The firing of Sunae Villavaso is just the latest case where Mayor Cantrell allegedly punished people who documented possible fraud or supported those accused of it.
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NEW ORLEANS — Last year, a high-ranking city official raised concerns about payroll fraud inside Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s signature Summer Youth Employment Program.
Now, that official, Sunae Villavaso, a true-blue Cantrell supporter who won praise for expanding the city’s workforce development programs, has been fired without explanation. So, too, has Channtell Patin, another city employee who helped Villavaso gather evidence of alleged double-dipping by temporary workers.
Villavaso, the former director of Cantrell’s Office of Workforce Development, and Patin, who led the city’s Jobs for America’s Graduates program, were both fired April 18. They say they’re baffled, angry and believe it was retaliation for shining a light on misconduct, although the mayor’s office denies that.
The City Council has responded by launching an investigation into what Council President JP Morrell calls “whistleblower complaints” in the mayor’s Office of Workforce Development.
“There was no real effort to prove or disprove that fraud occurred,” Morrell said. “I mean, it's one thing if (the Cantrell administration) had presented a bunch of counter-information saying, ‘No, head of department, you're wrong. Here's all the evidence showing they didn't (commit payroll fraud).’ It was more like -- from what we've seen thus far –...
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