 2007
A volunteer fire company in the Bronx that received more than half a million dollars in donations after September 11th has reportedly gone broke.

A volunteer fire company in the Bronx that received more than half a million dollars in donations after September 11th has reportedly gone broke, and now questions are being raised about where all the money went.

According to the Daily News, the Aviation Volunteer Fire Company received a number of donations, including $280,000 from Goldman Sachs to buy a new fire truck to replace one damaged in the attacks.

But Fire Chief William Rivera tells the paper he bought a cheaper model and was forced to give the leftover money back to the firm. Goldman Sachs says it cannot confirm the money was ever returned.

Rivera denied allegations he used the money to finance two of his Bronx businesses. He said the donations went to things like equipment storage and insurance. But there's no proof of the spending, since Rivera admitted to the paper he hasn't filed federal income tax papers for the fire company since 2002.

Republished with permission of NY1.

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