Allegations of fraud involving an Imperial Valley College training program loom over the college after two former students voiced serious accusations during Tuesday’s Imperial County Board of Supervisors meeting.
“Our charges here (are) breach of contract … with us, also breach of contract with the county, fraud and forgery. Those are crimes, they are not mistakes,” said one of the students, Niland resident Jacob Calanno, to the board. “What we are trying to do here is find resolution; reach some closure to this issue.”
Calanno and Westmorland resident Daniel Cobos went before the board to speak against the Training for Industrial Instrumentation Professions, or TIIP, a training program funded by the Workforce Investment Act. This program, according to a 2009 report to the board, cost some $300,000 to run that year.
Calanno explained the breach of contract refers to IVC’s supposed failure to give the program’s full curriculum and giving a percentage grade for courses not even offered, Calanno said.
The TIIP, a free training program available for certain eligible residents, was completed in spring 2011, according to IVC President Victor Jaime, who wasn’t present at Tuesday’s supervisors’ meeting. He noted Calanno made a student complaint more than a year ago, after he completed the course. “We did an investigation,” Jaime said.
“We found no evidence of any wrongdoing,” he said of the complaint.
Jaime said he had no contact with Calanno up until last week, when Calanno said he wanted to meet with him and appear before IVC’s Board of Trustees.
As far as the allegations presented during public comments, Jaime said he couldn’t comment on them as he had only heard about them second hand. Jaime said he expects to meet with Calanno this week to get more information.
No other comments on the matter were discussed during the supervisors meeting. After the meeting, however, County Counsel Mike Rood said the county takes “all complaints of this nature seriously.” And yet, “the Board of Supervisors is not the proper forum to be receiving complaints of criminal action. … But nonetheless I will look into this and try to find out more of what is been alleged,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jason Jackson, past chairman of the Workforce Development Board, which channels funding with the board’s consent, said Calanno and Cobo came to the WDB meeting last month and also presented their allegations.
Since then, Workforce Development Board Director Francisco Marquez has been working with the individuals, Jackson said, “and has been trying to get to the bottom of the allegations.”
When asked what could happen if a discrepancy was found in the program, Jackson said that any consequences on the side of the WDB would be made after consulting with Marquez and the WDB.
Marquez, who became director months after the program had ended and was praised by Calanno during his public comments, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Calanno was reached after the meeting though, and said that depending on the agencies’ response he could file a complaint with the state Attorney General.
He also made it clear that for him a resolution means obtaining a monetary settlement.
Staff Writer Alejandro Davila can be reached at 760-337-3445 or adavila@ivpressonline.com
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