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Omaha nonprofit PACE places Executive Director Rich Gonzalez on leave following search warrant

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OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Omaha nonprofit PACE says that its Executive Director Rich Gonzalez has been placed on leave until further notice after a federal search warrant was served at one of its facilities.

On Monday and Tuesday, federalsearch warrants were executed at the homes of Omaha City Councilmember Vinny Palermo, Omaha Police Officer Johnny Palermo and the Corrigan Multi-Cultural Center.

The multi-cultural center is owned by PACE, which stands for 'Police Activities for Community Engagement.' It operates separately from the city government, but has received money from the city for its youth programs and was founded by a group of police officers to help at-risk children.

The FBI confirmed the search warrants, but will not comment on the ongoing investigation.

Statement from the PACE Executive Committee of the Board of Directors | December 21, 2022

"The PACE Board of Directors takes any allegation or inference of wrongdoing very seriously. We have placed Rich Gonzalez, Executive Director of PACE, on leave until further notice, effective December 19th, 2022. In the interim, the organization’s founder and current development director, Tony Espejo, will serve as acting Executive Director under the direct and full oversight of the Board. The Board is presently not aware of any actions that would be improper but is cooperating fully with the authorities to resolve this matter."

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