Sat. Feb 8th, 2025

Company paid $432M of taxpayer cash to feed NYC’s migrants after winning no-bid contract trashed 70,000 meals – worth $776,000 – in just one month as NYC Mayor Eric Adams is forced to slash billions from city budget<!-- wp:html --><p><a href="https://whatsnew2day.com/">WhatsNew2Day - Latest News And Breaking Headlines</a></p> <div> <p class="mol-para-with-font">A company awarded a no-bid contract to care for and feed New York City immigrants destroyed up to 70,000 uneaten meals worth $776,000 in just one month, according to a new report.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">DocGo, a medical services company, received a $432 million deal to care for about 4,000 immigrants in the upstate city, but has been accused of wasting taxpayer money when Mayor Eric Adams was forced to cut billions from city services to finance the crisis. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">From October 22 to November 10, the company threw out more than 70,000 meals, calling them “wasted” in internal documents reviewed by The New York Times. The discarded food cost taxpayers about $776,000. As the Times notes, at this rate, wasted food would cost the city $1 million a month. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Meals are wasted for several reasons, including that many immigrants are not present when they are served because they are working or looking for work. Additionally, many have reportedly started cooking in their hotel rooms. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">However, some immigrants have also said the food made them sick and had quality problems, including mold. At Red Rood Plus in Buffalo, a company employee noted that immigrants “don’t really like the food,” adding that “customers are angry and claim the food is moldy and is making them sick.”</p> <div class="artSplitter mol-img-group"> <div class="mol-img"> <div class="image-wrap"> </div> </div> <p class="imageCaption">DocGo, a medical services company, received a $432 million deal to care for about 4,000 immigrants in the upstate city, but has been accused of wasting taxpayer money.</p> </div> <div class="artSplitter mol-img-group"> <div class="mol-img"> <div class="image-wrap"> </div> </div> <p class="imageCaption">From October 22 to November 10, the company threw out more than 70,000 meals, calling them “wasted.” Food provided by DocGo seen above</p> </div> <div class="artSplitter mol-img-group"> <div class="mol-img"> <div class="image-wrap"> </div> </div> <p class="imageCaption">The company, which previously worked as a COVID testing company, was awarded the no-bid contract in May to help bus migrants upstate and care for them while the city ran out of space.</p> </div> <p class="mol-para-with-font">A migrant from Haiti told the Times that he had to go to the hospital after eating his first DocGo meal and now has to wear a special belt around his stomach to relieve gas from the food.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">DocGo, which had no prior experience caring for migrants and previously worked as a COVID testing company, has been accused of mistreating asylum seekers in its care.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">The company received the no-bid contract in May to help bus migrants upstate and care for them while the city ran out of space. The contract states that the food must be provided at no profit to the company.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">In August, Gov. Kathy Hochul opened an investigation into the company over complaints from immigrants who said they were lured to Albany with promises of employment and legal assistance and then abandoned by DocGo. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">The company’s chief executive, Anthony Capone, who faced accusations that he lied about his educational background, resigned in September citing “personal reasons.”</p> <div class="artSplitter mol-img-group"> <div class="mol-img"> <div class="image-wrap"> </div> </div> <p class="imageCaption">The immigrants have claimed they were lured to Albany with promises of employment and legal assistance and then abandoned by DocGo. </p> </div> <p class="mol-para-with-font">A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development told the Times that DocGo had recently started ordering fewer meals and that it aims to cut $66 million from the program by the end of 2024. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">DocGo spokesperson Rob Ford said: “The data presented by The New York Times is once again taken out of context and inaccurate… DocGo continually monitors food consumption and works to proactively identify savings opportunities on behalf from New York”.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">The company was founded in 2015 by Stanley Vashovsky with the goal of “revolutionizing medical transportation and mobile healthcare delivery.”</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Adams has signed $5,056,744,415 in nearly 200 contracts for migrant services since last year, when he declared a state of emergency, allowing the City Council to bypass a competitive bidding process to address the surge in asylum seekers.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">However, it lost that power earlier this month after it was revoked by Comptroller Brad Lander, who is auditing the contract with DocGo. He has said that he has “serious concerns about the selection of this supplier and its performance of contractual obligations.” </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">“There are too many outstanding questions and concerns about DocGo and this $432 million no-bid contract,” Lander added. “New Yorkers deserve real-time oversight and accountability to understand how this price was reached, ensure this company has the expertise to deliver the contracted services, and examine the integrity and accountability of this provider.”</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Last month, Adams announced a $110.5 billion budget, saying cuts were necessary across all departments after the city spent $1.45 billion in fiscal 2023 on the migrant crisis.</p> <div class="artSplitter mol-img-group"> <div class="mol-img"> <div class="image-wrap"> </div> </div> <p class="imageCaption">Adams signed $5,056,744,415 in nearly 200 contracts for migrant services since last year</p> </div> <div class="artSplitter mol-img-group mol-hidden-caption"> <div class="mol-img"> <div class="image-wrap"> </div> </div> </div> <p class="mol-para-with-font">The budget cuts would cause NYPD officers to be reduced by a fifth, or 13.5 percent, by postponing the academy’s next five classes, leaving officers below 30,000, compared to to 36,000.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Education would also take a billion-dollar hit over two years and cause a delay in the implementation of composting in the Bronx and Staten Island, leading to a reduction in trash collection, as well as cuts to preschool programs in the city.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library would also need to eliminate Sunday service due to budget cuts.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">“Without sufficient funding, we cannot maintain our current levels of service, and any additional cuts to library budgets will unfortunately result in deeper service impacts,” the libraries said in a statement.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">The cuts would also reduce funding for two children’s programs: summer school and universal kindergarten.</p> </div> <p><a href="https://whatsnew2day.com/company-paid-432m-of-taxpayer-cash-to-feed-nycs-migrants-after-winning-no-bid-contract-trashed-70000-meals-worth-776000-in-just-one-month-as-nyc-mayor-eric-adams-is-forced-to-slash-billions-f/">Company paid $432M of taxpayer cash to feed NYC’s migrants after winning no-bid contract trashed 70,000 meals – worth $776,000 – in just one month as NYC Mayor Eric Adams is forced to slash billions from city budget</a></p><!-- /wp:html -->

WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines

A company awarded a no-bid contract to care for and feed New York City immigrants destroyed up to 70,000 uneaten meals worth $776,000 in just one month, according to a new report.

DocGo, a medical services company, received a $432 million deal to care for about 4,000 immigrants in the upstate city, but has been accused of wasting taxpayer money when Mayor Eric Adams was forced to cut billions from city services to finance the crisis.

From October 22 to November 10, the company threw out more than 70,000 meals, calling them “wasted” in internal documents reviewed by The New York Times. The discarded food cost taxpayers about $776,000. As the Times notes, at this rate, wasted food would cost the city $1 million a month.

Meals are wasted for several reasons, including that many immigrants are not present when they are served because they are working or looking for work. Additionally, many have reportedly started cooking in their hotel rooms.

However, some immigrants have also said the food made them sick and had quality problems, including mold. At Red Rood Plus in Buffalo, a company employee noted that immigrants “don’t really like the food,” adding that “customers are angry and claim the food is moldy and is making them sick.”

DocGo, a medical services company, received a $432 million deal to care for about 4,000 immigrants in the upstate city, but has been accused of wasting taxpayer money.

From October 22 to November 10, the company threw out more than 70,000 meals, calling them “wasted.” Food provided by DocGo seen above

The company, which previously worked as a COVID testing company, was awarded the no-bid contract in May to help bus migrants upstate and care for them while the city ran out of space.

A migrant from Haiti told the Times that he had to go to the hospital after eating his first DocGo meal and now has to wear a special belt around his stomach to relieve gas from the food.

DocGo, which had no prior experience caring for migrants and previously worked as a COVID testing company, has been accused of mistreating asylum seekers in its care.

The company received the no-bid contract in May to help bus migrants upstate and care for them while the city ran out of space. The contract states that the food must be provided at no profit to the company.

In August, Gov. Kathy Hochul opened an investigation into the company over complaints from immigrants who said they were lured to Albany with promises of employment and legal assistance and then abandoned by DocGo.

The company’s chief executive, Anthony Capone, who faced accusations that he lied about his educational background, resigned in September citing “personal reasons.”

The immigrants have claimed they were lured to Albany with promises of employment and legal assistance and then abandoned by DocGo.

A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development told the Times that DocGo had recently started ordering fewer meals and that it aims to cut $66 million from the program by the end of 2024.

DocGo spokesperson Rob Ford said: “The data presented by The New York Times is once again taken out of context and inaccurate… DocGo continually monitors food consumption and works to proactively identify savings opportunities on behalf from New York”.

The company was founded in 2015 by Stanley Vashovsky with the goal of “revolutionizing medical transportation and mobile healthcare delivery.”

Adams has signed $5,056,744,415 in nearly 200 contracts for migrant services since last year, when he declared a state of emergency, allowing the City Council to bypass a competitive bidding process to address the surge in asylum seekers.

However, it lost that power earlier this month after it was revoked by Comptroller Brad Lander, who is auditing the contract with DocGo. He has said that he has “serious concerns about the selection of this supplier and its performance of contractual obligations.”

“There are too many outstanding questions and concerns about DocGo and this $432 million no-bid contract,” Lander added. “New Yorkers deserve real-time oversight and accountability to understand how this price was reached, ensure this company has the expertise to deliver the contracted services, and examine the integrity and accountability of this provider.”

Last month, Adams announced a $110.5 billion budget, saying cuts were necessary across all departments after the city spent $1.45 billion in fiscal 2023 on the migrant crisis.

Adams signed $5,056,744,415 in nearly 200 contracts for migrant services since last year

The budget cuts would cause NYPD officers to be reduced by a fifth, or 13.5 percent, by postponing the academy’s next five classes, leaving officers below 30,000, compared to to 36,000.

Education would also take a billion-dollar hit over two years and cause a delay in the implementation of composting in the Bronx and Staten Island, leading to a reduction in trash collection, as well as cuts to preschool programs in the city.

The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library would also need to eliminate Sunday service due to budget cuts.

“Without sufficient funding, we cannot maintain our current levels of service, and any additional cuts to library budgets will unfortunately result in deeper service impacts,” the libraries said in a statement.

The cuts would also reduce funding for two children’s programs: summer school and universal kindergarten.

Company paid $432M of taxpayer cash to feed NYC’s migrants after winning no-bid contract trashed 70,000 meals – worth $776,000 – in just one month as NYC Mayor Eric Adams is forced to slash billions from city budget

By