Politicians and Corruption

[American Patriot]

Post any links or articles to corrupt officials (those who are charged, arrested or convicted) here.

[American Patriot]

Mayor of Charlotte arrested on public corruption charges

Published March 26, 2014FoxNews.com


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Oct. 29, 2013: Then-candidate for Charlotte mayor Patrick Cannon speaks to students at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C.AP


The mayor of Charlotte, N.C. -- the state's largest city and the site of the 2012 Democratic National Convention -- was arrested Wednesday on public corruption charges and accused of taking bribes after an FBI sting.
Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon, a 47-year-old Democrat, is facing theft and bribery charges, U.S. Attorney Anne Tompkins said. Cannon is accused of soliciting and accepting bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as real estate developers who wanted to do business in Charlotte.
According to the U.S. attorney's office, the FBI first learned that he may have been involved in illegal activities years ago and started an investigation in 2010.
During the course of that probe, the mayor allegedly accepted bribes from undercover FBI agents on five separate occasions, in exchange for access to city officials responsible for planning, zoning and permitting.
A criminal complaint said Cannon is accused of soliciting and accepting more than $48,000 in cash, airline tickets, a hotel room and the use of a luxury apartment as bribes.
During the last encounter, according to the U.S. attorney's office, he accepted $20,000 in cash.
If convicted on all the charges, he faces 20 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines.
Cannon was elected mayor in November, replacing Anthony Foxx. Foxx was named Transportation Secretary by President Obama.
Cannon was first elected to City Council in 1993. He is also longtime radio show host who discusses local and national politics. In November, he defeated Republican challenger Edwin Peacock.
Cannon was also accused of accepting $12,500 from an undercover agent to help him develop a feminine hygiene product called "Hers" to be marketed and sold in the United States. In exchange, Cannon offered to help the undercover agent -- posing as a business manager for a venture capital company -- get the necessary permits to open a nightclub.
During the meeting, an undercover agent told Cannon: "You know, again whatever you can do to get our application moved up towards the top, uh, business license and things like that, that we need."
According to the complaint, Cannon responded: "Yeah, not a problem."
In a separate case, federal agents on Wednesday also arrested a California state senator during a series of raids in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.
FBI spokesman Peter Lee confirmed the arrest of State Sen. Leland Yee, but declined to discuss the charges, citing an ongoing investigation.

[Ryan Ruck]

Mayor of Charlotte is chump change compared to what just came down with Leland Yee in California. For anyone who doesn't know, Yee is a HUGE anti-gunner.

Not only that but apparently he used his anti-gun platform to work on banning the California "bullet button" to increase the black market demand for illegal weapons a benefactor of his was trying to import.

You can't make this shit up! Read the affidavit, it reads like a movie script: http://media.nbcbayarea.com/document...4-70421-nc.pdf

California State Sen. Leland Yee Charged With Promising Guns, Missiles From Muslim Group To Agent For Campaign Donations

March 26, 2014

A California state senator has been arrested for promising shoulder-fired automatic weapons and missiles from a Muslim separatist group to an undercover FBI agent in exchange for campaign donations, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.

In San Francisco, FBI agents have charged California State Sen. Leland Yee with conspiracy to deal firearms and wire fraud. The allegations were outlined in an FBI affidavit against Yee and 25 others. The allegations against Yee include a number of favors he requested in exchange for campaign donations, as well as performing "official acts" in exchange for donations to get himself out of a $70,000 debt incurred during a failed San Francisco mayoral bid, according to court documents.

Yee discussed helping the undercover FBI agent get weapons worth $500,000 to $2.5 million, including shoulder-fired automatic weapons and missiles, and showed the agent the entire process of how to get those weapons from a Muslim separatist group in the Philippines into the United States, according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Emmanuel V. Pascua.

Pascua also said in the affidavit that Yee was unhappy with his life and desired to flee to the Philippines. The promised introduction with the weapon trafficker did take place at a San Francisco restaurant earlier this month, according to the documents.

Yee is also accused of accepting $10,000 from an undercover agent in January 2013 in exchange for making a call to the California Department of Public Health in support of a contract under consideration at the agency.

Among the others named in the probe include Raymond (Shrimp Boy) Chow, the former leader of a Chinese criminal organization with ties to Hong Kong. Chow is charged with money laundering, conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property and conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes.

