Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com An FBI agent whose work helped jail dozens of Philadelphia and New Jersey politicians is retiring after 25 years with the bureau, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Agent John Roberts spent 20 years of his career in Philadelphia, where he became an expert on corruption and the politicians who turn to the dark…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A new team of five FBI agents soon will begin investigating public corruption in Ohio, the Columbus Dispatch reports. While Ohio isn’t considered a hotbed of corruption, it will join many other states with a special squad dedicated to investigating public officials. “Most capital cities have a squad,” said Edward J. Hanko,…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI arrested Trenton Mayor Tony Mack and others this morning as part of an ongoing corruption investigation, NBC 4 New York reports. Among the potential charges facing the mayor is conspiracy to obstruct commerce by extortion. Also taken into custody were top campaign contributor Joseph “JoJo” Giorgianni and six others,…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A retired president of the union representing U.S. Border Patrol Agents is accused of using hundreds of thousands of dollars in labor funds for personal use beginning in 2007, New American reports. Terrence J. “T.J.” Bonner, who is accused of 12 counts of conspiring to commit fraud, was indicted by a…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com As the FBI investigates Trenton City Hall and Mayor Tony Mack, residents are calling for the creation of an ethics board to protect against corruption, the Trentonian reports. At a city council meeting Thursday, officials didn’t discuss details of the FBI investigation, saying they were unaware of specifics. Residents called on the…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Justice Department has filed suit against a fundamentalist, polygamous Mormon sect, saying it discriminates against non-members, according to the Christian Science Monitor. The suit alleges that members of the sect control government services in the towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Those towns…
By Allan Lengel For Deadline Detroit DETROIT — Ex-Hip hop Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t on trial. He wasn’t in the gallery. But his presence Tuesday was undeniable. His good buddy, contractor Bobby Ferguson, went on trial in downtown Detroit in a $12-million bid-rigging case involving a low-income housing…
Shoshanna Utchenik ticklethewire.com U.S. officials report a break-through in tackling drug trafficking from South America, according to the Associated Press. A former Venezuelan Supreme Court justice Eladio Aponte may be seeking permanent refuge in the U.S. for himself and his family in exchange for evidence linking Venezuelan officials to drug trafficking and corruption, and linking Venezuela…
