BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Associated Press has reported that a charity created by Birmingham mayor Larry Langford in 2000 to provide computers to children is now being scrutinized about how the charity managed to spend over $1 million in tax money…with some of it going to a well-known gay porn star.
Court records also indicate that some of the funds meant for Langford's program were used to pay for trips, personal credit card bills, vehicle expenses, restaurant bills and casino tabs.
Langford, who took Birmingham's mayoral seat last year, has been promoting a new charity to put computers in the hands of Birmingham-area schoolchildren.
According to the AP, a major figure in both charities is Langford's friend, businessman John Katopodis.
Katopodis is currently being questioned in a civil lawsuit brought by HealthSouth Corp. and in federal subpoenas about how Katapodis handled Langford's original computer charity that got off the ground when Langford was mayor of Fairfield, Ala.
HealthSouth, which donated money and computers to Langford's first charity, questions why Langford was given money, and why paid casino trips and donated computers were given to Katopodis's friends and to various politicians.
Documents produced have also shown that $30,000 went to Marc Anthony Donais, who was known as Ryan Idol when Donais was performing as a gay porn star in the 1990s. Donais is also a businessman who worked for the charity and fixed computers… although he lacked formal training in the field.
For his part, Katopodis denied misusing the money and computers given to the charity.
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