New Orleans Police superintendant step down; Nagin sings his praises; media looks for Moose

fox news | Spet 27

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Live conference...

[RummyChick]

Maybe this was his attempt to pretend that they are real people and when this blows wide open he will claim he knew nothing about.

[Orange1998]

I can only guess it was a AWOL cop who was black balled from the force.

[Charles Martel]

I too think Nagin was just a dupe. He just doesn't seem to have the intelligence to be the ringleader in all this.

Nagin is actually quite a business-savvy guy, which makes him different than just about any previous N.O. mayor. However, he is not a deft politician and did not see this coming.

If the phantom police story is true, Nagin will be the fall guy.

Yep, looks like Eddie's leaving him holding the bag.

[VRWCTexan]

Daley, Webb, Pennington Outline City Responses to Terrorism

By Judy Sheahan
November 5, 2001

Conference Past Presidents Richard M. Daley, Mayor of Chicago and Wellington E. Webb, Mayor of Denver along with Superintendent Richard J. Pennington of the New Orleans Police Department outlined their city's responses as well as future plans for action to potential terrorist attack. The mayors and Superintendent Pennington praised Conference President New Orleans Mayor Marc H. Morial for his leadership in representing the interests of local government, and for calling the Mayors Emergency, Safety and Security Summit to allow the nation's mayors, police chiefs, fire chiefs and emergency personnel to share ideas with one another about what is being done in communities and what needs to happen in the aftermath of the attacks. Below are highlights of their remarks during the October 24 opening Plenary Session.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Richard J. Pennington

"We are in a crisis," Superintendent Pennington said. "Every emergency we plan for can not be taken lightly." With 1,700 police officers and upcoming events such as Value Classic, Sugar Bowl, Mardi Gras, National Automotive Dealers, and the Superbowl, Pennington stressed the making of the interior and exterior of New Orleans like a fortress.

Pennington discussed the metrowide committee that was formed which comprise personnel from the police, fire, emergency, airport, water utility, Coast Guard and the U.S. Attorney. The committee will share intelligence, information and resources with one another.

Although Pennington outlined his plan to work with local universities to develop a massive training program for police, Pennington also said the federal government needs to step up with additional resources as well as more information sharing.

Pennington also praised Mayor Morial who, despite the fact that he was in Washington DC on September 11, held a conference call with all major departments within 30 minutes of the incident and held a press conference within an hour to assure the citizens that steps were being taken for their security.

Pennington stressed to the audience, "We must remain ever vigilant and we must act like a free nation with vigilance."


http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=federal+funds+New+Orleans+Police+department&sm=Yahoo%21+Search&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&u=www.usmayors.org/uscm/us_mayor_newspaper/documents/11_05_01/daleywebbpenn.asp&w=federal+funds+new+orleans+police+department&d=EDw9OGFULejX&icp=1&.intl=us

[hardworking]

Thank you for this information, which I found very interesting, BTW. I also thought that auditors are supposed to, at least annually, double check these things, including the security 'system' for protecting organizations from ghost employees. Wouldn't it have been standard practice for the City Auditor to check the payroll practices of the N.O.P.D.?

[stan_sipple]

"Media looks for Moose" ................. he's still looking for that white van.

Right after he finds the fanatic white supremacist DC sniper

[Cboldt]

So one week, my temp self ordered all employees of the security service to come on in person to pick up their paycheck.

Yup. About once a quarter I handed out all the paychecks for every employee in the plant. No mail, no substitutes. It's pretty easy to find ghosts, if there are any.

Direct deposit makes this routine harder to implement.

[UCANSEE2]

I don't know LA politics too well, who is Mr. Big?

Mr. Big? or Ms. Big?

Anyway, the man behind the curtain is Lt. Gov. (Blanco's little brother.)

[Steve_Seattle]

When I saw how the NO police reacted to the hurricane, I really began to understand the concept of "The Big Easy." I realized that when "The Big Easy" sums up your way of life, you are probably going to be completely unprepared for a disaster like Katrina. It really looked like policing was not a serious job in NO, just a matter of handling the prostitutes and maybe taking a bribe now and then.

[operation clinton cleanup]

This is HUGE

Are you series Mo? I was in the shower and missed the story!

[AliVeritas]

You ever read this, it's old... but interesting:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/cops_others/len_davis/index.html?sect=18

[UCANSEE2]

You're not deep in the Hurtgen Forest are you?

no.

[billygoatgruff]

Well, maybe someone should dig a little further and post the names and pictures of those 500 missing phantom cops, and their last addresses so the pajama-clad can go to work and get the job done.

[pollyannaish]

Ok. I did not want to get on your case unnecessarily. I read those threads as well, so I understand exactly what you are saying.

