Rev. Leon Finney literally had it all: his own mega nonprofit housing organization, his own church, amazing political connections, his own huge income.... Oh wait, nonprofits and churches aren't owned by individuals, or are they?
Well, in a case not so unusual in my opinion, Rev. Finney did not appear to have a board that served as a check-and-balance or at least that understood what the good reverend has been doing all these many years. Now it is all crumbling around him and his final days may well be spent in jail. But really, this blog is not about the reverend but about absentee boards - likely good hearted and well-meaning individuals who supported the reverend but failed their fiduciary duty. One of those duties: ensure that payroll taxes were paid. Another, ensure that lenders were paid. Now whether the members knew what was going on or not, they should have and here lies their failure. Are they equally responsible: absolutely! Admittedly it was the reverend who may have done the pulling the wool but this doesn't excuse the board who failed to open their eyes. A lesson for all.
If you want to read the details, look here at the Chicago Sun Times article - it's a bit long but does a great job at offering details except for one: where were the boards?