The Mexican American Community Services Agency has been the subject of considerable scrutiny, ever since county officials revoked the charters of two charter schools it operated in 2009. This opened the door into a year-long criminal investigation of financial negligence on the part of top executives in the nonprofit, as well as countless staffers. At first, a single accountant, Joe Clovis, was named in a potential law suit. Last month, the suit was amended to include former CEO Olivia Soza Mendiola and former CFO Benjamin F. Tan, who was alleged to have diverted money from teachers’ pension accountants.

Whether Tan was actually responsible for that is still under investigation. Other people have been alleged to be responsible too, including former COO Xavier Campos. Campos has since left MACSA and now serves on City Council. Others named as possibly behind the diverting of funds include former Board President Louis Rocha.

At the time the lawsuit was expanded in December, it was hinted that many more staffers may find themselves accused—as many as one hundred. Campos, for example, has not been named in the current lawsuit.

MACSA has played a prominent role among the city’s Latino population for the past five decades. Its mission is “to enrich the lives and to advance the interests of the Latino community of Santa Clara County.” In addition to the two charter schools that have since been closed, it runs adult daycare programs for the elderly, programs to keep kids away from gangs, and programs to provide affordable housing to members of the community. In its current lawsuit, MACSA claims that its efficacy and reputation have been sullied by financial decisions made by its former leaders.
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