Another Clinton supporter facing criminal charges

Newsday.com ^ | September 7, 2007 | Glenn Thrush

[AmericanMade1776]

Another prominent Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter is facing serious criminal charges.

Passaic, N.J., Mayor Samuel "Sammy" Rivera, recently named to Clinton's national Hispanic outreach team, was one of 11 Garden State politicians snared in a federal sting yesterday involving school contracts.

It's not clear if Rivera was due to attend Clinton's speech to New Jersey Democrats in Atlantic City today.

Rivera's troubles surfaced just a day after Clinton super-donor Norman Hsu failed to show up for his $2 million bail hearing. The former first lady cut ties with the Chinese-born financier after news reports revealed he was a fugitive on a 15-year-old larceny plea deal.

The FBI caught Rivera, 60, accepting $5,000 this month to steer a contract to a vendor, according to charges brought yesterday. A month ago, Clinton's campaign issued a news release reporting that Rivera had also joined "Hillary's Mayor Council."

Clinton wasted little time kicking Rivera off her campaign. "These are serious charges and as the process moves forward we will be monitoring them closely," a spokesman said in statement.

[AmericanMade1776]

Hillraiser crime spree continues.

[CaptRon]

Don Hillary.

[From One - Many]

Who was protecting Hsu? One the lam...since the 90s, huge demonrat fund-raiser. Final caught, the rats scatter. Who was protecting Hsu? Who knew....Did all the demonrats know, and still protected a fugitive....??? Someone had the know Hsu was a fugitive. Wonder if the demonrats can keep everyone quiet, or is it a matter of time.....???

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Wow! While I love all the negative press The Beast is getting these days, it sure seems weird.

Is there some reason the MSM doesn’t want her as POTUS? Could it be that they want Rooty?

I can’t believe we’re even hearing WHISPERS of any of this in the MSM.

Oops! I just saw a pig fly by, LOL! :)

[AmericanMade1776]

In this artist's rendering the 12 defendants, 11 of whom are public officials, from towns across New Jersey who were arrested earlier Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007, on charges of taking bribes in exchange for influencing the awarding of public contracts, are seen in court for a hearing at the Charles S. Fisher Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Trenton, N.J., Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007. From the left in the rear: Mims Hackett, Jr., James A. Pressely, James T. McCormick, Alfred E. Steele, Keith O. Reid, and Maurice 'Pete' Callaway. In the front row from left: Marcellus Jackson, Jayson G. Adams, Rafael Velez, Jonathan Soto, Samuel 'Sammy' Rivera, Louis Mister. (AP Photo/Andrea Shepard)

[From One - Many]

The press does want a rudy....It is on nearly every word out of their mouths. See tagline....LOL

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Looks like “Old Man Rivers” will soon be going up one, LOL!

(Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)

[AmericanMade1776]

Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera is among 11 officials arrested Thursday in a corruption probe.

[AmericanMade1776]

Josh Quinones, 26, a barber who works around the corner from Rivera’s home, credited the mayor with cleaning up an area park. But he complained that Rivera’s use of police officers in schools took jobs from security guards. And, he said, the mayor sometimes called police on the barbers who gathered outside the shop for a smoke.

“I find it funny that the guy who was calling the cops on us had the cops called on him,” Quinones said.

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-12/118914217059770.xml&coll=1

[AmericanMade1776]

He’s survived five strokes and four marriages. He named two of his sons Samuel — and both are now cops with the Passaic Police Department. In 60 years of hard living, he’s gone from professional wrestler to cop to convicted felon to mayor.

Born on a tobacco farm in Cayey, Puerto Rico, in 1946, Rivera was one of 14 children.

On patrol in 1980, his partner fatally shot a man in a drug bust. Rivera slashed himself in the stomach to make it look like the shooting was in self-defense. The ensuing federal investigation revealed the coverup and Rivera got three years’ probation and a felony conviction that later nearly prevented him from becoming Passaic’s mayor.

In 1981, he left Puerto Rico for Passaic and worked as a private investigator. He entered politics and landed a seat on the City Council in the early 1990s, amid a corruption scandal in the Housing Authority that would send Passaic’s mayor, Joseph Lipari, to prison.

Rivera ran for mayor in 1997 and made a blatant appeal to Latinos, who now were 60 percent of the city, to make him the first Hispanic mayor. But he lost to incumbent Marge Semler by 164 votes — and blamed another Latino candidate for splitting the Latino vote.

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1JmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MTkxODQ0JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg==

[AmericanMade1776]

Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera leaves Federal Court on Thursday after being charged in a federal corruption probe.

[AmericanMade1776]

The arrests were expected to become fodder in this year’s legislative elections, for which Republican Party leaders have built a campaign, in part, on allegations of systemic corruption in the Democratic Party.

Most of the defendants are Democrats.

Those charged include Assemblyman Alfred E. Steele, 53, who is also the pastor of a Baptist church in Paterson and was a Passaic County undersheriff; Assemblyman Mims Hackett Jr., 65, who is also mayor of the City of Orange; Passaic Mayor Samuel “Sammy” Rivera, 60; Passaic City Councilman Marcellus Jackson, 37; former Passaic City Councilman Jonathan Soto, 32; and Keith O. Reid, 48, chief of staff to the Newark City Council’s president.

Also charged were Pleasantville School Board President James A. Pressley, 22; board member Rafael Velez, 46; and former members Adams, 27, Callaway, 53, and James T. McCormick, 50.

Callaway is a member of the Pleasantville City Council. He is also a brother of Craig Callaway, the former Atlantic City Council president who was jailed in March in a similar, but apparently unrelated, corruption investigation.

Louis Mister, 56, a Pleasantville resident, was also charged. Mister is described as an associate of Maurice Callaway’s and is alleged to have accepted two cash payments for him.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070907_Corruption_sting_crosses_N_J_.html

[ExTexasRedhead]

The corruption linked to the Clintoons needs to be publicized via talk radio and the Internet. Obviously, the MSM won’t tell the truth about Hitlery’s sleazy background.

[AmericanMade1776]

Most of the defendants are Democrats.

[oldsalt]

Aren’t we rushing to judgment here.After all,we’re talking about Democrat politicians in New Jersey.....um,never mind.

[AmericanMade1776]

Rush to judgement, not us.. howabout this other Democrat who rushed to judgement.

Former Durham County district attorney Mike Nifong is seen in this jail photo provided by the Durham County Detention Center in Durham, N.C., Friday, Sept. 7, 2007. Nifong was sentenced to one day in jail after being charged with contempt of court in his handling of the Duke lacrosse case. (AP Photo/Durham County Detention Center)

[AmericanMade1776]

oldsalt wrote: Aren’t we rushing to judgment here.After all,we’re talking about Democrat politicians in New Jersey.....um,never mind.

They took the undercover agents on a "Corruption Tour"

'Corruption tour' Christie said the Pleasantville board members "took federal law enforcement, unwittingly, on a corruption tour of New Jersey . . . to other corrupt officials - almost as if there was a corrupt public official underground in this state, where they all know each other, they all know how they do business. And they took us on that tour. Federal law enforcement willingly and ably went along." Philly.com

[Just mythoughts]

I hear an echo ‘Culture of Corruption’ still ringing in my ears. At least none of these guys were caught toe tapping in the men’s room.

[popdonnelly]

She should run that “Sopranos” ad again. Why is it all the corrupt folks tend to gravitate towards the Clintons? Is there a pattern here?