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/

Florida Hired Law Firm With Ties To Gov. Rick Scott

By GARY FINEOUT

Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida has spent nearly a half-million dollars - and could spend even more - with a large, well-known law firm that has connections to both the Republican Party of Florida as well as Gov. Rick Scott.
Since August the state has paid nearly $400,000 to the law firm of Alston and Bird to defend a new state law that requires public employees to contribute 3 percent of their pay to the state pension fund.
The firm was hired at the urging of the Scott administration which asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to approve paying the firm hourly rates at $495 an hour or nearly $300 more than what is normally allowed.
The Scott administration and Bondi have defended the hiring of the firm, saying it specializes in the kind of litigation that the state is now involved in.



General Pam Bondi

 But the firm's roster also includes a one-time business associate of Scott.
While not working directly on the lawsuit, a senior counsel with the firm's Washington D.C. office is Thomas Scully. Scully is also a general partner with the New York investment firm of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. That's the investment firm that this June purchased Scott's shares in Solantic, a chain of urgent care clinics the governor started back in 2001.
Scully, who once led the Federation of American Hospitals, was appointed to the board of directors of Solantic back in 2008.
Scott last year valued his shares in Solantic at $62 million. He initially transferred his ownership interest to his wife's revocable trust prior to taking office in January. But then Scott sold the shares amid questions as to whether he could benefit financially from state efforts to privatize Medicaid and require drug testing for welfare recipients. Scott maintained that Solantic would not seek state contracts and said he was just too busy as governor to spend time overseeing business interests.

Scott, the former head of the massive Columbia/HCA hospital chain, said that he has known Scully for 20 years. But he said on Tuesday that he didn't know that Scully worked for Alston and Bird.
"I knew that he was with a firm in D.C. but I didn't know the name of the firm," Scott told The Associated Press.
Alston and Bird has offices in Brussels and across the nation, including Atlanta, but none in Florida. The firm is involved in a wide-range of areas, ranging from work it did as an examiner on the bankruptcy of Enron to lobbying in Washington D.C.
The firm conducted a forensic audit last year on behalf of the Republican Party of Florida that concluded that former Gov. Charlie Crist and former party chairman Jim Greer had misspent party money. Crist, who bolted the Republican Party last spring to run for the U.S. Senate as an independent, blasted the audit at the time and denied he let the party pay for vacations he took.



Gov. Charlie Crist

 Federal campaign records from last year and early this year show that the Republican Party paid nearly $200,000 to Alston and Bird for its work.
Alston and Bird was first hired by the state back in early August after the Florida Education Association, other public employee unions and several individual workers asked a court to strike down the law that requires public employees to start contributing to the Florida Retirement System
Bondi's office - which is responsible for defending the state in lawsuits - signed off on a request from the Scott administration to hire the firm and to pay it more than normal hourly rates.
"We thought they were best," said Bondi when asked about it.
But State Sen. Nan Rich, D-Weston, sharply criticized the hiring and questioned why the state couldn't at least hire a law firm that has offices located in the state.
"Did we have go all the way to D.C. to hire attorneys who get paid at more than twice the normal pay?" Rich said.


Follow the money



The contract between the state and the law firm caps the total compensation at $500,000. So far the state has paid out $391,000, a spokesman for the Department of Management Services said.

But Jason Dimitris, general counsel for the agency, said the state is likely to offer Alston and Bird a second contract since the first one only covered the trial at the circuit court level. Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford has not yet ruled on the pension lawsuit, but the case is expected to be appealed by the losing side.
Dimitris said that everyone involved in the litigation agreed on hiring Alston and Bird initially because of the "complex" nature of the pension lawsuit.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/15/2503865/fla-hired-law-firm-with-ties-to.html#ixzz1eHqj2wDq

Conflict Of Interest Questions Swirl Around Rick Scott, Solantic

Rick Scott and Ann Scott

With questions already swirling about his refusal to allow a legislatively-approved pill mill database to go into existence – even as the company he co-founded, Solantic, operates clinics that sell cheap prescription drugs, Florida Gov. Rick Scott makes another questionable move: transferring his interest in Solantic … to his wife.
Scott, who presided over the company that perpetrated the greatest Medicare fraud in U.S. history, has also appointed a former executive with that company, Columbia/HCA, to administer a trust related to his in-house share transfer. As the Palm Beach Post reports:

As Florida Gov. Rick Scott reorganizes health agencies, cuts spending and pushes for new free-market health policies, his ownership of Solantic, the urgent care chain, increasingly poses conflict of interest questions.
Solantic co-founder Karen Bowling says Scott has taken steps to distance himself from the chain. He stopped regular business calls with her after he was elected.
“I don’t talk to him anymore. Not since November. Really not much since April,” Bowling said.
Scott left the privately held company’s board of directors in January 2010, during his campaign.
But the most important step the governor must take to avoid a conflict of interest, some ethics experts say, is to divest his Solantic interests.
In January, Scott did transfer his Solantic stock – to his wife.
“The controlling investor in Solantic is the Frances Annette Scott Revocable Trust,” Bowling said.
Solantic’s new chairman, as of last month, is retired Columbia/HCA executive Charles Evans. Evans said he is the Scott trust’s representative.
“I have no communication with them at all,” Evans said.
Scott’s efforts to distance himself appear to be designed to meet the letter of Florida ethics laws, if not the spirit.

Legal experts suggests Scott’s efforts might not survive a legal challenge:

They may not succeed if challenged, warned legal and ethics expert Marc Rodwin, a law professor at Suffolk University who is the author of several books on health care and conflicts of interest.
“Placing his ownership in the name of his wife is not an effective way to control for conflicts of interest and not generally accepted because they are personally related,” Rodwin said.
Rodwin said Scott’s blindness to Solantic’s daily business decisions likewise does not relieve his conflict.
“His family still benefits from it,” he said.

And questions still remain about why Scott seems so adamantly opposed to the pill mill database, and whether Solantic clinics will benefit from his policies, which seem designed to drive more business to private medical operators, with less and less government scrutiny.
Scott’s intentions are hard to discern, because of the extreme secrecy of his administration, which routinely refuses to divulge its contacts with business.
Without disclosure, one can only guess whether Scott’s policies stand to enrich the company whose profits now flow to his wife.


http://blog.reidreport.com/2011/03/conflict-of-interest-questions-swirl-around-rick-scott-solantic/