Posted on 04/29/2017 6:19:30 AM PDT by ColdOne
Prosecutors in Florida say a former congresswoman took money from a charitable foundation for poor children and instead used it to pay for concert tickets and Beverly Hills shopping sprees.
Federal attorneys on Wednesday opened their case in the trial of Corrine Brown, who from 2013 to 2017 was the Democratic representative from Florida’s 5th congressional district. Brown stands accused of multiple fraud and conspiracy charges for allegedly funneling contributions from the scholarship charity she started, One Door for Education, to her personal bank accounts.
Between 2012 and 2016, Brown and two close associates raised more than $800,000, much of which they transferred to their
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
But but but everybody does it......(sarc)
Fixed it.
My first thought, the Clintons, including the incest product, Chelsea.
Who could say fraud? She started a charity to help the poor. She was poor. SHe helped herself. Where is the problem?
So what did she do w/ the ten thousand tax dollars each member of the Black Congressional Caucus gets....to do with as they please?
That’s over and above salaries, perks, office expenses, staff hires, voucher reimbursements, etc etc etc.
Same for members of the The Asian Caucus and the Latino Caucus.
A reason to shut down these vile, separatist Congressional caucuses.
To add insult to injury all the folks who gave money to the scam were able to write it off their taxes.
Whitey is at it again, duh
DEMAND CONGRESS SEND YOU ALL AVAILBLE GOVT DATA ON BRON
INCLUDING ALL VOUCHERS SUBMITTED FOR REIMBURSEMENT:
<><> govt credit cards,
<><> govt expense accounts
<><> gift cards,
<><> cell phone/landline bills,
<><> electronic/wire transfers,
<><> detailed expenses,
<><> transportation expenses
<><> leisure travel
<><> office expenses
<><> office equipment expenses
<><> office supplies,
<><> unusual stamp purchases (a classic govt corruption MO)
<><> housing allotments,
<><> clothing allotments,
<><> entertainment including alcohol expenses
<><> official dinners,
<><> househld help,
<><> reimbursements for varied business interests.
<><> DEMAND TO KNOW HOW MANY GOVT CHECKS SHE'S CASHING
==============================================
DO THIS NOW --- CONTACT CONGRESS HERE---http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
During the jury selection process, one prospective juror in the Brown trial retorted to a question with: why is she on trial and the Clintons are not! She was dismissed.
U.S. Department of Justice
July 29, 2015
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 514-2007/TDD (202) 514-1888
WASHINGTON—A member of Congress and four of his associates were indicted today for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy involving several schemes that were intended to further the political and financial interests of the defendants and others by, among other tactics, misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal, charitable and campaign funds.
Congressman Chaka Fattah Sr., 58, of Philadelphia; lobbyist Herbert Vederman, 69, of Palm Beach, Florida; Fattah’s Congressional District Director Bonnie Bowser, 59, of Philadelphia; and Robert Brand, 69, of Philadelphia; and Karen Nicholas, 57, of Williamstown, New Jersey, were charged today in a 29-count indictment with participating in a racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including bribery; conspiracy to commit mail, wire and honest services fraud; and multiple counts of mail fraud, falsification of records, bank fraud, making false statements to a financial institution and money laundering.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division and Special Agent in Charge Akeia Conner of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Philadelphia Field Office made the announcement.
“As charged in the indictment, Congressman Fattah and his associates embarked on a wide-ranging conspiracy involving bribery, concealment of unlawful campaign contributions and theft of charitable and federal funds to advance their own personal interests,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “When elected officials betray the trust and confidence placed in them by the public, the department will do everything we can to ensure that they are held accountable. Public corruption takes a particularly heavy toll on our democracy because it undermines people’s basic belief that our elected leaders are committed to serving the public interest, not to lining their own pockets.”
“The public expects their elected officials to act with honesty and integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Memeger. “By misusing campaign funds, misappropriating government funds, accepting bribes, and committing bank fraud, as alleged in the Indictment, Congressman Fattah and his co-conspirators have betrayed the public trust and undermined faith in government.”
