Lavish Spending, Little Reward

When the federal government gave up the rehabbed Southwest site he'd been occupying, Prioleau was forced to relocate DC Link and Learn to a much smaller, aging walk-up in Adams Morgan, a site meant to be temporary.

"That was a huge hit to us," said Prioleau, referring to the loss of his spacious, rent-free location.

He warehoused most of the furnishings -- several tractor-trailers full of desks, computers and office supplies -- and began to incur $4,950 monthly storage fees. For the new site, he bought new computers, spent thousands on office supplies and signed a nearly $1,400-a-month furniture lease.

Prioleau billed the employment services agency for much of it. The agency said the expenses were necessary to keep the program going and because the new offices were too small to accommodate the furnishings from the previous site.

Within months, Prioleau began to fall behind on storage payments. After almost two years, when the debt had climbed to more than $100,000, the storage company held an auction in April 2004.

Big-screen TVs, satellite receivers, fax machines, computer equipment, tables and chairs sold within hours. A $6,000 chair went for $5, and the $4,000 credenza sold for $15, records show. The stainless steel conference table fetched $550, but its companion artwork was tossed in the trash.

"There was a lot of abandoned stuff bidders didn't want. Not knowing what the heck any of it was, it went into the dumpster," said Kevin Boss, operations manager for Moving Masters.

Officials at two city agencies, Employment Services and Housing, said they didn't know of the sale until told of it last spring by The Post.

New Warnings

Prioleau's other pet project, McKinley Technology High School, elicited warnings from school officials. In early 2001, Assistant Superintendent Wilma Bonner became alarmed at Prioleau's expanding role. Prioleau, a nostalgic McKinley alumnus, announced in a public meeting that he was brokering a $100,000 donation from Sprint to promote the school, although school records show that at the time he had no contract.

"I don't know who sanctioned Mr. Prioleau for this role," Bonner wrote in an e-mail to the school system's lawyer. "He has stated that he is reporting to the Mayor."

School officials, concerned that he was collecting money in their name, distanced themselves from the donation, which was written to Prioleau's foundation. Then-Superintendent Paul L. Vance "said he didn't want to touch it. . . . I remember him telling Archie that," said school board member William Lockridge.

Vance did not return calls seeking comment.