- Don PeRATa
Posted on 07/28/2008 7:42:08 AM PDT by SmithL
It has been 44 months since a federal corruption probe of state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata became public knowledge, and 43 months since federal agents searched his and his son's Oakland homes.
Witnesses have testified before a federal grand jury. Thousands of pages of documents have been gathered under dozens of subpoenas issued to public agencies and private companies.
Perata's legal defense fund has spent about $2 million, much of that either transferred from one of his campaign accounts or given by the state Democratic party. Almost four years on, some wonder whether it's time for the federal government to fish or cut bait.
"You would think that if they had something, they'd have done something with it years ago, not two months before his term in office ends," said longtime Democratic Assembly aide Bill Cavala.
"I don't believe the investigation produced any facts or evidence that would lead to an indictment," he said.
"It does seem like a long time," said former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Rick Smith, now president of a private investigation firm in San Francisco. "They don't want to drop it obviously because they think there's some substance there, and they don't want to indict him without sufficient evidence, so it goes on."
Smith also noted that U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello could make a decision. Russoniello, 66, who held the post from 1982 to 1990, probably doesn't see the case as a career springboard, Smith said: "He's not going to be hesitant to do what he thinks is right."
A recent San Francisco Chronicle story called attention to the relationship between Perata and Dawson Mathis, a former congressman from Georgia.
(Excerpt) Read more at contracostatimes.com ...
- Don PeRATa
Guilty!
Amazing about how quick the FEds can wrap a noose around a Congre$$ional politician from just about any other state (like Ohio (Ney, Tafficant) and California (Cunningham)) but have taken this long with a lowly state official.
Where there is smoke, yada yada..
Hey DoJ, get on with it already!
Bump!
Bring on the indictment!
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