By Naeisha Rose
City Councilman Ruben Wills’ (D-Jamaica) faced 12 charges of fraud, falsifying business records and grand larceny as his trial opened Wednesday in State Supreme Court.
He allegedly defrauded the city and state of New York of a combined $30,500 by creating a shell company, Micro Targeting, to siphon campaign money from both parties that was meant to go to his not-for-profit, New York 4 Life, according to New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
The charity was set up to honor single mothers at annual luncheons and other events that doubled as a campaign platform for him, according to the indictment filed by the attorney general’s office.
Wills created NY 4 Life on Sept. 26, 2006 and ran for City Council District 28 in 2009 after serving as chief of staff to then state Sen. Shirley Huntley. By Election Day, Micro Targeting opened a bank account to accept an $11,500 check for the supposed distribution of campaign literature , the indictment said.
Micro Targeting, which is owned by a relative, Jelani Millis, was purported to be located at 124-20 Liberty Ave. in Richmond Hill, but a UPS store franchise was at that address, the indictment said.
Wills received $139,000 from the New York City Campaign Finance Board in matching funds for campaign expenditures, but prosecutors contend he stole a portion of that amount and falsely claimed it had been spent on legitimate expenses. He also earmarked $33,000 from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services for the NY 4 Life charity.
NY 4 Life was meant to have four programs from Dec. 7, 2009 to Nov. 30, 2010, but instead only one luncheon that cost $14,000 was held, the indictment said. Wills allegedly used the remainder of the funds to enrich himself, including shopping trips at Nordstrom, Century 21 and Macy’s, where he spent the state funds on a Louis Vuitton handbag, according to the indictment.
The councilman also is accused of taking large amounts of funds from the NY 4 Life account to pay individuals for working on programs that had nothing to do with the Office of Children and Family Service contract or doing no work at all, prosecutors said. When the OCFS asked Wills to account for how the money was being spent, Wills allegedly falsified the expenditures of NY 4 Life, the indictment said.
In 2014, Mills, as the sole proprietor of Micro Targeting, was held on $50,000 bail. Councilman Wills was released on his own recognizance and had to surrender any and all passports.
Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose
