UN music chief is charged with stealing from kids fund

UN music chief is charged with stealing from kids fund

main

norman lebrecht

December 13, 2018

The music director and percussionist Robin diMaggio has been charged with embezzling $750,000 from a charity concert for homeless children.

DiMaggio, 47, has been music director for numerous United Nations events.

He has performed with, among others, Paul Simon, Diana Ross and Ravi Shankar.

More here.

Comments

  • Doug says:

    What’s the problem? He’s only following the official job description of the UN position.

    1. Siphon millions from US taxpayer funded coffers.

    2. Open Swiss bank account.

    3. Publicly denounce the US for being capitalist, racist, homophobic, blah, blah, blah…

    • HugoPreuß says:

      Well, I don’t think that the US ist racist and homophobic. YOU, however, may be a different story. And don’t forget xenophobia in your self-description.

      BTW; while the US is the biggest contributor to the United Nations (an Amercan idea and founded in the US), there are a few others as well. Swiss bank accounts? Oh my, how 1990. This has been obsolete for a long time.

    • Doug says:

      Oh, and I forgot:

      4. Enjoy trans-oceanic private jets, yachts, expensive cars, luxury clothing, five star Michelin restaurants all while preaching to the “little people” about the threat of Global Warming and how after paying their fair share of taxes (200% will do) you should prepare to live in a teepee and consume Soylent Green.

      5. ORANGE MAN BAD!

      • HugoPreuß says:

        Good grief, can’t you keep your Republican garbage out of a music blog? “Hier gilt’s der Kunst!” is the Bayreuth motto, and nobody here needs political opinions (yours or mine) in a discussion about classical music.

  • Tristram J. Goodfellow says:

    The UN is the principal seat of the globalist oligarchy of money grabbers and should be disbanded.

  • drummerman says:

    Calling him the “UN Music Chief” sounds a bit too grandiose. (Besides, don’t they know you can never trust a drummer?)

  • M McAlpine says:

    Having watched UN ‘Observers’ command fat salaries for doing nothing, this guy is just following protocol.

  • Sharon says:

    I have a friend who works for the UN. While I agree that it is a bloated bureaucracy the overwhelming majority of those who work there truly believe in humanitarian ideals and would not steal from programs (UN staff is actually paid pretty well).

    The story said that Mr. DiMaggio stole from a private charity, not a UN fund.

    Nevertheless, if true, it’s a real shame. Not only for the monetary loss to the charity itself but because stories like these discourage people from contributing to any charity since they believe that they cannot be sure that the money will not be stolen.

    I used to work in the New York City family court and I know that divorce property settlements are determined from the income and assets at hand, not from what future income or assets might be. If DiMaggio were buying things for his ex, even if she were his wife at the time it might be a way of trying to hide the theft. That is, he may have been using the house etc for himself although he put it in his ex’s name.

    I have done a lot of volunteer work and there is sometimes a feeling among those who do a lot of volunteer work for free that “they owe me” some kind of compensation, either with regard to honor, authority within the organization, or some type of material compensation because they begin to feel exploited. Although this feeling exists only among a small minority of those who do volunteer work they can cause a lot of trouble.

    I know that I am just speculating but whatever the motive of this guy was it is still a real shame.

  • Sharon says:

    Note: I am having a lot of trouble editing on this blog.

  • Steve says:

    How about just having this guy relieved of his post and tried for grand larceny in a court of law? (you silly angry lack of Mommy loving pathetic trolls)

  • MOST READ TODAY: