It's often said that the definition of an honest politician is a politician that once bought stays bought.
In Detroit, the amazing part is how little it took for the politicians to be bought to further corrupt schemes that siphoned and squandered hundreds of millions for the City's coffers.
The Detroit News has an interesting article on the corruption in the pension plans that led to an insanely risky deal that saddled the city pensions funds with debt while enriching the plan schemers.
The amazing thing on reading the article is how little it took to get the Detroit politicians and officials to approve this corrupt deal:
Marty Bandemer: A former Detroit Police union president
allegedly received $5,000 in cash from pension fund businessmen during a
2007 birthday party at the Atheneum Suite Hotel, according to court
records. Bandemer also allegedly received $15,000 in casino chips from a
pension businessman and a free trip from another to the Bahamas in
2008. Bandemer has not been charged with a crime.
Jeffrey Beasley: A former city treasurer and fraternity
brother of ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was charged with taking bribes and
kickbacks in a federal indictment in February 2012.
DeDan Milton: This longtime friend and executive assistant to
Kilpatrick admitted taking about $16,000 in kickbacks in connection
with two city land sales. He was sentenced to three years and six months
in prison and released last month.
Alberta Tinsley-Talabi: She took a Caribbean trip, campaign
cash and a donation from Dixon while supporting his $10 million city
pension fund deal, according to prosecutors. She was later elected to
the state House of Representatives and has not been charged in the
ongoing corruption case.
Paul Stewart: A former vice president of the Detroit Police
Officers Association. He allegedly received a $5,000 casino chip bribe; a
Christmas basket stuffed with cash; $2,500 during a trip to New York
City and $2,500 during a trip to Florida; and trips to the Bahamas and
Naples, Fla., with his mistress — all from people doing business with
the pension fund, according to the indictment.
It likely took less than $90,000 in bribes to get in one example of the corrupt deals, a $10 million deal approved. That's quite a low expense and an excellent return on investment, and it shows you can purchase 5 Detroit officials on the cheap. That one deal is just the tip of the iceberg on a web of corruption that wasted hundreds of millions on top of a loss of billions in the risky deal.
Oh, and since this is being reported by the mainstream media, we have to play the game of "Name That Party".
All the officials hail from the same political party, and I'll even give you a hint - it starts with the same letter as Detroit.
No comments:
Post a Comment