BF2S Forums The Thread of Shame: Corrupt Politicians in your country

Labor

David.P wrote:

So you really want me to list nearly every single person of power in DC?

No kidding. There's not enough storage on Gibson.

Ian Paisley Jr.
http://www.ipjr.net/
Lobbying Ministers to basically give his business cronies government land to develop as private housing to sell off, when he was supposed to be brokering the deal to end the bloodshed in this country. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/nort … 130782.stm
Paisley Jr resigns as minister but stays as councillor. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/nort … 250877.stm
'repulsive gays'  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/nort … 705637.stm

The greatest thieve in Puerto Rico's history: Pedro "The Messiah" Rosello

Rosselló obtained an illegal upgrade of his pension based on a fraudulent certification stating he had worked in a government position during the summers of 1962 and 1963. This certification was used to justify a one hundred percent increase in his pension payments. The certification document states he was working at the Río Piedras Psychiatric Hospital as a therapy and leadership group assistant during both summers he claimed he worked, however such position did not exist at the time.

In addition, newspaper reports from 1962 point out that during that summer Rosselló was playing tennis at the Ninth Central American and Caribbean Games in Jamaica, as well as in seven mainland US tournaments. Documents provided by both the University of Notre Dame and Harvard University clearly indicate he was enrolled for summer classes at the latter institution during July and August 1963. The Puerto Rico Retirement Systems Administration ruled the pension upgrade from $29,536 to $52,500 a year was fraudulent, and ordered Rosselló to pay back $80,248 he had illegally received. Supporters of Rosselló raised the funds and paid the sum in his name. José Acevedo Martínez, the former head of the ASSMCA agency who certified Rosselló's documentation for the fraudulent pension increase, has already been convicted for his participation in this matter and is currently serving a prison sentence.

Rosselló's last term was marked by a large number of scandals and the convictions of many members of his administration on corruption charges. As of January 2006, over thirty members of his administration have been convicted, including his Department of Education Secretary Víctor Fajardo, other Cabinet members, and campaign organizers. His personal assistant, María de los Angeles Rivera Rangel, was found guilty of extortion and other charges and sentenced by a federal judge to four years in prison. Regardless, Rosselló maintains he was unaware of the illegal activities taking place while he was in power.

In Rossello's last year in office, high-ranking administrators were convicted of stealing $2.2 million meant for AIDS patients. The scandal rocked the government and forced Rossello to take the stand to deny allegations that he accepted part of the money.


Maria de los Angeles Rivera Rangel

STAHL, Senior Circuit Judge. Appellee Maria de los Angeles Rivera Rangel ("Rivera") used her position as an executive assistant to the Governor of Puerto Rico to help four contractors--Jose Ventura Asilis ("Ventura"), Angel Ocasio Ramos ("Ocasio"), Joaquin Arbona ("Arbona"), and Edwin Loubriel ("Loubriel")--gain access to government officials and obtain expedited treatment of their government business. The contractors paid Rivera for her assistance.

As a result of these arrangements, Rivera was charged with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion induced by fear of economic harm and under color of official right, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951 ("the Hobbs Act"), and one count of aiding and abetting the underlying offense, in violation of the Hobbs Act and 18 U.S.C. § 2. (1) Rivera was tried before a jury and convicted on both counts. She then moved for a judgment of acquittal or a new trial. The district court granted Rivera a judgment of acquittal and, if that judgment were reversed on appeal, a new trial. The government now appeals those rulings. We reverse and remand with the instruction that the jury verdict be reinstated and for proceedings consistent with this opinion.



Victor Fajardo

Former Education Secretary Victor Fajardo, who along with three of his employees and 14 contractors were charged with participating in an extortion and money laundering scheme, receiving kickbacks of up to $4.3 million of which $1 million went to the New Progressive Party (PNP). Much of the money was supposed to go toward computers and computer training for teachers.



Anibal Acevedo Vila

Puerto Rican Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila and 12 political associates in the Caribbean island and on the U.S. mainland were charged with election funding fraud in an indictment unsealed on Thursday.

The charges said Acevedo Vila collected illegal contributions and spent far more than he reported during his election campaigns from 1999 to 2004.

Last edited by PeoNinja (2008-03-28 10:19:17)

Illinois Governor George Ryan:

Ryan's political career was marred by a scandal involving the illegal sale of government licenses, contracts and leases by state employees during his prior service as Secretary of State; in the wake of numerous convictions of former aides, he chose not to run for reelection in 2002. The scandals are widely believed to have hurt Republicans' short- (and, perhaps long-) term chances for re-winning Illinois' governorship; state Attorney General Jim Ryan (no relation) lost to Rod Blagojevich in the 2002 election, ending 25 years of Republican governorships. All told, seventy-nine former state officials, lobbyists, truck drivers and others have been since charged in the investigation, and at least 76 have been convicted.

The corruption scandal that led to Ryan's downfall began over a decade earlier as a federal investigation into a deadly crash in Wisconsin that killed six children. The investigation revealed a scheme inside Ryan's secretary of state's office in which unqualified truck drivers obtained licenses through bribes. As the AP wrote: "The probe expanded over the next eight years into a wide-ranging corruption investigation that eventually reached Ryan in the governor's office."

In March 2003, Scott Fawell, Ryan's former chief of staff and campaign manager, was convicted along with Ryan's campaign fund on federal charges of racketeering and fraud. Former deputy campaign manager Richard Juliano pled guilty to related charges and testified against Fawell at trial. The investigation finally reached the former governor, and in December 2003, Ryan and lobbyist Lawrence Warner were named in a 22-count federal indictment.

Cicero mayor Betty Loren-Maltise:

She was convicted in 2002 on Federal charges of corruption in office and Mafia relations, and was implicated in a scheme to steal $12 million from the town treasury. Also implicated in the scandal was former Chicago alderman Edward Vrdolyak. Before her election as town president, Loren-Maltese served as an aide to former Town President Henry Klosak. She was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

In 1990, Loren-Maltese' husband, Frank Maltese, plead guilty to mob-related gambling charges. In 1993, she was appointed to the position of Town President by her husband after the then-Town President died in office and Frank Maltese (heir apparent to the position) was facing prison time.

Those are the two biggest and most recent in Illinois.