What goes on in Tallahassee apparently doesn't stay in Tallahassee, at least when it comes to the FBI. The Clarion-Ledger - yes, the Clarion-Ledger - compared public corruption cases in the capitol cities of Florida and Mississippi. Charles Drape reported:
In 2015, two undercover FBI agents posed as crooked developers and infiltrated Tallahassee City Hall by offering bribes to elected officials in exchange for their support in favor of the "developers" for coveted real estate projects. Sound familiar? That years-long undercover FBI investigation — named "Operation Capital Currency" — into the city government in Tallahassee, Florida, offers striking similarities to Jackson's ongoing bribery scandal. Both center around alleged bribes from "developers" to elected officials. And, like Jackson, Tallahassee is a state capital. Is Jackson the next target of the "Operation Capital Currency" sequel? Long after undercover agents slipped out of Tallahassee, the investigation dragged on for years, resulting in convictions and federal prison time for a Tallahassee businessman, an elected official and his aide.... Tallahassee's corruption scandal kicked off in 2015, when an undercover FBI agent posing as a developer and using the alias Mike Miller came to town. Miller, whose assumed identity was discovered by the Tallahassee Democrat, started rubbing shoulders with Tallahassee businessmen and political leaders for the next year-and-a-half, including meeting former mayor and Florida's 2018 Democratic candidate for governor, Andrew Gillum. Miller, along with another undercover agent who posed as a medical marijuana investor known as Michael Sweet, also started meeting with Tallahassee businessman John Burnette and then Tallahassee City Commissioner and former mayor Scott Maddox. The agents professed an interest in two developments — a parcel of land just outside of Tallahassee's city limits called Fallschase, and another that was a piece of city-owned property called Myers Park. ArticleKingfish note: Interesting. Very interesting.
23 comments:
Hopefully this investigation will not drag on for years like the one in Tallahassee. We need for the dust to settle quickly.
It’s the USAO. It will take years.
Seems like a lot of cop work for as little time as they all got. Which brings me to my next question. Does the FBI just go around setting people up to see who will take a bribe, or was there something else already in play like a tip or other corruption, or just knowing or hearing how corrupt Jackson is they decided to make a bust.
This corruption in the COJ is the tip of an iceberg
2:30, when an official is as blatant about contract steering as Antar, the feds have to feel like they’ve been given an engraved invitation to investigate. The idiot was begging to be investigated. Let’s hope what’s taking so long is they’re gathering info on sister.
Glad they got them, but it sounds lake entrapment to me.
A door simply keeps the honest people honest. The crooks will always just walk right in. That's what is happening. No set up. These people are dishonest to the core and are just waiting for the right person to come walking along - cue the FBI.
Gilliam was acquitted. These guys became his best friends. He said no to bribes 15 times and literally told his “friends” I feel like you are trying to bribe me, I don’t do that. I will report you if that is what you are hinting at. And yet they still indicted because his “friends” contributed to his run for governor. This is not fighting crime, it testing citizens tolerance for temptation. It’s like the nazi SD or Soviet KGB, any of your friends could be undercover agents
The 'capitol graft' program is a nationwide one, but keep in mind there are a couple of USAO employees, that would have been big cheerleaders to bring the program to Jackson if that opportunity presented itself.
I am just glad to see they are doing something other than setting up fake Neo-Nazi groups to recruit and entrap incels.
3:09pm
Jackson's Mayor said he would take $10K campaign contribution to speed up Hotel development approvals, which he did do. I have no respect for this mayor, suspect he has other quid pro quo arrangements, possibly with Richard's trash removal, and with the Ballpark lease, but this current case against the mayor, on its own, seems mighty weak. So FBI will look at Mayor's vendor relationships going back years. The case is gonna be slow.
Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered
Fat pigs become hogs in short order...
I hope the entire state is under scrutiny. "Politics" has been one of the most "lucrative" careers here for decades.
It's almost funny when it's often so obvious an elected official is living way above his likely income or family fortune.
It's especially obvious when elected government " official" has use of high end condos at the desirable vacation locations or is a "paid speaker" who gets not only the speaker's fee which is claimed but a free week at a resort.
Sometimes the "help" comes in an agreed upon donations to a campaign. Or it's benefitting from " insider" information.
We've forgotten the forgiven "bank loans" of politicians once they are elected that made the news in decades past as well. Indeed, we still speak of those deceased politicians reverently. Those who are corrupt depend on our ignorance whether it's here or in Tallahassee . That includes new politicians that are led to believe " this is the way it's done" and of course, we don' t know or learn how to "follow the money". They get lucrative jobs for their relatives...no need to support "momma" when she has a job at Ingalls she never shows up for or you get property ownership for way below value... getting "ahead" is quick. Our extreme partisan politics has made it easier not harder. Con men aren't "commies" or "fascists". They have no " philosophy". They are interested only in lining their pockets and the extreme partisans turn a blind eye to "their guy or gal" but believe completely that the " other party" is corrupt. So when we do get an honest candidate, we can't recognize them.
No honorable man goes into politics. If he does, he won’t — he cannot — keep his honor.
And no honorable man goes under the employ of the FBI. Any evidence an FBI agent testifies to, given the frequency and magnitude of their antics of late, a juror should simply reject out of hand.
All in my opinion, of course.
@fbi - might want to take a look at 10:21. I bet there’s some horrific skeletons in their closet.
FBI should try their little tricks in Rankin County since Madison county has already had similar.. ..
Exactly
Ah…. A fellow cynic.
Someone should look into bribes paid at the Public Service Commission. An energy company cake walked into an Eminent Domain, without properly notifying property owners of the hearing. In the PSC papers on the hearing “there were no complaintants (sic) present ,” because land owners were not notified! “
This happened in Rankin County. Seems someone greased the wheels with PSC.
4:16. If they truly were not properly notified then it will not stick. Just need the proof
Had we, the property owners been notified of eminent domain hearing on our property, we would have been at the PSC meeting/ hearing to have some input. The then PSC Central Commissioner granted eminent domain to Cooperative Energy, with no land owners present.
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