“These crimes and the subsequent elaborate cover-up constitute an egregious breach of public trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Hanko. “It is the duty of the FBI, IRS and Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute those who violate this trust and put personal gain above public service.”
“Public corruption by our elected officials and their associates undermines the American public’s confidence in our government,” said Special Agent in Charge Conner. “When our elected officials and their associates violate the law and create sophisticated financial schemes to enrich themselves, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, will work diligently with our fellow law enforcement partners to restore the public’s trust.”
Specifically, the indictment alleges that, in connection with his failed 2007 campaign to serve as mayor of Philadelphia, Fattah and certain associates borrowed $1 million from a wealthy supporter and disguised the funds as a loan to a consulting company.
After he lost the election, Fattah allegedly returned $400,000 to the donor that the campaign had not used, and arranged for Educational Advancement Alliance (EAA), a non-profit entity that he founded and controlled, to repay the remaining $600,000 using charitable and federal grant funds that passed through two other companies, including one run by Brand.
To conceal the contribution and repayment scheme, the defendants and others allegedly created sham contracts and made false entries in accounting records, tax returns and campaign finance disclosure statements.
In addition, the indictment alleges that after his defeat in the mayoral election, Fattah sought to extinguish approximately $130,000 in campaign debt owed to a political consultant by agreeing to arrange for the award of federal grant funds to the consultant. According to the allegations in the indictment, Fattah directed the consultant to apply for a $15 million grant, which he did not ultimately receive, on behalf of a then non-existent non-profit entity.
In exchange for Fattah’s efforts to arrange the award of the funds to the non-profit, the consultant allegedly agreed to forgive the debt owed by the campaign.
The indictment further alleges that Fattah misappropriated funds from his mayoral and congressional campaigns to repay his son’s student loan debt. To execute the scheme, Fattah and Bowser allegedly arranged for his campaigns to make payments to a political consulting company, which the company then used to lessen Fattah’s son’s student loan debt. According to the allegations in the indictment, between 2007 and 2011, the consultant made 34 successful loan payments on behalf of Fattah’s son, totaling approximately $23,000.
In another alleged scheme, beginning in 2008, Fattah communicated with individuals in the legislative and executive branches in an effort to secure for Vederman an ambassadorship or an appointment to the U.S. Trade Commission. In exchange, Vederman provided money and other items of value to Fattah. As part of this scheme, the indictment alleges that the defendants sought to conceal an $18,000 bribe payment from Vederman to Fattah by disguising it as a payment for a car sale that never actually took place.
Finally, the indictment alleges that Nicholas obtained $50,000 in federal grant funds that she claimed would be used by EAA to support a conference on higher education. The conference never took place. Instead, Nicholas used the grant funds to pay $20,000 to a political consultant and $10,000 to her attorney, and wrote several checks to herself from EAA’s operating account.
The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and IRS-CI. Assistance was also provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General, the NASA Office of Inspector General and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Eric L. Gibson, T. Patrick Martin and Jonathan Kravis of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul L. Gray of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Trial Attorney Bob Dalton of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section also provided assistance in this case.
https://www.fbi.gov/philadelphia/press-releases/2015/congressman-chaka-fattah-and-associates-charged-with-participating-in-racketeering-conspiracy
FREEPER POSTED.... in January 2012 my wife called about her D/D S/S check not arriving. She as told by S/S that she, and "many, many" others had their SS database records changed to deposit her payments to a Central America bank.
I couldn't find anything in the news about this.
It smelled to me at the time that an insider had stolen millions if not billions in this manner.
NOTE: Freeper also concluded that the theft was to help Obama's reelection campaign that year.
Running her own Reparations Program!
Caption: “We’re going to lunch and then we’re going shopping with your money!!!
Go, Gaytuh!
Go, Gaytuh!
Go, Gaytuh!
schumer & pelosi outraged that prosecutors could even think such a thing about their comrades.
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