Yee, who represents California’s 8th Senate District as a Democrat covering half of San Francisco, was arrested with Chow earlier in the day during a series of raids by the FBI in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Yee, 65, is best known for his efforts to strengthen open records, government transparency and whistleblower protection laws. He has served as State Senator since 2006.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in San Francisco later Wednesday.

Separately in Charlotte, Mayor Patrick Cannon was taken into custody on charges he accepted more than $48,000 in bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen. He has since resigned from his position, submitting his resignation letter on the city's website.

The 47-year-old Democrat has been on the job less than six months. He was elected in November, replacing Anthony Foxx, who was named federal Transportation Secretary by President Barack Obama.

If convicted of all charges, Cannon faces 20 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines.

[Ryan Ruck]

The NRA Tweeted this:

[Ryan Ruck]

Scandals Plague Democrats In California Capital

March 27, 2014

So far in 2014, each month has brought news of another arrest or conviction of a Democratic California state senator. The separate investigations culminated Wednesday in the arrest of Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco on federal corruption charges that roiled the capital, leading one of Yee's opponents in the race for secretary of state to call the Legislature a "corrupt institution."

Democrats hold large majorities in both chambers of the Legislature and should be flying into election season this year, easily passing legislation and setting the agenda after taming California's busted budgets and turning their Republican rivals into a "superminority" in the nation's most populous state.

But now their dominance could be dampened by new revelations of dirty dealings by Democrats in the state Senate. One senator was convicted of voter fraud and perjury, and two others face federal charges for alleged misdeeds that include accepting large financial bribes for friends and family in exchange for legislation and orchestrating weapons and drug trafficking to help pay off campaign debts.

On Wednesday, the Democratic leader of the Senate, President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, called a news conference at his Capitol office, flanked by 14 other Democratic senators as he called on Yee to resign or face suspension by his colleagues, saying "he cannot come back."

"I know what people are thinking. This is the third incident the Senate has had to deal with," an emotional Steinberg said. "We are going to do everything in our power to uphold the integrity of the Senate and do the people's business and still have a great and productive year."

Yee had been best known publicly for his efforts to promote government transparency and public records, for which he was celebrated just last week by the Society of Professional Journalists. He also introduced several bills last year to restrict gun possession. The federal affidavit unsealed Wednesday accuses Yee of conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and to illegally import firearms.

Republicans, who have been struggling to regain their political footing, have sought to capitalize on the never-ending wave of criminal charges as a way to undo Democrats' dominance in the Legislature. Republicans in the Senate have repeatedly tried to expel Sen. Rod Wright of Inglewood after he was convicted of perjury and voter fraud in January for lying about his legal residence in Los Angeles County. Democratic leaders have blocked those efforts, though.

Wright and Sen. Ron Calderon, who was indicted on federal corruption charges in February, are on voluntary paid leave from the Legislature. Prosecutors say Calderon accepted about $100,000 for himself and family members in exchange for promoting legislation to expand Hollywood tax credits and protect the interest of a hospital that benefited from a provision of the workers' compensation law.

Sen. Joel Anderson, a Republican from Alpine who has led the expulsion efforts, blamed Democratic leaders for creating a culture of tolerance for illegal activity.

"If you refuse to act and you shirk your responsibility to act, is it a surprise that senators don't take ethics as seriously as they should?" Anderson said.

Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, said in an interview outside his Senate office on Wednesday that the allegations reflect poorly on all lawmakers, not just Democrats.

"We all get painted in the same brush," he said. "The problem is manifesting itself, but people hold us all to the same standards."

Yee's arrest also comes at the height of fundraising season as lawmakers are introducing bills and holding hearings on them in the Legislature. On most weeknights at this time of year, lawmakers and lobbyists scuttle between bars and restaurants in downtown Sacramento, where they shake hands and collect checks for their next political race. Lobbyists are not supposed to discuss pending legislation with lawmakers at such events.

Two of Yee's opponents in the race for secretary of state used his arrest to draw attention to their calls for broader political reforms. The secretary of state's office oversees California elections and campaign-finance reporting.

Derek Cressman, a Democrat and former director of the good government group Common Cause who seeks strict limits on contributions and more disclosure about donors, said Wednesday's arrest is clearly part of a broader pattern in the capital. He called the Legislature corrupt.

"The constant begging for campaign cash clearly has a corrosive effect on a person's soul, and the only solution is to get big money out of our politics once and for all," he said, adding that the bar for public office "should be higher than the bar for staying out of prison."

