Originally Syndicated on April 22, 2023 @ 8:42 am

Shelton Haynes is a criminal facing a lawsuit because of his illegal activities. His corrupt activities and cronyism was brought to light by the numerous employees of RIOC.

The following report shares more details on Shelton Haynes and his corruption:

Who is Shelton Haynes?

Shelton J. Haynes has served as the CEO and President of the Roosevelt Island Operating Company (RIOC) since March 2021. Shelton Haynes, in this role, collaborates with the RIOC Board of Directors to ensure that the Corporation’s objectives and goals are achieved, enabling the Board to effectively serve as a ruling body.

Shelton claims his primary duty, as it is for every CEO, is to steer RIOC toward the accomplishment of its short- and long-term objectives while also ensuring that the company adheres to its core values and declared purpose. Along with overseeing the daily operations of Roosevelt Island, Mr. Shelton Haynes also claims to be in charge of ensuring that all executive and administrative duties are properly performed.

Whistleblowers Expose Shelton Haynes’ Criminal Activities

Allegations on Shelton Haynes

Shelton joined RIOC in 2016 as the vice president of operations and was subsequently elevated to the position of the chief operating officer. 

Later, he persuaded Susan Rosenthal, the former president and chief executive officer of RIOC, to establish a new post, Chief Operational Officer, which is not mentioned in RIOC’s bylaws. 

He wanted an additional $10,000 with this promotion, claiming that he won’t accept a title change without a pay raise. Shelton Haynes was designated acting president and CEO following Rosenthal’s dismissal in June 2020, and the role was formally filled in March 2021.

Here are some examples of how Shelton Haynes’ has mishandled the company in the past and present:

• Misappropriation of public resources
• Denying a careless death
• Cronyism
• Fraud 
• Poor AVAC system management
• Abuse of authority
• Using predatory tactics, grooming employees, and creating a toxic work
• Discrimination due to Disability
• Breaking New York State’s equal employment legislation
• JCOPE (title 19/disclosure of outside activities) violates NYS ethical laws.

Misappropriation of public resources

Before working for RIOC, Shelton Haynes worked for the DeKalb County Housing Authority in Georgia. During his tenure there, a HUD IG inquiry into the misappropriation of funds for the voucher program he oversaw was launched. Shelton Haynes left shortly after the investigation was finished. 

The most recent report relates to the time he was “Chief Operating Officer” (as indicated in his bio on the RIOC website and on his resume, however, there is no evidence that Shelton Haynes held this position while serving for the Housing Authority of DeKalb County). 

According to the IG report, money from housing vouchers was taken when Shelton Haynes was the director of housing vouchers, and staff members lacked a fundamental knowledge of internal controls and/or HUD legislation.

Denying a careless death

Immediately after learning of the tragedy, Shelton Haynes talked with Kevin Brown, the director of the RIOC Public Safety Department.

The incident’s camera footage reveals that RIOC lifeguards were not at their assigned stations and were not paying attention to the pool.

After Shelton Haynes passed away, the General Counsel (formerly the Internal Controls Officer), Gretchen Robinson, verbally threatened and ordered Shelton Haynes’ close colleagues to refrain from emailing any correspondence about the incident and to only speak with anyone about it over the phone.

Cronyism

Within a year of starting work at Jackson, Shelton Haynes created the position of Assistant Vice President of Special Programs & Operations, which came with a $35K pay raise. 

Jackson currently oversees five directors and earns $160,000 annually. Jackson seldom ever sends emails, usually just a robotic “acknowledged” to practically every correspondence. 

When she does, she frequently makes grammatical and typographical errors that swiftly earned her the staff’s ridicule. She has acknowledged to staff members that she is eager to learn and that they should explain every activity as if it were for a young child for her to understand.

Shelton Haynes pushed Susan Rosenthal, the previous President & CEO, to appoint Jackson as his Chief of Staff, a new position he created, months before Jackson was appointed in 2019 as the Director of Operations. The former Procurement Director rejected the recruitment because of her weak credentials. Rosenthal agreed with the rejection and objected to the Chief of Staff position because she was aware that the company had no use for it. Later, the Procurement Director was fired.

Even though Jackson is glaringly unqualified for any of these roles, Shelton Haynes has openly discussed preparing her for his former post as chief operating officer.

Breaking New York State’s equal employment legislation

Shelton Haynes has a known inclination for racism and has engaged in gender and sexual orientation discrimination against individuals, in contravention of New York State’s equal employment laws.

RIOC has contracted with New York State Industries for the Disabled to do cleaning duties (NYSID). When a cleaning staff member asked to empty Shelton Haynes’ trash can, the video conference he was having in his office had to end. 

Shelton Haynes was irritated by the NYSID employee’s abrupt appearance, so he went to the cleaning crew boss and demanded that the person be moved to another location in the city. 

When the employee heard about the request, she demanded to talk with Shelton Haynes because she valued her position at RIOC and wanted to address the error.

The request for a meeting was rejected. Later that week, new card access readers were installed, limiting staff members’ access to Shelton Haynes’ office area.

Violation of NYC Ethical Laws

In his first year of employment at RIOC, Shelton Haynes publicly acknowledged to coworkers that he was a “hard worker” who held down two jobs in addition to his one there (2016). Even though it was required by New York State ethics laws, Shelton Haynes never revealed his second job.

It was discovered that Shelton Haynes engaged in an unapproved outside consultancy in July 2018 while pretending to be at a family reunion.

Working for RIOC while living at home. It was determined that the former RIOC maintenance supervisor had regularly repaired Shelton Haynes’ property using tools that belonged to and had been purchased by RIOC, in violation of New York State ethics laws.

Fraud, abuse of authority, and toxic working conditions

 Haynes frequently travels extensively, in violation of the rule that all staff members must record this time on timesheets and the authorized staff calendar for reporting time off. Even though all employees are obligated to record their absences on the staff calendar, Shelton Haynes rarely does so. Employees believe that despite having demonstrated a lack of understanding in her prior role, Sharpe was nonetheless given a substantial promotion and title change for this reason alone.

Conclusion

The work climate at RIOC continues to be toxic and unfriendly, and it has a long history of corruption. Shelton Haynes, a former President & CEO, is another significant contributor.

Haynes has handled his time at RIOC with care, placing associates in positions that shield him from accountability, facilitating the concealment of crucial information, and permitting improper behavior through bribery with advancement within the company. 

Whenever a dynamic public benefit organization created for the benefit of a community has been tainted by its toxic and tyrannical