Steven Nardizzi and Al Giordano have been fired by the Wounded Warrior Project as CEO and COO, respectively. CBS News reports both were relieved over spending issues related to the Project’s funds.
In January, The Washington Times reported that dozens of former Wounded Warrior Project employees had accused the charity of needlessly spending millions of dollars in donations on lavish conferences and parties.
In 2014, the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) received more than $300 million in donations but only spent roughly 60 percent of that on veterans, CBS News reported.
Other respected charities for wounded veterans, like the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust and Fisher House, reportedly spent more than 90 percent of their donations on vets.
CBS News spoke to more than 40 former WWP employees who accused the charity of out-of-control spending.
“Their mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors, but what the public doesn’t see is how they spend their money,” said Army Staff Sgt. Erick Millette, who recently quit his job as a public speaker for WWP. “You’re using our injuries, our darkest days, our hardships, to make money. So you can have these big parties.”
Spending on conferences and meetings went from $1.7 million in 2010, to $26 million in 2014, which is the same amount the group spends on combat stress recovery, its top program, according to the charity’s tax forms obtained by CBS News.
The Wounded Warrior Project initially demanded CBS retract the story before making the terminations Thursday.
