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Post by Steady Micro Aggressor on Dec 19, 2006 12:41:35 GMT -5
Let's start a thread where articles we find about politicians getting caught for corruption.
We'll lead it off with this one:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A former lawmaker already indicted on bribery allegations has been charged with taking more than $800,000 in consulting fees from contractors working for a state Medicare program, according to an indictment unsealed Monday.
Former state Sen. John Ford is accused of using his elected position to promote the interests of two contractors with TennCare. Ford served on three committees with authority over TennCare.
"Senator Ford had a duty to provide honest services to the people of Tennessee," U.S. Attorney Craig Morford said in a news conference. "The facts alleged in this indictment reveal an appalling willingness to violate that duty by using his public position for personal gain."
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Post by Steady Micro Aggressor on Dec 19, 2006 12:44:53 GMT -5
This isn't exactly corruption, but typical with bureaucrats.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A recently appointed member of the Pennsylvania gaming board was a longtime critic of gambling when he was a legislator but he has won thousands of dollars at casinos, a newspaper reported Sunday.
Former state Rep. Mark McNaughton voted against the state's slot machine law in 2004 and opposed gambling for years before that, but at the same time he won $15,500 from 2003 to 2005, according to tax returns obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The five-term Republican from Harrisburg disclosed his winnings on his federal income taxes but not on state ethics forms, the newspaper reported.
McNaughton said he didn't report his gambling winnings on the ethics disclosure statement for lawmakers because he didn't believe it was required. However, the State Ethics Commission says it considers such winnings income, which legislators must note on annual disclosure forms if it exceeds $1,300.
McNaughton said most of his winnings came from playing slot machines in Las Vegas and stud poker in Atlantic City, N.J.
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Post by Steady Micro Aggressor on Dec 27, 2006 10:34:36 GMT -5
The state Supreme Court on Wednesday publicly reprimanded Ohio Gov. Bob Taft for his ethics violations in office, a black mark that will stay on his permanent record as an attorney.
Taft, a Republican and great-grandson of President William Howard Taft, pleaded no contest in 2005 to failing to report golf outings and other gifts and was fined $4,000. He could not seek re-election because of term limits and leaves office in less than two weeks.
The Office of Disciplinary Counsel, an arm of the state Supreme Court, said in April that Taft violated Ohio's code of professional conduct for lawyers, and Taft, an attorney since 1976, later signed an agreement admitting the violation.
The justices agreed by a vote of 6-0 Wednesday with a recommendation from the Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline to issue the public reprimand. The court could have rejected the recommendation or ordered a stronger punishment. (AP12-27)
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Post by Steady Micro Aggressor on Dec 27, 2006 10:36:45 GMT -5
An intern in Sen. Barack Obama's office last year was recommended by an Illinois Democratic fundraiser later indicted for seeking kickbacks on government deals.
Obama has denied doing any favors for Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. The internship was one of 98 Illinois spots filled from a pool of 350 applicants.
John Aramanda, a 20-year-old student, served in Obama's Capitol Hill office from July 20 to Aug. 26, 2005, and was paid an $804 stipend, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs told the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times in reports published Sunday.
Gibbs said Rezko recommended the intern to Obama but contended that the internship did not contradict Obama's statements about not doing any favors for Rezko.
"I think that it's fairly obvious that a few-week internship is not anything of benefit to Mr. Rezko or any of his businesses," he said.
The intern's father, Joseph Aramanda, a businessman in the Chicago suburb of Glenview, once served as chief operating officer of a Rezko company and had a long-term business relationship with Rezko, according to court records and business filings.
The intern's father said there was no relationship between the internship and his business with Rezko.
Rezko has pleaded not guilty to charges he plotted to squeeze millions of dollars in kickbacks out of investment firms seeking state business. He also has pleaded not guilty to obtaining a $10.5 million loan from GE Capital through fraud and swindling a group of investors.
Rezko's wife bought a vacant lot next door to Obama on the same day last year that Obama and his wife, Michelle, closed on their home, according to published reports last fall. In January, Obama paid Rezko $104,500 for part of the lot to balance the space between his house and the fence.
Obama, who is weighing a run for president, has said the arrangements were ethical, but he also acknowledged he "misgauged" the implications suggested by his purchase of the additional land.
Messages left Tuesday by The Associated Press for Obama's representatives and Rezko's attorney, Joseph J. Duffy, were not immediately returned. (AP 12-27)
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