LA nonprofit leader and political fundraiser sentenced to prison for embezzlement
LA Politics, Homepage News
Dakota SmithDec. 12, 2023
The former head of a prominent Los Angeles nonprofit
who is guilty of embezzlement
had been convicted
Wednesday
up to six months in federal prison and six months of home confinement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Dixon Slingerland, the former CEO of the nonprofit Youth Policy Institute, was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Dolly M. Gee to pay $750,470 in restitution and a $10,000 fine, and to perform 200 hours of community service .
Slingerland’s attorney, Vicki Podberesky, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In addition to his professional career, Slingerland
what a
campaign fundraiser and donor for Democratic candidates. He was also a frequent visitor to the White House during President Obama’s administration.
He admitted in a plea deal earlier this year that he embezzled more than $71,000 from the anti-poverty nonprofit he led, including buying his family a $6,131 dinner at Momofuku Ko, an upscale restaurant in New York City.
Slingerland also admitted that he failed to report nearly $450,000 in total income from the nonprofit on his personal tax returns from 2016 to 2019, according to a plea deal he signed earlier this year.
Slingerland, who earned about $400,000 annually as the nonprofit’s leader, also said in his plea deal that he misspent more than $600,000 of the group’s money and charged personal expenses to the organization’s American Express card .
Youth Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on education and anti-poverty programs, received tens of millions of dollars in federal funding during the Obama administration and was regularly promoted by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The group closed in 2019 after an audit found a lack of oversight and inaccurate financial reporting. Slingerland was also dismissed from the nun
–
profit that year.
In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in federal court that year, the nun
–
Profit said Slingerland used Youth Policy Institute funds for unauthorized and personal expenses, including tutoring for family members.

Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.