La. lawmaker who redefined 'frozen assets' holds support
Times-Picayune (New Orleans) Oct 12, 08 7:49 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Bribery charges and $90,000 discovered in a freezer haven't stopped black lawmakers from backing one of their own, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports . US Rep. William Jefferson is facing trial and dwindling support in his Katrina-ravaged district, but the Congressional Black Caucus still has his back—and enough Capitol Hill power to make it matter.
More »
Alaska senator curses, claims innocence in talks with key witness
Anchorage Daily News Oct 7, 08 7:03 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Jurors heard tapes yesterday of Ted Stevens cursing federal investigators and declaring his innocence in conversations he did not know were being recorded, reports the Anchorage Daily News . Stevens was speaking with former Veco CEO Bill Allen, the prosecution’s chief witness in the Alaska senator’s corruption trial. "I'm developing the attitude that I don't think I did anything wrong,” Stevens says in one of the recordings.
More »
Man whose company renovated Republican's home continues testimony
Wall Street Journal Oct 1, 08 2:43 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Ted Stevens avoided eye contact with onetime buddy Bill Allen as the former oil exec detailed his company’s renovations on the senator’s home, the Wall Street Journal reports. Allen says he received thank-you notes from Stevens saying, “You owe me a bill. … It just has to be done right,” but that a mutual friend dismissed them and said, “Ted's just covering his ass.”
More »
Resignation expected soon
Guardian (UK) Sep 8, 08 3:09 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Israeli police are recommending that embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be indicted for bribery, money laundering and fraud, reports the Guardian. The final decision on what action to take after the 18-month investigation rests with the nation's attorney general. Olmert has already indicated he will resign within days.
More »
Cheney man 'won' $6B Nigerian contracts
Wall Street Journal Sep 4, 08 4:04 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
A fired Halliburton exec has pleaded guilty to bribing Nigerian government officials, the Wall Street Journal reports. Albert Stanley, CEO of KBR when it was a Halliburton subsidiary, faces up to 7 years in jail and a restitution payment of nearly $11 million. Stanley was appointed by Vice President Dick Cheney, and many of the bribes occurred when Cheney still ran Halliburton.
More »
Class-action leader Scruggs 'could not be more ashamed'
Clarion-Ledger Jun 27, 08 5:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Disgraced Mississippi lawyer Dickie Scruggs was sentenced to the maximum 5 years in prison today in a judicial bribery scheme; at the hearing, the class-action pioneer said, “I could not be more ashamed than I am today.” The judge hinted he might shave some time off if Scruggs cooperates with authorities in other bribery probes, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports.
More »
Vows to resign if indicted
Wall Street Journal May 9, 08 7:29 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Ehud Olmert resisted calls for his resignation today, after admitting on national TV last night that he accepted contributions from a New York businessman—but denying that any of it was a bribe. Olmert, under criminal investigation for allegedly taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from Long Island millionaire Morris Talansky while he was mayor of Jerusalem and minister of industry, vowed to resign if indicted.
More »
Embassy probe finds fraud, bribery
Associated Press Apr 25, 08 3:47 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
US adoptions of Vietnamese children are tainted by bribery, kidnapping and baby-selling, according to an investigation by the US Embassy. The report, obtained by AP, discovered that one hospital sold a baby whose mother couldn't pay her medical bills. US couples—including Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt—have adopted more than 1,200 Vietnamese children in the last 18 months.
More »
Separation of powers violated, appeals ruled
New York Times Mar 31, 08 1:24 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Supreme Court declined today to hear an appeal of a ruling that the FBI violated separation-of-powers law in a 2006 raid on the office of Rep. William Jefferson, the New York Times reports. Though the raid itself was not unconstitutional, an appeals court found, the FBI went too far in allowing agents to look through the Louisiana Democrat's documents.
More »
Siegelman, out on appeal, says politics
put him in prison
New York Times Mar 29, 08 7:47 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who walked out of a Louisiana federal prison on an appeal bond yesterday, told the New York Times in his first interview that "abuse of power" put him behind bars—and accused Karl Rove of being behind it all. “It’s going to be my quest to encourage Congress to ensure that Karl Rove either testifies, or takes the Fifth,” Siegelman said.
More »
Expected to testify at House probe on political cases
CNN Mar 28, 08 2:11 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The former governor of Alabama, serving seven years for bribery in a case critics claim was engineered by the White House, has been ordered released pending appeal. Don Siegelman will now be free to testify at congressional hearings on politically motivated prosecutions, reports CNN. Siegelman's supporters charge that he was the target of a smear campaign by former White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove.
More »
Famed Miss. lawyer may serve 5 years
in bribery case
Clarion-Ledger Mar 14, 08 1:45 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Dickie Scruggs, one of the nation's top class-action attorneys, entered a surprise guilty plea today in Jackson, Miss., to charges of conspiracy to bribe a judge, the Clarion-Ledger reports. Federal prosecutors said they would recommend 5 years in prison for Scruggs, who also faces a $250,000 fine. He pleaded guilty to attempting to pay a judge $40,000 to gain a favorable ruling.
More »