Ex-Con Whose Camp Was Closed By City Promises Refunds

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN – An ex-con whose summer camp was shut down by the city after a range of complaints says he’s refunding parents – and plans to "rebuild."

The city Health Department closed Camp Bed-Stuy on Wednesday after looking into parent complaints about sketchy field trips and rampant disorganization. The site was closed on grounds it lacked the necessary permit.

But in a phone interview with Patch, camp founder Andre Lewis promised to return.

Lewis, who was convicted of embezzling $500,000 in federal funds in 2009, said, “We have gotten two or three refund requests out of 40 people. All of those have been approved."

But judging by the camp’s Facebook page, getting refunds from the camp, where sessions are priced at $350-$500, won’t be that easy.

DNAinfo on Friday reported that Lewis sent camp parents a message promising to “rebuild” his organization.

Lewis told Patch he wants to reopen, but seemed to acknowledge that is unlikely with just three weeks of scheduled camp remaining.

“The majority of the parents are waiting to hear from us about other child care options,” he said in a phone interview. “We are trying to place them in other programs.”

DNAinfo quoted a parent of a former camper saying she hopes Lewis stays out of child care.

““If (Lewis)... was to resurface somehow to operate any type of business that involves the health of children, I would have to say that the agencies, administration, and politicians failed the children,” Dalila Scott said.

Lewis was found guilty of embezzling $500,000 from the Better Brooklyn Community Center, a federally funded food-aid and after-school program, in 2009.

The city Health Department was looking into “dodgy field trips around the city and across state lines with minimal staff and severe disorganization” when it closed the camp, according to DNAinfo. The website reported several parents were especially angry over a trip to a rally with Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Header photo courtesy of Mayor Bill de Blasio's office.