Corrupt Government Agencies? Say It Isn't So!

I had to laugh the other day when a Federal Employee in the Justice System said that corruption is exaggerated. I don't consider myself a conspiracy theorist, I do not believe everyone is out to get me, I do not think every government agency is evil. I do believe that there are those whose sole goal appears to be the pursuit of power and wealth and that no matter the cost they will pursue those goals. I believe that even those with the best of intentions can be corrupted and that our state and federal government  is set up to fail due to lack of impartial over-site, consequence that are none existent,  and by allowing individuals to garner huge amounts of influence and power.
This is a full page add was taken out by the FBI I guess they are also exaggerating the Corruption in our Governments too, hmmm I guess I do finally agree with a government agency. But I would not get too excited I did call in saying I had some information and no one bothered to return the call.

Tallahassee has become a focal point in the FBI’s crackdown on public corruption.
The FBI in Jacksonville has launched a major initiative seeking the public’s help in identifying government officials who use their office for personal gain. Of particular interest to the FBI is potential fraud involving federal stimulus money.
The agency unveiled the Public Corruption Tip Line (1-888-722-1225) in February and said it would run advertisements in newspapers seeking tips. So far, the FBI has run one advertisement, which appeared on the front page of the Tallahassee Democrat.
Toni Chrabot, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI office in Jacksonville, said the FBI chose to run the ad in Tallahassee because it is the seat of power in Florida.
“Since it’s the capital and the home of Florida’s Legislature and numerous state agencies, any public corruption there has the potential to have consequences on a much broader scale than similar corruption in a smaller town or county,” said Chrabot, who is overseeing the office’s public-corruption program.
The ad ran under the heading, “Who’s representing you?” and had a “pay-to-play” logo with a slash through it. “Dishonest government officials aren’t just wasting your tax dollars,” the ad said. “They’re betraying your trust. Report public corruption to the FBI.”
The FBI made headlines recently after asking the city of Tallahassee for a copy of its purchasing policy and emails involving a federally funded grant for technology programs on the south side. The FBI doesn’t confirm or deny investigations; Chrabot discussed only in broad terms the FBI’s efforts to stamp out government corruption. The Democrat learned of the FBI’s interest in city documents from city officials.
Brad Ashwell, democracy advocate for the Florida Public Interest Research Group, said it’s reassuring that the federal government is using one of its most powerful crime-fighting tools — the FBI — to safeguard against corruption.
“It’s critical that we ensure public funds are used appropriately and effectively,” Ashwell said. “And any time there is fraud or public corruption, that’s a breach of the public trust that is corrosive to our democracy.”
Chrabot said the FBI relies on the public’s help in uncovering public corruption, which often occurs with private-sector accomplices. One reason is the secretive nature of bribes.
“For much of the investigation that the FBI does just in general, we are successful because of the help of the public,” she said. “And that’s true for counter-terrorism investigations, where the public has been so aware and reported suspicious activity. We benefit the same way when a citizen reports what they believe to be suspicious and corrupt activity. We depend on that.”
U.S. Attorney Pamela C. Marsh of the Northern District of Florida said in a written statement that public corruption is the top priority of the office.
“Greed and self-interest have no place in public service, and violations of the law will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted,” Marsh said. “We look forward to joining with federal law enforcement and members of the concerned public in bringing to justice those who seek to line their own pockets at the expense of the public trust.”
FBI probes bribes, kickbacks
James Casey, special agent in charge of the FBI Jacksonville office, said in a written statement that most public officials are honest.
“But we encourage the public to help us hold accountable those who use their positions for their own enrichment and those contractors who misuse the taxpayers’ money,” Casey said.
Chrabot said some public officials who are motivated by power and greed accept or solicit bribes or receive kickbacks in exchange for official action or inaction.
“We call it quid pro quo — there’s something of value for something of value,” she said. “Historically, kickbacks have been as simple as the hand-to-hand exchange of money. The payment of bribes or kickbacks may take a very sophisticated track through companies, individuals and bank accounts or all three.”
She said the FBI is paying particular attention to fraud involving the $787- billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The FBI said Florida is expected to receive nearly $20 billion in federal stimulus money and that contracts totaling nearly $10 billion have already been awarded.
“It’s a tremendous amount of money,” Chrabot said. “And our responsibility with regard to public corruption and the investigation of public corruption is to ensure that the American public receives what they’re supposed to receive.”
FBI working 3,500 corruption cases
The FBI in Jacksonville oversees offices in 40 Florida counties, from Duval County in the east to Escambia County in the west and Citrus, Sumter and Lake counties in the central part of the state.
Chrabot said more than 50 investigators have been assigned to public corruption in the FBI’s Southeast Region, which encompasses 11 field offices in Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Va.; Norfolk, Va.; Charlotte, N.C.; Columbia, S.C.; Baltimore; Atlanta; Jacksonville; Tampa; Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Nationwide, 750 agents are assigned to public-corruption matters.
The FBI is involved in about 400 pending cases in some stage of investigation or prosecution in the Southeast Region and more than 3,500 pending cases nationally. The cases involve public corruption, fraud against the government and anti-trust matters, Chrabot said.
About 450 people have been charged with public-corruption crimes across the country since Oct. 1, 2010, Chrabot said. There have been more than 430 convictions over the same time period.
Chrabot said the FBI has received valuable information through the tip line and the FBI’s website. She said some tips have immediate value in existing cases, while others could have value in future cases.
“Anything we get, we share,” she said. “It’s one big FBI.”
Public corruption ‘unacceptable’
The FBI has a long history of investigating public corruption. Chrabot recalled the FBI’s ABSCAM investigation, which began in the late 1970s and led to the convictions of a senator and six congressmen caught on video accepting bribes. The operation was named after Abdul Enterprises, a fictitious company set up by the FBI to nab criminals involved in public corruption and organized crime.
In the early 1980s, Operation Greylord, named after wigs British judges wear, led to the indictments of more than 90 judges, lawyers and law-enforcement officers in the Chicago area on charges involving bribery, kickbacks, vote buying and fraud. Most of them were convicted.
In a recent public-corruption probe, the former chairman of the Jacksonville Port Authority, Tony Devaughn Nelson, was found guilty May 20 on 36 charges, including bribery and money laundering. Nelson is facing 20 years in prison.
Chrabot said public corruption is not a “victimless crime.”
“Public corruption is so far-reaching because it is a breach of the public trust,” she said. “Citizens should think it unacceptable, and they should report it if they have knowledge of it because it does affect them. The American public deserves honest services from public officials, and they have the right to expect it.”

