The New York State Office of Children and Family Services today announced it has approved the appointment of a team from Kroll Associates, Inc., led by former New York State Inspector General, Joseph Spinelli, to serve as a third-party monitor of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services.  An international investigations firm, Kroll has conducted numerous monitorships of major public and private organizations, including monitoring multi-billion dollar disaster relief and infrastructure projects for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Investigation and the State of New Jersey; and monitoring a component of the special education program of the New York City Department of Education pursuant to a federal consent decree.

“The monitor’s responsibility will be to evaluate all policies, practices and procedures and determine the reasons for the troubling failures that we have seen in the handling of high-risk cases to follow basic protocols,” OCFS Commissioner Sheila Poole said.  “OCFS will work with the monitor and ACS to strengthen child protection programs across New York City.”  

Following the tragic death of Zymere Perkins, a Harlem six-year-old beaten to death in September, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo directed OCFS to investigate ACS' compliance with regulations and policies in the case.  OCFS found repeated failures by numerous child protective services and preventive services personnel.  On December 1, those findings were presented to ACS, which was directed to appoint an independent monitor approved by the State.  The monitor will report findings and make recommendations.

In addition to former State Inspector General Spinelli, Kroll’s monitoring team is led by former Chief of the Public Integrity Section for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Richard Faughnan.  Between them, Spinelli and Faughnan have led 18 monitorships of major public and private organizations. 

Kroll is staffed with former federal and state prosecutors and law enforcement officers, forensic accountants, investigators, former intelligence agents, former investigative journalists, research analysts and computer specialists, among others.   One team member has had significant prior investigative experience with ACS, having investigated fatalities at the agency while serving as an Associate Commissioner for DOI.

Headquartered in New York, Kroll performs integrity monitoring, compliance reviews, financial investigations, internal investigations, background investigations, asset searches, business intelligence, crisis and risk management and cyber and physical security consulting, among other specialized services.