Dan Schnur, another secretary of state candidate who has called for a ban on fundraising during budget season, said Yee's arrest is a reminder of why Californians have so little trust in their elected officials. He said he hoped it would "prompt the Legislature to take much more aggressive and meaningful action to fix a broken political system than they have been willing to do to date."

Steinberg was asked Wednesday about whether further political reforms would help, but he was skeptical they would do much.

"We will continue looking to do whatever is necessary. But gun running?" Steinberg said. "There's no ethics reform that I am aware of to address, you know, that kind of allegation."

Rush was saying it's a possibility that the Feds are cleaning corrupt Dem house now so that they can bring in corrupt Republicans right before the election and still come out appearing "fair".

[Ryan Ruck]

Democratic Legislators Take Bribes to Oppose Voter ID—And Get Away With It

March 21, 2014

This week, The Philadelphia Inquirer revealed that the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office caught at least four Philadelphia-area legislators taking multiple bribes ranging from a few hundred dollars to thousands in cash and Tiffany jewelry. Uncovered as part of a sting operation, these bribes were given to Philadelphia Democrats in exchange for votes or contracts, including opposition to Pennsylvania’s proposed voter ID law.

These findings are the result of over 400 hours of video and audio recordings obtained over the course of a three-year investigation that started in 2010 under then-Attorney General Tom Corbett, a Republican. Despite this solid evidence obtained from a thorough investigation, current Attorney General Kathleen Kane, a Democrat, secretly dropped the case in 2013, allowing these elected officials to get away with corruption that attacks the very heart of representative government.

Kane told the Inquirer that she was not going to prosecute the Democratic legislators who took the bribes because the investigation, she claimed, was “poorly conceived, badly managed, and tainted by racism… [and] had targeted African Americans.” Those familiar with lead prosecutor Frank G. Fina dispute such claims; indeed, Fina is described by some as the top public-corruption prosecutor in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, Fina has also been responsible for many past investigations that led to prosecutions of both Republicans and Democrats.

The lead agent in the case, Claud Thomas, is also an African-American who now works for Democratic District Attorney Seth Williams in Philadelphia. Williams criticized Attorney General Kane’s claim that Fina and Thomas had specifically targeted African-Americans in their investigation.

In fact, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the investigation targeted both Republicans and Democrats. But no Republicans took any bribes from the undercover operative, while at least four Democrats—who happen to be black—accepted bribes of up to two thousand dollars. That seems to be the only basis for Kathleen Kane’s bizarre claim that the investigation was “tainted by racism” —the fact that only black members of her own political party decided to accept bribes. The four legislators certainly delivered on their bribes, including voting against Pennsylvania’s voter ID law.

It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Philadelphia and Pennsylvania politics that this kind of bribery and corruption actually occurred. In 2010, the state attorney general prosecuted numerous members of the state legislature from both parties in a scandal known as “Bonusgate.” As Time Magazine reported, “Pennsylvania has long been known for shady politics.” Yet, Attorney General Kane is dropping the prosecution of legislators who were apparently caught taking bribes on audio recordings and videotape. What kind of message does that send to the citizens of Pennsylvania?

As former Justice Department lawyer Christian Adams points out, if the Pennsylvania attorney general is refusing to pursue this case, shouldn’t U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder step in? He seemed to have a zero-tolerance policy for this kind of public corruption by state elected officials when the Justice Department indicted former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (a Republican) earlier this year for allegedly receiving illegitimate benefits in exchange for political action. Let’s see whether Holder is too busy pursuing his crusade against voter ID laws and state efforts to improve election integrity to go after these corrupt Democratic legislators in Pennsylvania.

[American Patriot]

glad we go this thread going. LOL

[Ryan Ruck]

It was prescient timing indeed.

But then again the luck of timing with starting a thread about political corruption is about on par with tripping out of a boat and hitting water.

[American Patriot]

lol

Yeah, pretty much. That was my feeling too when I said that.

I was thinking to myself, "Self, we should start a thread on political corruption - because you know it's SOOOO RARE."

LOL

[Ryan Ruck]

Anyone else notice the bizarre media blackout surrounding Leland Yee?

I'm hardly seeing anything out there on his arrest and charging.

Why is Calif. State Sen. Leland Yee Not Yet a Household Name?

