Washington D.C.'s Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb has struck a settlement with a former treasurer of the parent-teacher nonprofit Parents Organized for the Power of Powell School (POPPS), requiring the return of funds improperly spent on personal luxuries. The organization, dedicated to supporting Powell Elementary in Ward 4, was reportedly robbed of its benevolence by Robynn Chandler-Mitchell, who saw fit to treat the nonprofit's treasury as her own piggy bank, as per the Office of the Attorney General.
The wrongdoing surfaced after a thorough investigation that Schwalb's office commenced when discrepancies emerged. Chandler-Mitchell, after being entrusted with the organization's finances starting October 2021, began to covertly bleed the account it seems for every cent it was worth. As AG Schwalb starkly put it in a statement obtained by oag.dc.gov, "Nonprofit bank accounts cannot be used as personal ATMs." During her tenure, Chandler-Mitchell is alleged to have misused firm funds for personal expenses, including vacations, restaurant bills, and other non-business-related costs.
The terms of the settlement deal an austere hand of justice, demanding that Chandler-Mitchell pay back the sum of $17,084.84 to POPPS and permanently forgo any leadership role within District nonprofits. Assistant Attorneys General Leonor Miranda, Cara Spencer, along with Antitrust & Nonprofit Enforcement Section Chief Adam Gitlin, led the case against Chandler-Mitchell, focusing on the core issues at hand.
