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Corrupt Pennsylvania officials caught in sting are all black Democrats
Fellowship of the Minds ^ | 3-17-2014 | Dr. Eowyn

Posted on 03/17/2014 5:08:32 PM PDT by smoothsailing

March 17, 2014

Corrupt Pennsylvania officials caught in sting are all black Democrats

Dr. Eowyn

This would be funny if it weren’t so disturbing.

Angela Couloumbis and Craig R. McCoy report for The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 16, 2014, that a 3-year undercover sting operation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office captured five state officials on tape accepting money.

All five corrupt officials not only are Democrats, they’re also black.

Yet no one was charged with a crime.

racecard

Prosecutors began the sting in 2010 when Republican Tom Corbett was attorney general. After Democrat Kathleen G. Kane took office in 2013, she shut it down, calling the investigation poorly conceived, badly managed, and racist because the sting had targeted African Americans.

Those who favored the sting believe it was a solid investigation that had the potential to capture more corrupt officials. They are outraged at Kane’s allegation that race had played a role in the sting.

Before Kane ended the investigation, prosecutors had amassed 400 hours of audio and videotape that documented at least four city Democrats taking payments in cash or money orders, and in one case a $2,000 Tiffany bracelet, and in exchange for votes or contracts.

The sting made financial pitches to both Republicans and Democrats, but only black Democrats accepted the payments, i.e., bribes.

The investigation’s undercover operative was a black lobbyist, Tyron B. Ali, 40, who agreed to wear a wire and tape the officials to win favorable treatment after his arrest in a $430,000 fraud case. Last fall, the Attorney General’s Office secretly dropped the fraud charges against Ali.

Thomasine Tynesl to r: Thomasine Tynes, Ronald Waters, Vanessa Brown

The officials caught on tape in the sting included:

  • Former Traffic Court Judge Thomasine Tynes, who acknowledged that Ali gave her the bracelet.
  • State Rep. Ronald G. Waters accepted multiple payments totaling $7,650.
  • State Rep. Vanessa Brown took $4,000 in exchange for voting against a bill requiring voters to show identification at the polls. Brown did vote against the bill, as did every other Democrat in the House.
  • State Rep. Michelle Brownlee received $3,500, but said she couldn’t recall taking a bribe.
  • State Rep. Louise Bishop took $1,500, but denied receiving money.

Michelle BrownleeMichelle Brownlee (l); Louise Bishop (r)

None of the five reported receiving gifts or campaign money from Ali on official disclosure forms in recent years. While state law sets no limits on the dollar amount of gifts lawmakers may accept, annual disclosure is required. Under state law, those omissions may be considered false swearing to authorities, a crime with a penalty of up to one year in jail.

Kathleen Kane

Kathleen Kane

When Kathleen Kane became the state’s first Democrat and first female attorney general on Jan. 15, 2013, her staff conducted a review of the sting operation, in partnership with FBI agents. In the end, she chose not to pursue it, insisting that the case was dropped because it was flawed, not because she was reluctant to bring political-corruption cases.

Kane said one reason was that prosecutors in the case had issued orders to target “only members of the General Assembly’s Black Caucus” and to ignore “potentially illegal acts by white members of the General Assembly.” According to Kane, the lead agent in the case Claude Thomas said he had been told to target members of the Legislative Black Caucus.

Lead prosecutor Frank G. Fina vehemently denies that race was a factor. In fact, Ali and lead agent Thomas are both black.

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, a Democrat, also denounced Kane’s suggestion that Fina or Thomas acted improperly: ”The notion that they would target anyone based on race is ridiculous. I am confident they are not racist, and it is regrettable that the Attorney General would casually throw around such an explosive accusation.”

Sources with knowledge of the sting said Ali had approached a wide range of officials, from both parties, black and white. In time, the sources said, Ali didn’t even have to reach out to elected officials. They called him.

H/t WND and FOTM’s dee

~Eowyn



TOPICS: Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: kathleenkane; louisebishop; michellebrownlee; pennsylvania; philadelphia; racecard; ronaldwaters; sting; thomasinetynes; vanessabrown
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To: smoothsailing; fatima; Fresh Wind; st.eqed; xsmommy; House Atreides; Nowhere Man; ...
PA Ping!

If you see posts of interest to Pennsylvanians, please ping me.

Thanks!

Thanks Conservative in PA for the heads up

21 posted on 03/17/2014 5:59:08 PM PDT by P.O.E. (Pray for America)
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To: smoothsailing
Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, a Democrat, also denounced Kane’s suggestion that Fina or Thomas acted improperly: ”The notion that they would target anyone based on race is ridiculous. I am confident they are not racist, and it is regrettable that the Attorney General would casually throw around such an explosive accusation.”

Seth Williams has been a fairly straight shooter. He also opposed Debo Adegbile's nomination. Coming in after the horrific Lynn Abraham, he has not taken the job further down the toilet that I can see.

22 posted on 03/17/2014 6:07:20 PM PDT by dirtboy
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To: smoothsailing

Being a (liberal) black politician comes with a “get out of jail free” card these days. Too bad for these guys there is no “get out of hell free” card.


