THREE DEMOCRAT CITY COUNCILMEN INDICTED

KOGO, San Diego

[william clark]

Just heard on the bottom-of-the-hour newsbreak on KOGO. Arrest warrants have been issued for San Diego City Council members Michael Zucchet, Charles Lewis, and Deputy Mayor Ralph Inzunza.

This comes after FBI raids of their offices in tandem with raids on strip clubs believed to have been involved in bribing said Democrats to water down laws regarding such clubs.

[william clark]

I'm shocked, shocked I tell you...

[So Cal Rocket]

Watch the news reports... their party affiliation will be conveniently left out. Mark my words.

[concerned about politics]

"Well....there they go again."

[mrs. a]

I'm sure they only did it for the children!

[socal_parrot]

Taking bribes to bring back lap dances?

[william clark]

I'm sure they only did it for the children!

Yeah, the Soprano kids.

[Hoverbug]

Quick, somebody call Dashole and see if he's deeply saddened....

Hb

[concerned about politics]

Taking bribes to bring back lap dances?

It depends on the meaning of the word "lap" dances. "Lap" as in the area covered by joggers, or "lap" as in the "lap" on top of your legs, or are you refering to "lap" top computers? Please, be more specific. You're blurring the issue.
When saying "back", did you mean "back" as in the "back" that has been here before, or the "back" that means this year? How far back are you willing to take this issue? Why regress to times gone by. We all need to start looking tward the future, for the sake of childrens education and health care for the elderly.

[heleny]

They said the three city councilmen might be in jail over the Labor Day weekend, since the warrents were for no-bail arrests.

The charges (for wire fraud and something else) are felony and carry 5-20 years in prison and some monetary fine.

[concerned about politics]

They said the three city councilmen might be in jail over the Labor Day weekend, since the warrents were for no-bail arrests.

What? No family picnics?

[socal_parrot]

Hey, are you Bill Clinton?

While we're on the subject of strippers...

Woman charged with putting on birthday striptease for teens

[william clark]

Not back like in a box back, not back like in a race, not back so we can keep it, but back in time and space

Sorry, a little cinematic esotericism that sprang to mind

[hole_n_one]

Lewis.......

Inzuna...

Zucchet...

Source

[hole_n_one]

Inzuna s/b Inzunza

[eureka!]

Left Coast, Sunny San Diego, Hard Body Corrupt Rat ping...

[deport]

Three City Council members indicted in corruption probe

        

Inzunza, Lewis and Zucchet accused of extortion, wire fraud

By Kristen Green
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

3:50 p.m. August 28, 2003

Inzunza	Lewis	Zucchet

A federal grand jury today indicted three San Diego City Council members, strip club owner Michael Galardi, strip club manager John D'Intino and lobbyist Lance Malone in a two-year public corruption investigation.

The indictments allege that council members Ralph Inzunza, Charles Lewis and Michael Zucchet accepted payments from Galardi and his employees in exchange for political favors.

Inzunza, Lewis and Zucchet were indicted on charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as were Galardi, D'Intino and Malone.

Inzunza, Zucchet, Galardi, D'Intino and Malone were also charged with extortion.

An aide to Lewis, David Cowan, was accused of making false statements to the FBI.

Arrangements were being made for the council members to surrender tomorrow.

The councilmen have denied any wrongdoing.

"We're unhappy that an indictment was returned. We don't believe that the facts warrant an indictment. There has been no bribery," Frank Ragen, Lewis' attorney, said Thursday. "We are going to vigorously fight these allegations."

A call to Inzunza's lawyer, Michael Pancer, was not immediately returned. A lawyer representing Zucchet, Michael Lipman, said he had not yet seen the indictments and had no comment.

The investigation became public after FBI agents and San Diego police detectives searched the three council member's City Hall offices May 14. Search warrants also were served at Jaguars and Cheetahs strip clubs in San Diego and Las Vegas owned by Michael Galardi, and at the La Jolla home of Cheetahs manager John D'Intino on the same day.

Using wiretaps, surveillance and listening devices that were monitored 24 hours a day, authorities have been investigating whether Galardi was seeking favorable treatment from council members to ease restrictions at his clubs.

The probe focuses on whether public officials were bribed with tens of thousands of dollars.

Two days after the raids, a federal grand jury in San Diego began hearing evidence in the case. It has met 14 Fridays in a row, except for the 4th of July holiday.

