A well-known veterans’ advocate made up a story about two dozen ex-military members getting ousted from hotels to make way for migrants in upstate New York, according to a state assemblyman.
Sharon Toney-Finch, an executive with the Yerik Israel Toney Foundation, recently made headlines with claims she had to scramble to find new housing for low-income veterans who rely on the nonprofit for housing assistance.
The claim fueled controversy over New York’s handling of an influx of migrants because it suggested they were getting preferential treatment over the veterans.
Yet the story began to unravel when one of the hotels said it had no records of the allegedly affected veterans staying there.
Assemblyman Brian Maher, a Republican representing part of the Orange County area, pressed Ms. Toney-Finch for bank records of the stay. She denied the authorization, leading to her admitting it was fabricated, according to Mr. Maher.
“When I asked her why she would make something like that up, she said, ’I had to help the veterans,’” said Mr. Maher, according to The New York Post.
The assemblyman, who has worked with the nonprofit for years, released a statement last week saying he was “devastated and disheartened upon a conversation with Sharon Toney-Finch … where I learned that the information regarding the YIT Foundation about homeless veterans being displaced is false.”
Mr. Maher said he is severing ties with the nonprofit and called on the New York Attorney General’s Office and the Orange County district attorney to investigate the nonprofit.
The foundation told The Washington Times on Monday that it was consulting lawyers and had no further comment.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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