SF to Pay Millions in Grants Back to Feds

Authorities have so far provided justification for only 127 of more than 2,300 border prosecution cases the city has billed to a federal government grant program.

San Francisco should not have taken any of the more than $5 million in grants it received from the Southwest Border Prosecution Initiative programs, according to a federal audit. The program reimburses authorities in border states who handle cases referred by the federal government.

After the audit, San Francisco officials-including the offices of District Attorney Kamala Harris and the sheriff-admitted they could not provide justification for any of the money. Harris opened an investigation into the matter and has called for a review panel to monitor procedures for how city departments receive grants.

According to City Controller Ben Rosenfeld only 127 cases prosecuted since 2003 deserve repayment. Rosenfeld says at a minimum the city will have to repay about $2.45 million on top of the $2.7 million it has already returned to the government.