Sorry for the question, but I am extremely frustrated by attempts to use this as a racial wedge. I do not think this was a race issue in as much as an issue of social strata. People in poverty have fewer options when disaster strikes. No matter what color they are. In addition, some of those tourists were undoubtedly of colors "other than white."

Anyway, I think that we agree on the Nagin issue. Inept, inept, inept. But I am not ready to call him corrupt. I may change my mind if further information emerges. (BTW, I DO NOT give Blanco the same benefit of the doubt.)

[hummingbird]

Not sure if it is true but one poster said that the guy who was somehow in charge of all these names committed suicide.

I remember a report of a cop who killed himself. There were two versions why...one was that his family had been butchered and he found them (can't be true if wife was at his funeral) and the second was that he was overwhelmed with the devastation from the storm. So, maybe a third reason was the real reason and maybe it had something to do with this. MMMMMM.........

[Steve_Seattle]

"Media looks for Moose" ................. he's still looking for that white van.

Michael Savage was in rare form back then. He was screaming stuff like, "Snipers are killing people on a daily basis, and who do we have in charge of the investigation? Bullwinkle Moose!"

[zot]

Yes! Here is someone who should be investigated. He is a king-pin of the Louisiana power elite.

Major General Bennett C. Landreneau
Adjutant General, Louisiana National Guard
-- and --
Director of the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

[Charles Martel]

The "phantom officers" story might not be true, only one radio talk show has said it...and you know how reliable they are...

Oh, I agree completely. I look forward to seeing the "final word" on exactly how many walked off the job, but we should take care to preserve the early reports. Things of this sort inevitably get whitewashed.

I've heard some stories concerning measures taken to protect the French Quarter and the CBD hotels from post-storm mischief, but I can't confirm any of it, so that's all they are - stories.

[AliVeritas]

Ancient history, though very relevant. Nagin has known for years of corruption, obviously he started out calling for the end of it.

[VRWCTexan]

U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Louisiana
News Release

---

Jim Letten * U.S. Attorney

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 02, 2004
Contact:
Jim Letten
Hale Boggs Federal Building, 500 Poydras Street, 2nd Floor
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: 504/680-3078



FEDERAL CHARGES FILED AGAINST 10 INDIVIDUALS FOR EXTORTION AND THEFT FROM NEW ORLEANS SCHOOL SYSTEM




Jim Letten, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, FBI Special Agent in Charge Louis Reigel, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Patricia VAngilder, IRS CID Special Agent in Charge Mike Nelson, and New Orleans Police Superintendent Eddie Compass, announced today the filing of three separate Bills of Information charging a total of ten individuals with federal felonies involved in fraud kickbacks involving the Orleans Parish school system. The first Bill of Information charges LILLIAN T. SMITH HAYDEL age 46, with conspiracy, along with former Orleans Parish school system risk manager Carl Coleman, to engage in a series of kickbacks in order to preserve insurance contracts on which she was a broker. The Bill of Information charges violation of 18 U.S.C. 1951, Hobbs Act Conspiracy which carries a maximum statutory penalty of twenty years incarceration.

The second Bill of Information charges 8 current and former employees of the Orleans Parish school system with engaging in a kickback scheme whereby teachers, secretaries and para-educators would receive illicit monies they did not earn in the form of false travel reimbursements, fraudulent stipend payments or (in one instance), paychecks for an employee who had left the system. In return for these illegal monies, the employees would and did kickback fifty percent of the amount of the illegal payments. The Bill of Information charges that approximately $70,000.00 of school system money was involved in the extortion scheme. The Bill of Information charges that LOUIS SERRANO, age 29, CONCHETTA CARBO, age 25, ARMTRICE COWART, age 27, TREMICA KNIGHT-HENRY, age 27, RACHELLE HUNTER, age 27, MONIQUE LANDRY, age 28, LATASHA WILLIAMS, age 31, and TAMIKA WINESBERRY, age 31, violated 18 U.S.C. 1951, Hobbs Act Conspiracy, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of twenty years incarceration.

The third Bill of Information charges TERRI SMITH MORANT, a former payroll clerk in the Orleans Parish school system payroll office with stealing approximately $250,000.00 from the school system in a series of checks made out to herself under her maiden name. MORANT is charged with violating 18 U.S.C. 666, Theft of Funds from Program Receiving Federal Funds, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of ten years incarceration. According to the United States Attorney, the second 2 bills of information, charging the 7 employees with Hobbs Act extortion, and the information charging TERRI SMITH MORANT with program fraud, are the result of an investigation conducted by the members present who form a large part of the recently-established FBI-led New Orleans School System fraud working group.

According to the United States Attorney, all of these 10 defendants have agreed to plead guilty to these felonies; hence the filing of bills of information charging them. United States Attorney Jim Letten said.....

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/invtreports/tx072004b.html?exp=7