Tag Archives: bribery

The Washington Post reports: Lavish gifts, public flattery and hefty domestic investments have become the currency of influence in Trump’s Washington. Apple CEO Tim Cook and the leaders of other highly valued tech companies have forged alliances with Trump through sometimes-fawning spectacles. The administration has rolled out industry-friendly executive orders and exemptions from policies that threatened these owners’ multitrillion-dollar businesses. …

Politico reports: A leader of the super PAC supporting New York City Mayor Eric Adams hopes to raise upwards of $10 million from the cryptocurrency community — and has alarmed government ethics groups in the process. In May, Eric Lerner, president of the Empower NYC super PAC, attended the same Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas where Adams traveled on the …

The New York Post reports: The NYPD under Mayor Eric Adams solicited bribes for promotions, falsified time cards, put unqualified pals in specialized units and routinely ignored rules on body cameras, a bombshell series of new lawsuits claims. Four bombshell lawsuits filed late Monday accuse Adams and his top NYPD allies of running a department where corruption and retaliation were …

Nashville’s ABC affiliate reports: A jury of six men and six women found former House Speaker Glen Casada guilty for his involvement in what was a trial on public corruption charges against him. He was found guilty on 17 of 19 counts. The jury found his aide Cade Cothren guilty on all charges for his stake in the trial. Former …

“Welcome to the Southern District of New York, the wild west of political prosecution. President Trump was right. This process is political and it’s corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system.” – Former Sen. Bob “Gold Bars” Menendez, outside the court where he had sobbed as he was …

Fox News reports: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is joining the list of U.S. tech titans donating to President-elect Trump’s inaugural fund, a spokesperson exclusively told Fox News Digital. “President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead,” Altman said in a written statement. Altman reportedly …

The Washington Post reports: Former Republican lawmakers, advisers and Justice Department officials have called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate tech billionaire Elon Musk for awarding cash prizes to voters in swing states if they sign his political organization’s petition, according to a letter obtained by The Washington Post and sent to Garland on Monday. The letter argues that …

The Akron Beacon-Journal reports: Akron-based FirstEnergy will pay $20 million and avoid criminal charges as part of an agreement with state prosecutors to resolve the company’s role in a statewide bribery scandal. As part of the agreement, FirstEnergy will cooperate with an Ohio Attorney General’s Office and Summit County Prosecutor’s Office investigation into a pay-to-play scandal. FirstEnergy previously admitted it …

New York City’s NBC affiliate reports: The jury assessing the bribery case of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has reached a verdict. A court officer sent a short note to media outlets saying a verdict has been reached and “the verdict will be announced shortly.” At closings on Wednesday, Menendez’s lawyer cited patriotism as a reason to acquit his client, …

Reuters reports: Jury selection is expected to begin on Monday in the corruption trial of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, a case that could affect the Democrat’s reelection prospects and help determine which party controls the Senate next year. Menendez, 70, and two New Jersey businessmen face charges in a bribery conspiracy case in Manhattan federal court, in a trial that …

The Columbus Dispatch reports: Former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo, who was facing criminal charges over a bribery scandal, has died by suicide. A spokesman for the Franklin County Coroner said Randazzo was found shortly before noon Tuesday in a Columbus warehouse that he owned. Randazzo, 74, of Columbus, was recently accused of accepting $4.3 million from …

Gothamist reports: As New York City stared down an unprecedented rise in homelessness last year, its buildings commissioner was allegedly scheming with a deep-pocketed developer to clear fire victims from a Rockaway Park emergency shelter in exchange for a discounted luxury condo nearby, Manhattan prosecutors charged Wednesday. Eric Ulrich, the former commissioner of the Department of Buildings, faces 16 counts …

The Detroit Free Press reports: Former GOP state House Speaker Rick Johnson, two lobbyists and a medical marijuana business owner were charged Thursday in a bribery scheme, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan announced at a press conference in Lansing. Johnson, 70, was the chairman of the state’s medical marijuana licensing board, which approved or denied applications …

Reuters reports: A Brooklyn federal jury on Thursday convicted a former 21st Century Fox executive and acquitted another after a trial over an alleged scheme to bribe South American soccer officials to secure lucrative broadcasting rights. Jurors found Hernan Lopez guilty but acquitted Carlos Martinez on the same charges. South American sports marketing company Full Play Group SA was also …

Courthouse News reports: A jury on Wednesday found four of the five Navy officials accused of trading military secrets for sex parties with prostitutes, luxurious dinners and travel paid for by defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis guilty of bribery and wire fraud. Following a four-month trial, 12 jurors unanimously found Capts. David Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman, and …

The Wall Street Journal reports: A federal jury in Manhattan convicted a former bank executive on charges that he helped arrange $16 million in loans to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, in exchange for help getting a high-level job in the Trump administration. Stephen M. Calk, the founder and former chairman of the Federal Savings Bank in Chicago, was …

Buzzfeed News reports: The Trump Organization negotiated on behalf of then-president Donald Trump to make Parler his primary social network, but it had a condition: an ownership stake in return for joining, according to documents and four people familiar with the conversations. The deal was never finalized, but legal experts said the discussions alone, which occurred while Trump was still …

The Texas Tribune reports: Lacey Mase, one of the top aides who accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of crimes including bribery and abuse of office, has been fired, she told The Texas Tribune on Tuesday evening. “It was not voluntary,” she said, but declined to comment further. Mase was hired in 2011 and worked most recently as the deputy …

The Austin Statesman reports: Top aides of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have asked federal law enforcement authorities to investigate allegations of improper influence, abuse of office, bribery and other potential crimes against the state’s top lawyer. In a one-page letter to the state agency’s director of human resources, obtained Saturday by the American-Statesman and KVUE-TV, seven executives in the …

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports: Federal officials arrested Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four others on Tuesday morning in connection with a $60 million bribery case. U.S. Attorney David DeVillers’ office would not discuss details of the case, but a source involved in the investigation confirmed Householder’s arrest to The Enquirer. Also arrested, according to the source: Neil Clark, founder …