Lee County Jail's Reign of Terror Continues

Yes torture and murder does happen in America

.

Here is visual proof of the disgusting systematic torture and eventual murder of a husband, father, and grandfather.

 

Remember this little amendment?

Amendment VIII

Bail, fines, punishment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
I think that pepper spraying someone until their body is too toxic for medical staff to touch is cruel but in Lee County it is business as usual.
The District 21 Medical Examiner ruled his death was a homicide because he had been restrained and sprayed with pepper spray by law enforcement officers. But to this day, nobody has ever been charged with a crime, and the Lee County State Attorney cleared the sheriff’s office of any wrong doing.
 FDLE refuses to reopen the case.
We have to be the ones to stay ENOUGH!
Please sign this petition to have the case opened and people held accountable for Nick’s death. When the light is shined directly on the Lee County Jail, the sheriff and the state of Florida then all of the inmates there will be less likely to be tortured. We have to expose the monsters.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/456/justice-for-nick-christie-murdered-in-the-lee-county-florida-jail-by-those-who-were-to-protect-and/
I also ask that you contact our governor, tell him as the governor of the state of Florida he has a responsibility to protect all of our citizens, and to uphold the US and FL constitution as he swore in his oath of office. If he allows Lee County to continue their reign of terror he is just as responsible as the ones actually torturing and killing others.
Contact Governor Rick Scott today.
http://www.flgov.com/contact-gov-scott/

Pompano Beach City Corruption Grinds On ..

Pompano CRA volunteer wanted ‘contribution’

from 'developer' for community

Pompano Beach Northwest Community Redevelopment Agency member Vincent Thrower, 31, claimed he was a powerful player in Pompano Beach politics. But witnesses in the public corruption case against him told prosecutors he tried to shake down a city contractor in the northwest area where Thrower lives. Broward prosecutors have offered to let Thrower resolve the case with a sentence of 2 1/2 years in state prison.Thrower is also accused of failing to reveal he was paid more than $50,000 for consulting work he did to support three separate business deals involving the city. Prosecutors say that work was a conflict of interest for Thrower.
Thrower, 31, of Pompano Beach, pleaded not guilty to three counts of unlawful compensation and one of bribery. The four felony charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison each and fines of up to $40,000.
“Mr. Thrower has until Nov. 24 to make a decision on that plea offer,” Broward Assistant State Attorney David Schulson told reporters. Thrower is free on bond.
Contractor Lynn Allison complained to the State Attorney’s Office in September 2009 after she said Thrower began demanding that she make a $2,000-a-m month “contribution to the community.” The money was to be paid each month to Thrower — if she wanted to keep her $200,000 annual contract with the city.
Thrower claimed he was able to use his role on the CRA to create difficulties for her and her staff in keep the contract, witnesses told prosecutors in sworn statements.

