WASHINGTON — The former director of an affordable housing nonprofit allegedly illegally gave himself $1.25 million in bonuses coming from charitable funds, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb says in a new lawsuit.
Kenneth Brewer Sr., the director of H Street Community Development Corporation (HSCDC) from July 2010 to June 2023, is accused of awarding himself bigger and bigger bonuses for the last seven years before his retirement. He was first sued by the nonprofit for abusing his position of authority and misappropriating funds in March 2024. Now, after an Office of the Attorney General investigation, the District is suing him too.
Brewer reportedly skirted the authorized performance review process to give himself these large bonuses, the OAG alleges. The authorized process has oversight — review from an external law firm and approval from the nonprofit’s board — but instead, Brewer requested these bonuses from the board of HSCDC’s subsidiary, the H Street Investment Corporation (HSIC), without telling the HSCDC board. HSIC’s board was able to directly approve the bonuses…