D.C.’s attorney general has accused Casa Ruby founder Ruby Corado of funneling more than $400,000 intended for the nonprofit’s work into personal bank accounts.
In an amended complaint filed Tuesday, the office of D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine claimed Corado diverted the funds into two separate bank accounts located in El Salvador between April and September of last year.
In its original August complaint, Racine’s office had accused Corado, founder and former executive director of the nonprofit created to support and shelter local LGBTQ youth, of mismanagement, improper use of grant money and poor oversight.
“We know that Ms. Corado transferred over $400,000 from one of the accounts that was supposed to be used, and another that was also supposed to be used for the nonprofit’s purposes,” Adam Gitlin, chief of the D.C. OAG’s public integrity section, told WTOP’s news partner NBC Washington. “It does appear that a lot of the assets of Casa Ruby have been taken out of the United States.”
Corado continues to deny wrongdoing. Currently living in El Salvador, Corado told NBC4’s Mark Segraves that the money had been placed “in a program” but did not elaborate further, stating “that information is going to be disclosed in court.”
Corado believes the multitude of allegations brought against her are retaliation for recent criticism of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration, including a discrimination complaint Corado made against the D.C. Department of Human Services.
“For the people who wanted for me to shut up, you know, I was a threat — particularly as we were going into an election year,” Corado said.
The nonprofit has received more than $9 million in grants from the District’s government since 2016. Corado stepped down from her position as Casa Ruby’s executive director in 2021, and a judge has appointed another nonprofit to oversee the organization while the OAG’s complaints are heard in court.
