Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Even More Detroit Democrat Corruption Charges Develop

The Detroit Free Press: 2 more Detroit pension officials indicted on bribery charges

One major and manifest reason for Detroit's decline is that just about every Democrat official in the city, from the Mayor, through the Water and Sewer Department and Pension Board all the way down to presumably the dog-catcher had their hand out for a bribe or a diversion of public funds into their own pockets.

And of course, this being the (Democrat) Detroit Free Press, you'll have to play name that party on your own.

For 30 years, attorney Ronald Zajac watched over the city's billion-dollar pension funds.

He turned out to be a thief who made a $400,000 salary scamming the system, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday, disclosing yet more allegations of public corruption in Detroit and lavish lifestyles by individuals who abused the public's trust.

Among them was a former trustee who -- the government says -- accepted perks galore from businessmen seeking favors, including a $5,000 casino chip, a Christmas basket stuffed with cash and trips for him and his mistress.

That former trustee is Paul Stewart, who, along with Zajac, was indicted Wednesday on charges of bribery conspiracy. They are the fourth and fifth defendants to be ensnared in the government's years-long investigation into the Detroit pension funds.

Zajac's attorney said his client will fight the charges. Stewart's attorney, Elliott Hall, declined to comment pending arraignment.

Zajac and Stewart were added to the original February 2012 indictment that charged ex-Detroit Treasurer Jeffrey Beasley, a onetime fraternity brother and appointee of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, with taking bribes and kickbacks in a scheme that cost two pension funds $84 million in losses.

Diogenes would have run out of lamp fuel and died of loneliness in Detroit.

2 comments:

Murphy's Law said...

It's like they can't help themselves.

Aaron said...

Actually, the problem is the do help themselves - to all the public funds and bribes they can get their hands on.