About 60 witnesses have appeared before the grand jury, including former City Hall staffers, former Councilman George Stevens, and employees or associates of Galardi's strip clubs in San Diego and Las Vegas.

---

[ambrose]

pretty diverse looking bunch for the racial bean counters around here.

[So Cal Rocket]

Read my prediction in Post 2 of this thread, then read the news article in Post 16. Is the liberal media easy to predict, or what?

[socal_parrot]

10 to 1 the payouts were made in one dollar bills.

[concerned about politics]

Lewis and Michael Zucchet accepted payments from Galardi and his employees in exchange for political favors.
Inzunza, Lewis and Zucchet were indicted on charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as were Galardi, D'Intino and Malone.
Inzunza, Zucchet, Galardi, D'Intino and Malone were also charged with extortion.

Nooo. It can't be true.

The councilmen have denied any wrongdoing

Oh. Ok then. They seemed like such nice fellows. I was worried there for a minute. Thank Clinton that's all over.

:-P

[UncleDick]

Future headline: ACLU Begs For Leniency: Praises Indicted Councilmen For Embracing Diversity

[hole_n_one]

The probe focuses on whether public officials were bribed with tens of thousands of dollars.

That's alot of g-strings.

[socal_parrot]

Twenty bucks at Saks...

[Quix]

I suspect you are correct.

The traitorous idiots.

[punster]

What else do you expect from the demwits. The democrat party is THE PARTY OF CORRUPTION!!!!!

[bigfootbob]

Hold on to your chair and read this article about newsman turned ultra-liberal dimocRAT Seattle City Councilman Jim Compton. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/136998_compton28.html

[Imal]

Like shotting fish in a barrel. You can bet that if they were all Republicans, it would be in the headline of that article and copiously splashed throughout the text.

But the fact that journalists, Democrats and criminals are all literal partners in crime is not news at all.

So maybe that's why the press sees no need to report it.

[Liz]

Thanks for the ping. Sure made my day to know Dumbocrats are being nailed.....or jailed....as the case may be.

[william clark]

Yeah. Funny how the diversity doesn't extend to political affiliation. Oops. Must be another VRWC.

[steveegg]

It sure is different when there's someone willing to prosecute.

[concerned about politics]

Twenty bucks at Saks...

LOL. $20 will get them 5-20.

[jrushing]

Democrats to water down laws in clubs??

I always wondered who ordered the watered down drinks. When did they pass the water down laws?

[sonsofliberty2000]

Democrats would never do such a thing. Must be a vast right wing conspiracy./sarcasm

Patriot Paradox

[Russell Scott]

Somebody tell Arnold, people who share his moral values just got busted.

[Mo1]

I'm shocked, shocked I tell you...

Actually I am .. it isn't often you seen Dems arreested

Will there be a perp walk???

[concerned about politics]

VRWC

By the way, I lost my official FR VRWC card. Anyone have a link for a new one?

[SwankyC]

Hillary, is that you?

[Tacis]

They've all announced that they'd simply "...like to put this unfortunate situation behind them and just move on."

"None have any intention of resigning and look forward to a full airing of the facts which will prove their total innocence."

[socal_parrot]

Arnold took bribes for political favors?

[lawdog]

They will very likely make bail. This is a Fed case and a Title 3 ( wire tap). I hear the fat lady singing for the "San Diego Three".

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

He'll give them a pardon and blame the evil religious right.

[BurbankKarl]

hmm, wonder if this is connected with the bribes found out in Seattle, Wa.

[Dante3]

This is the usual pattern.

[John Jorsett]

Another attempted Republican coup! They lose the council elections and now want to seize control, just like with the impeachment and the recall. These people are absolutely Machavellian.

[Mark]

DemocRATS doing what DemocRATS always do. What's the problem?

[Pompah]

If you live in the San Diego area and saw the front page of the local fish-wrap ( Union-Tribune ) you had to know that this afternoon's bust was a done deal before the sun went down yesterday. " The Democratic Party is a Criminal Enterprise." Can't remember which Freeper coined that phrase,but it do fit down here.

[William McKinley]

Amazing that the word Democrat does not appear at all in the article you posted; not even as a substring.

[william clark]

I only disagree slightly with that premise. The Democrat party is a religious cult. Like Scientology, they don't let laws or ethics get in the way of acquiring wealth and power.

[Beelzebubba]

Thanks for the photos.

DIVERSITY!

[Poohbah]

PERP WALK! PERP WALK! I WANT A PERP WALK!