April 1, 2014

A politician honored for his gun control efforts is arrested for attempted arms smuggling. He held press conferences denouncing violent video games and helped pass legislation in California prohibiting sales of such games to minors. And yet, secretly, he was living the life of a Grand Theft Auto character.

The downfall of Calif. State Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco should be an utterly captivating, fascinating story, and the national media should be sinking its teeth into the details. I joked when Yee was first arrested about how he is destined to be parodied in Grand Theft Auto. That was before the FBI’s report was even released. Now, I’m convinced the report could be the outline for an entire Grand Theft Auto installment (have they set a game in a parody of San Francisco yet?). Yee’s story of corruption, attempted gun-running and accusations of vote-selling (an undercover FBI agent posing as a medical marijuana clinic owner wanted him to support legislation introducing new barriers to entry for potential competition) is actually just a small part of a larger story about the crime scene in San Francisco. Beyond Lee’s role, the whole story (pdf) is full of drug transactions, stolen booze fencing, a home invasion by apparently Mexican gangsters, what appears to be counterfeit credit cards supplied by a Russian hacker, and more. It has everything. There’s even a money-laundering scene that takes place inside a massage parlor. It’s part FBI report, part Hollywood pitch.

And yet, it has not captured as much national media attention as one might think. Not long after the story came out, every Republican I follow on Twitter was noting how stories about Yee’s arrest were burying the fact that he’s a Democrat. I’m not particularly interested in an argument over which party is more corrupt. In the Corruption Olympics, each party is full of stellar athletes whose gold medals were paid for by taxpayers, manufactured by a company with cozy ties to both parties, and cost 300 percent more than they would in the private market. Nevertheless, given the media coverage of every time a conservative Republican politician on the state level says something dumb or controversial, it is worth noting. Today Glenn Harlan “Instapundit” Reynolds is calling out CNN at USA Today for failing to follow the story:

[O]utside of local media like San Francisco magazine, the coverage was surprisingly muted.The New York Times buried the story as a one-paragraph Associated Press report on page A21, with the bland dog-bites-man headline, "California: State Senator Accused of Corruption." This even though Yee was suspended, along with two others, from the California state senate in light of the indictment.

CNN, home (also until last week) of Piers Morgan, whom Yee had praised for his anti-gun activism, didn't report the story at all. When prodded by viewers, the network snarked that it doesn't do state senators. Which is odd, because searching the name of my own state senator, Stacey Campfield, turns up a page of results, involving criticisms of him for saying something "extreme". Meanwhile, CNN found time to bash Wisconsin state senator and supporter of Gov. Scott Walker, Randy Hopper over marital problems.

But there's a difference. They're Republicans. When Republicans do things that embarrass their party, the national media are happy to take note, even if they're mere state senators. But when Democrats like Yee get busted for actual felonies, and pretty dramatic ones at that, the press suddenly isn't interested.

We've seen this before, of course: Washington Post reporter Sarah Kliff dismissed the horrific Kermit Gosnell trial as a "local crime story", even as the press was going crazy covering another equally local crime story, the George Zimmerman trial. Likewise, another state senator, Texas' Wendy Davis, got national attention when she filibustered an abortion bill, a story that fit conveniently with the "war on women" theme used by Democrats.

Read more here. A search of Yee’s name on CNN brings up nothing past the year 2011. The most recent story is about California banning shark fins, and Yee is quoted with concerns that the ban targets Chinese-Americans.

I did a few other national news searches with Yee’s name. Nothing came up on NBC News, but CBS and ABC had stories. Fox News, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal all had stories. MSNBC noted Yee’s arrest last week, hilariously starting the coverage of a spate of Democratic corruption investigations by leading with how many problems the Republicans have first. But they reported Yee’s arrest before any details were provided of the charges. They have not followed up with any subsequent stories that indicate exactly why Yee was arrested.

UPDATE: Commenter Jackand Ace pointed me to this coverage of the scandals by Rachel Maddow on MSNBC. It did not show up on the site when I searched for Yee's name, but I am adding out of fairness. MSNBC, you need some lessons on search engine optimization.

[American Patriot]

I heard a quick blurb on FNC, then nothing after that (except here)

[Ryan Ruck]

Yeah, it's really strange. Such a big hitter in the Dem party (even though he is only a state level office holder) embroiled in such a serious scandal. We're talking about him using his power to help smuggle not just machine guns but missiles!

[American Patriot]

Well, you can bet your ass if that were Republican he'd be hauled out by his hair and tarred and feathered.