Corruption

Appointments.Illinois.gov makes appointment process more accessible

CHICAGO – April 9, 2009. At a meeting of the Illinois Reform Commission, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed an executive order to make appointments to Illinois boards and commissions more transparent and accessible. Under the executive order, the Governor launched Appointments.Illinois.gov, a website that allows Illinois citizens to access information about members and vacancies in the state’s 300 boards and commissions.    » read more »

March 23, 2009 -- HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell’s office today released the Governor’s letter to Mitchell Rubin. The text is as follows:

Dear Mr. Rubin:

I am in receipt of your letter of March 21st in which you indicated you are taking a leave of absence from your duties as a Commissioner of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

However, I am, effective today, removing you as a Commissioner. I do so for the following reasons:

1) You have received a target letter from federal authorities for your conduct delineated in the recent trial of United States v. Fumo;    » read more »

Washington, D.C., March 19, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged New York's former Deputy Comptroller and a top political advisor for extracting millions of dollars in kickbacks from investment management firms seeking to manage the assets of New York's largest pension fund.

The SEC's complaint alleges that Henry "Hank" Morris, the top political advisor and chief fundraiser for former New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, and David Loglisci, former Deputy Comptroller and Chief Investment Officer of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, orchestrated a fraudulent scheme from 2003 through late 2006 that corrupted the integrity of the New York State Common Retirement Fund in order to enrich Morris as well as others with close ties to Morris and Loglisci.    » read more »

March 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – The sister of a U.S. Army officer has pleaded guilty for her participation in a money-laundering scheme related to bribes paid for contracts awarded in support of the Iraq war, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division and Acting Assistant Attorney General Scott D. Hammond of the Antitrust Division announced today.    » read more »

March 12, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Beverly L. Masek, a former elected member of the Alaska House of Representatives, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bribery, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division announced.

Masek pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline in Anchorage to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. In court documents, Masek admitted to conspiring with Bill J. Allen, the former chief executive officer of VECO Corporation (VECO), a now-defunct multinational oil field services company, and Richard L. Smith, a former VECO vice president, to soliciting and accepting bribes.    » read more »

March 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Two citizens of the United Kingdom have been charged in an indictment unsealed today in the United States for their alleged participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division announced. The EPC contracts to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, were valued at more than $6 billion.    » read more »

March 05, 2009 -- MONTGOMERY - Alabama Governor Bob Riley issued the following statement on Thursday concerning the introduction of a far-reaching gambling bill in the Legislature, SB 471 in the Senate and HB 676 in the House:

“If supporters of this bill really believe gambling is so good for Alabama, then why does their bill say it will restrict gambling? It’s because deep down they know the truth: gambling might make casino operators into multi-millionaires, but it hurts people, families and our communities. It brings with it more misery, more crime and more corruption. Alabamians know this and that’s why every time all the people have had a chance to vote on gambling, they’ve rejected it.    » read more »

March 06, 2009 -- MONTGOMERY - Alabama Governor Bob Riley has formally asked the chairmen of two legislative committees to bring his anti-corruption proposal up for debate.

“Alabama needs to declare war on corruption. The proposal I’ve submitted is a sweeping anti-corruption bill that increases transparency and will change the political culture of our state forever,” said Governor Riley.

The Governor’s proposal has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Representative Marcel Black and the Senate Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics and Election Committee chaired by Senator Quinton Ross.    » read more »

February 24, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – A former employee of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has been indicted on corruption and tax violations arising from her alleged receipt of a $100,000 bribe while working at the Ex-Im Bank, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia announced today.    » read more »

January 23, 2009 -- WASHINGTON — A former employee of the New York Power Authority (NYPA) was sentenced today to serve 37 months in jail and to pay a $5,000 criminal fine for his role in a kickback and bribery scheme, the Department of Justice announced.    » read more »

12 August 2008 -- A new report says the United States has spent about $100 billion on private contractors to support operations in Iraq since the 2003 invasion to oust Saddam Hussein.

At the height of last year's military surge in Iraq, the United States had roughly 168,000 troops deployed in the country.

Blackwater security guards, Republican Palace, Baghdad: US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) photograph by ACoE photographer Jim Gordon.

But America's armed forces have been outnumbered by what some see as a private army funded by the federal government: contractors that provide a wide array of services, from security operations to rebuilding projects to logistical support.    » read more »

Contractors Allegedly Violated Small-Business Laws

August 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC—Following release of a Congressional Budget Office report today showing the massive expenditures and an over-reliance on private contractors in Iraq under the Bush Administration and the revelation of a report by the Small Business Administration Inspector General showing Blackwater was awarded millions of dollars in federal contracts designated for small businesses, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today called on Congress to act on her legislation to reform the contracting system and put in place needed accountability measures and urged the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to launch an investigation into the impact of Blackwater’s violation.    » read more »

August 12, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today that an independent advisory panel, the Defense Business Board, will review the overall performance of the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA).

The review follows a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released July 23 that concluded DCAA auditors were improperly hindered in some of their investigations of defense contractors.

The Defense Business Board, an independent federal advisory committee comprised of senior business executives, has agreed to form an independent review panel supported by subject matter experts to review DCAA procedures and make recommendations for improvement as appropriate.    » read more »

03 June 2008 -- A top World Bank official says the institution is committed to building a prosperous and stable Afghanistan but the people must do their part by fighting corruption and improving services.

World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala just concluded a three-day visit to Afghanistan in which she met with President Hamid Karzai, Cabinet ministers and members of the donor community.

In a statement issued Tuesday Okonjo-Iweala says much has been accomplished in Afghanistan in a short amount of time and she called on the international community to support the nation and its development.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- SAN DIEGO -- California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today released the results of an investigation into allegations of “a corrupt course of action” that San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre leveled against San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. The department concludes that the record does not support the allegations made by the city attorney against the mayor.

Sunroad Centrum building, San Diego: Photo by Jamie Lantzy (CC)    » read more »