New York local body accused of promising money to homeless men, create anti-migrant rumours

Recent claims made by a few homeless army veterans from Newburgh, New York, that they were thrown out of a hotel to make space for illegal migrants, were reportedly called ‘false’ after two homeless revealed that they were actually offered money to impersonate veterans.

The men claim that there were at least 15 homeless people who were promised up to $200 to perpetuate this deception for a local chamber of commerce, which doubted the reports of veterans being displaced for migrants.

This situation has further strained tensions between New York City and the area, as a temporary restraining order was recently issued by a New York state Supreme Court judge, blocking Mayor Eric Adams from relocating asylum seekers to Orange County, where Newburgh is situated.

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Douglas Terry, 55, expressed feeling deceived by Sharon Toney-Finch, a nonprofit leader who provides housing for the homeless.

Terry and others have identified Toney-Finch as the individual responsible for making the false promises of payment that were never fulfilled.

“It’s disheartening. How could they do this to us? They scammed us,” Terry remarked.

Another man, who only disclosed his first name as William, explained that the group was instructed to claim they were military veterans who had been forced out of their hotel rooms.

If they felt uncomfortable with that narrative, William said they were encouraged to state that they suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“We were enticed with a reward and led astray. Now they have taken away the reward, and we are rightfully upset,” William added.

Toney-Finch, in an interview with CNN, refuted the allegations, stating that she never made any offers of payment to homeless individuals for claiming they were forced to leave the Crossroads Hotel in the Town of Newburgh.

“I never made any promises of compensation,” Toney-Finch clarified. She further explained that her communication with State Assemblyman Brian Maher was solely about informing him of homeless veterans who had been displaced, without attributing it to asylum seekers.

According to Terry and William, associates of Toney-Finch reportedly visited a homeless shelter to recruit volunteers who would accompany her to Connecticut for a meeting with a local politician.

Allegedly, 15 volunteers were gathered, and they were taken to a nearby diner where Toney-Finch covered the cost of their meals and provided them with alcohol, as per their accounts.

After the meal, Toney-Finch allegedly assembled them in the diner’s parking lot and informed them that they would instead be meeting with a local member of the chamber of commerce.

She instructed them to claim they were veterans who were displaced to accommodate asylum seekers. If any of them were uncomfortable speaking, Toney-Finch advised them to say they suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and could not engage in conversation, as relayed by the two men.

Once the meeting concluded, Toney-Finch purportedly returned the individuals to the shelter and informed some of them that she would return on Friday with the promised payment, according to the men’s accounts. However, they claim that she never fulfilled her promise to compensate them.

“I never made such statements or took such actions,” Toney-Finch denied when questioned by CNN.

A spokesperson for New York State Attorney General Letitia James stated that their office is currently assessing the details of the incident to determine whether a formal investigation should be initiated.

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