Thrower was the chairman of the city’s advisory board for the northwest CRA and was also appointed to Broward County’s Small Business Advisory Board. He resigned from all of the boards in March.

http://www.flsentry.com/index2.htm

Ethics Reform Ignored By Florida Lawmakers

For all the major reforms Florida lawmakers took on this year, they failed to enact stronger ethics standards for public officials despite a rash of corruption cases from South Florida to Sarasota.

The inaction is even more glaring in the wake of an unusual statewide grand jury last December that issued 127 pages of recommended changes in state law after declaring that “corruption is pervasive at all levels of government” in Florida.

Florida entered this spring’s legislative session reeling from years of major scandal at the state and local level. More than 800 public officials were convicted in Florida on various charges between 1997 and 2007, making Florida the top state for government corruption, according to the grand jury.

http://4closurefraud.org/2011/05/31/were-1-florida-the-top-state-for-government-corruption/

The Florida Way, Corruption

May 8, 2011

When people think about political corruption they think of places like Chicago and New York but the number one state for corruption in America is Florida.  Florida has had more public officials found guilty of corruption than any other state in the last decade, a staggering 824 politicians. These are just the ones who got caught.
But the savvy politician does not have to break the law. They can simply set up a consulting company and circumvent every campaign law. It has become the Florida Way.


State Senator Mike Fasano



Consulting fees are nothing more than buying access to elected officials and obtaining political favors. Why do lawyers, engineers, and doctors give up their careers to make $30,000 a year as a legislator in Tallahassee? We hope this is a public service but for many they make more money as politicians than in the private sector.





Florida

 Let’s say you are a certain transportation company seeking legislation that will help your bottom line. Campaign laws limit the amount of money you can give to a political campaign, but in Florida you can hire elected officials as “consultants” and pay them whatever you want. There are numerous examples of powerful elected officials being paid tens of thousands of dollars in consulting fees or to perform marketing studies despite the fact they never performed those services before they held elected office.



The average taxpayer does not have a fighting chance when powerful special interests throw millions of dollars at elected officials. If an elected official has a choice between feeding their family or serving the taxpayer they will chose their family every time.
State Senator Mike Fasano proposed an ethics reform bill this year. The problem is Fasano accepted a job with a powerful company just weeks after approving Sun Rail that helped his new employer. Ethics reform should prevent elected officials from taking consulting fees or jobs from companies that do business with the State of Florida.

We currently have elected officials employed in “government affairs” with companies who benefit from their work. If an elected official has a job with a company that does business with the State of Florida, that representative should be barred from voting on legislation that affects their company. These public servants are not serving the public at all. They put themselves in a position of power to help their employers.
Corruption is no longer cash in a brown paper bag. The corruption now comes in the form of consulting fees and jobs that influence public policy to the benefit of special interests. Florida desperately needs a major ethics reform law that bars elected officials from putting the interests of special interests above the citizens of Florida.

http://www.floridapoliticalpress.com/2011/05/08/the-florida-way-corruption/

Corruption Case Snares Former Coral Springs Florida Mayor Scott Brook



Mayor Scott Brook

 When Former Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook dropped out of a state House race in September, he cited family reasons.
But there was something else brewing in the background.
Brook is apparently another politician dragged down by the dirty developers, Bruce and Shawn Chait.
The Florida Ethics Commission staff is recommending commissioners find probable cause to believe Brook broke state ethics laws.  He is alleged to have accepted a boat trip, food and drink from the Chaits while voting on their controversial golf course project.
Brook was a member of the Broward County Planning Council, which was considering the Chait’s plan to pave over two Tamarac golf courses.
According to ethics commission documents obtained by Browardbeat.com:

In 2006, Brook asked the Chaits for use of their 74-foot Viking yacht to watch the Fort Lauderdale Air and Sea Show on May 6.  The developers  said the yacht was not available, but offered Brook a 27-foot boat instead.

• Brook accepted and took his wife, children, another couple and their children to view the show.  He was given free drinks and snacks.
• Less than three weeks later, Brook voted to approve development of 161 acres the Chaits owned in Tamarac with 931 homes.
• The staff report indicates that Brook admitted accepting the 3 1/2 hour boat ride and refreshments.  The staff put the trip’s value at $750.
  Staff investigators concluded Brook broke state laws forbidding unauthorized compensation and soliciting unauthorized compensation. 

