Posted on 09/30/2010 4:06:04 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Former Bexar County Democratic Party Treasurer Dwayne Eugene Adams was indicted Wednesday on charges that he embezzled and misused about $202,000 of party funds. Adams, 55, could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of theft between $100,000 and $200,000 and misapplication by a fiduciary between $100,000 and $200,000. Each charge is a second-degree felony.
The grand jury action came as little surprise, Democratic Party officials acknowledged.
Prosecutors with the white-collar crimes division of the Bexar County district attorney's office had interviewed more than 20 people — including former party chair Carla Vela and numerous deputy chairs — since the San Antonio Police Department handed the case over in July.
“I think it does hurt (party morale). I don't know to what extent yet,” County Judge Nelson Wolff said Wednesday of the allegations. “We'll see what happens (in November), but it certainly isn't good for the party, that's for sure.”
Outgoing party Chairwoman Vela and interim Chairman Roberto J. Flores first met with prosecutors in December and were directed to the police department for an initial investigation, said First Assistant District Attorney Cliff Herberg.
Prosecutors have alleged that Adams took the money between November 2008 and June 2009 through “hundreds of transactions” that appear to be for personal use, including purchases of gasoline and clothing. Another large chunk of the funds went to an inaugural ball fundraiser after Barack Obama's election that ended up losing money, Herberg said.
Although the county Democratic Party lost the money, the allegations indirectly affect all county taxpayers because the funds had been earmarked for payment to the county for running the 2008 primary election.
The Bexar County Commissioners Court decided to sue the local party in July, seeking $277,913 in back payments. The hope, Wolff said, is that the county will at least be able to recover about $83,000 in primary funds that the secretary of state's office has not yet released to the party.
Adams' attorney, James Rickerson III, did not return calls seeking comment. In the past, Adams' attorneys have said he intends to pay the money back. That would be nice, but no one is holding his breath, Wolff and others have said.
Wolff, state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte and other Democrats are trying to raise donations to pay back some of the money.
The indictment is against an individual, not the party, Van de Putte said.
“I'm a little disturbed that it had to be around election season,” Party Chairman Dan Ramos said of the indictment's timing. “But everybody wants this to start getting taken care of. Regardless of which party you belong to, we can't have people stealing money.”
The indictment was “absolutely not” politically motivated, Herberg said.
“They are the ones who came to us asking us to investigate,” he said. “We're not the ones who chose the timing of this. We turned it around as fast as we could.”
he embezzled and misused about $202,000 of party funds. Adams, 55, could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of theft between $100,000 and $200,000 ...
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Just another Democrat doing what Democrats do. Nothing new here.
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