23 posted on 03/17/2014 6:23:16 PM PDT by Sharkfish ( "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -- Edmund Burke)
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To: smoothsailing

Kathleen Kane: Useful White Person.


24 posted on 03/17/2014 6:23:47 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The PASSING LANE is for PASSING, not DAWDLING)
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To: smoothsailing

Doesn’t everyone pretty much assume that all black Democrats are corrupt until proven otherwise?


25 posted on 03/17/2014 6:44:10 PM PDT by Inwoodian
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To: smoothsailing

Since the evidence provided on Ms. Kane makes her appear not guilty, let me construct a scenario in which she is, in fact, not guilty.

She inherited the case, and all the evidence which went with it. Suppose the person collecting the evidence prior to Ms. Kane’s appearance didn’t like the direction the investigation was going, namely, the evidence was going to indict a bunch of blacks.

All that need to be done to irreversibly contaminate the evidence would be to beginning conducting the investigation in an unconstitutional manner. Then whenever a prosecution began, the unconstitutional elements would raise their ugly heads in such a way that no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges.


26 posted on 03/17/2014 6:57:25 PM PDT by Balding_Eagle (Over production, one of the top 5 worries for the American Farmer every year.)
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To: P.O.E.

Thanks for the ping.


27 posted on 03/17/2014 7:29:26 PM PDT by GOPJ (From a bellwether to an "oh-whateverrrr" in less than a single news cycle. -freeper Fightin Whitey)
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To: smoothsailing

Someone might want to check if they were in any way involved with getting 99-100% precinct votes for o. Vote early. Vote often.


28 posted on 03/17/2014 7:37:51 PM PDT by bgill
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To: bgill

Hard to imagine they weren’t involved, probably among the ringleaders.


29 posted on 03/17/2014 8:10:40 PM PDT by smoothsailing
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To: smoothsailing

This is a joke for a few thousand dollars.I know someone who fell for that many years ago.Kane has other headaches.


30 posted on 03/17/2014 8:28:36 PM PDT by fatima (Free Hugs Today :))
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To: fatima

DA drops Rape charges against ex Montco, Pa GOP Chairman
The evidence in question relates to a toxicology report that was initially thought to have
found the drug Zolpidem, commonly referred to as Ambien, in the complainant’s system. At
issue is the lab analysis of the report, which appeared to indicate an identifiable value
related to the presence of the drug Zolpidem. The investigator incorrectly interpreted that
value as meaning that the lab discovered trace amounts of the drug in the complainant’s
system. In fact, the proper conclusion was that the lab did not find any amount of the drug
Zolpidem in the complainant at all. Because grand jurors gave significant weight to the
existence of the alleged drug evidence in its determination of whether to file charges and
which charges to file, Ferman determined she was duty bound to withdraw the current
charges.
http://www.panewz.com/content/da-drops-rape-charges-against-ex-montco-pa-gop-chairman


31 posted on 03/17/2014 9:14:24 PM PDT by fatima (Free Hugs Today :))
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To: fatima

Moving forward, a prosecutorial decision must be made as to re-filing charges. Ferman has
concluded, however, that the course of these events has created an unavoidable actual
conflict of interests for the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, which requires the
office to refer the matter, in its entirety, to the Office of the Attorney General of
Pennsylvania. This referral has been made and the Attorney General has accepted the
referral.


32 posted on 03/17/2014 9:17:16 PM PDT by fatima (Free Hugs Today :))
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To: nascarnation; smoothsailing

Capone juniors, everyone. My they ALL die of syphilis, and as agonizinly as Capone did.

Don’t know which is the butt-ee or the butt-or, but be assured that of the chicago wanna be’s, BO is right in there with ‘em...butt waitin’...


33 posted on 03/17/2014 9:35:16 PM PDT by GGpaX4DumpedTea (I am a Tea Party descendant...steeped in the Constitutional Republic given to us by the Founders)
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To: smoothsailing

Kane was defeated for the job of AG once - then ran again and was elected - was it Woody Allen who said 90% of life is just showing up?....


34 posted on 03/17/2014 9:47:51 PM PDT by Intolerant in NJ
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To: smoothsailing
State Rep. Vanessa Brown took $4,000 in exchange for voting against a bill requiring voters to show identification at the polls.

they should arrest the moron who paid a Deomocrat for this automatic vote.
35 posted on 03/18/2014 4:11:13 AM PDT by stylin19a (Obama ----> Fredo smart)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

> All five corrupt officials not only are Democrats, they’re also black.

s/b

‘All five corrupt officials are Democrats.’

Thanks smoothsailing.


36 posted on 03/18/2014 4:24:06 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: stylin19a
they should arrest the moron who paid a Deomocrat for this automatic vote.

Brown did vote against the bill, as did every other Democrat in the House.

LOL, they didn't even need her vote!

37 posted on 03/18/2014 10:37:50 AM PDT by smoothsailing
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To: GOPJ

You’re welcome.


38 posted on 03/18/2014 3:07:05 PM PDT by P.O.E. (Pray for America)
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