 Non-lawyers call that accepting and soliciting a bribe.The commission will consider the staff’s recommendation next month.
The complaint was filed by Tim Donnelly, a chief investigator of public corruption in State Attorney Mike Satz’s office.  I have no idea why Donnelly did not file a criminal complaint against Brook.
Any punishment would be a fine, but not jail since it was a civil ethics complaint.

• BY BUDDY NEVINS

http://www.browardbeat.com/former-coral-springs-mayor-dragged-into-chait-corruption-case/

Florida Corruptacrat makes top 15 list for most corrupt politicians

Credit-Crew.org

* Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)
* Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL)
* Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA)
* Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA)
* Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)
* Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
* Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
* Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
* Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV)
* Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA)
* Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY)
* Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA)
* Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN)
* Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)
* Rep. Don Young (R-AK)

CREW’s (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) fifth annual report on congressional corruption includes 15 members of Congress.  Blatantly missing from the list is Nancy “Spendthrift” Pelosi (abuse of taxpayer money and frivolous use of taxpayers funds for her personal benefit and the Barney “Boisterous Bully” Frank somehow managed stay off the list.



Glenn Beck



Glenn Beck must be right when he says there is no difference between Dems and the GOP because the list breaks down to 7 Republicans and 8 Democrats.  California leads the way as the land of Corruptacrats and home to the mother of them all, “I earned it” Senator Barbara Boxer.

Topping the list alphabetically is a Florida Corruptacrat, Rep. Vern Buchanan (Republican).  C.R.E.W. reports:

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL) is a two-term member of Congress representing Florida’s 13th district. His ethics issues stem from pressuring his employees to make contributions to his campaign committee and improper use of corporate resources for campaign purposes. Rep. Buchanan was included in CREW’s 2008 report on congressional corruption.

Conduit Contributions
Rep. Buchanan owns several car dealerships in Florida and after he began his congressional campaign in 2005, in one seven-day period, he raised $110,000 from employees of his numerous car dealerships. Several employees have since alleged that Rep. Buchanan pressured them to make contributions to his campaign committee.

 

 

 

According to the sworn affidavits of Carlo A. Bell and David J. Padilla, employees of Rep. Buchanan's automobile dealerships, including employees of Venice Nissan Dodge and Sarasota Ford, were either reimbursed with corporate funds for making $1,000 contributions to Rep. Buchanan’s 2006 congressional campaign, or were coerced into making contributions.

Joe Kezer, an employee of Sarasota Ford, also alleges that he was pressured to make a contribution and that as a further reward, Rep. Buchanan offered him the use of his vacation house in Vail, Colorado. Aware that it might not be legal, but fearing for his job, Mr. Kezer made a contribution of $2,000 to Rep. Buchanan’s campaign committee.

 

 

Terry Keith Howell, a registered Democrat, claims he too was reimbursed for donations he had made to Rep. Buchanan. According to a deposition he gave in a lawsuit, Mr. Howell claimed the $8,800 contribution he made to Rep. Buchanan and the $10,000 he gave to the Republican Party of Florida were paid by his business partner, Timothy Mobley, “a Tampa developer whose relatives and employees were the single largest group of contributors to Buchanan.”

The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) prohibits corporations from making threats of reprisal to force employees to make political contributions. Additionally, FECA prohibits making a contribution in the name of a person other than the true source of the contribution. CREW has a pending FEC complaint against Rep. Buchanan.

Corporate Donations
Another former employee, Richard Thomas, who was the director of fixed operations for one of Rep. Buchanan’s dealerships, claims that Rep. Buchanan repeatedly used dealership cars for campaign purposes. Mr. Thomas has alleged that vehicles were taken out of inventory for use by the campaign and when returned, would frequently contain campaign materials such as literature and posters, which would be cleaned out, and the cars detailed by dealership staff before the cars were made available to customers. The dealership may not have been paid fair market value for the use of the vehicles. Rep. Buchanan also stored campaign materials at the dealership. Using corporate vehicles for campaign purposes without paying fair market value may violate federal elections law.

For the full report from C.R.E.W. click here

Floridians have to vote smart and clean out the Corruptacrats like Vern Buchanan, Republican, Democrat or Independent makes no difference.  Politicians with no honor and a belief there above the law have to go.

http://www.examiner.com/orange-county-conservative-in-orlando/florida-corruptacrat-makes-top-15-list-for-most-corrupt-politicians