Former City Councilman Rickey Peete arrives at the Federal Building Wednesday morning with an entorage of supporters for a sentencing hearing on bribery charges.
Posted on 11/14/2007 10:38:53 AM PST by SmithL
Former Memphis City Council member Rickey Peete was sentenced to 51 months in prison this morning in federal court, marking the second time he will be doing time for a bribery conviction.
The 52-year-old Peete pleaded guilty in June to accepting $12,400 in bribes for his vote on a zoning issue last year.
Under a plea agreement, federal prosecutors recommended that Peete be sentenced to between 41 and 51 months in today’s appearance before U.S. Dist. Court Judge Samuel Mays Jr.
Peete and fellow councilman Edmund Ford were indicted in December on charges that they accepted a combined $18,900 in bribes for the zoning issue involving a development and billboard project along Interstate and another $4,500 payment to oust a development official.
Political operative Joe Cooper, faced with unrelated moneylaundering charges, funneled the money to the councilmen at the behest of the FBI which made secret audio and video tapes of the payoffs last fall.
The FBI investigation, which is ongoing, has been dubbed Operation Main Street Sweeper.
Ford is fighting the charges and is awaiting trial.
Cooper pleaded guilty in January and is awaiting sentencing.
In 1989, Peete went to prison for two years, plus six months in a halfway house, for extorting a $1,000 bribe in a land-use issue.
He was re-elected to his council seat in 1995 and was head of the Planning and Zoning Committee when he was indicted last December. He resigned in May.
A new state law will prohibit Peete from seeking elected office again since he was convicted of a felony while in office. Comments
(Excerpt) Read more at commercialappeal.com ...
Mr. Peete can probably blame me for his troubles — or at least give me the credit for him getting into politics.
I worked with Rickey in Memphis, in the private sector. He was right out of college, and he was very outspoken on occasion about how our employer wasn’t doing right by we employees, blah, blah. He was a constant irritant and was always complaining and trying to start trouble.
One day in the mail room (I remember it well) I told him that in the corporate world, we employees didn’t get a vote in how to run the business. We could do as we were told, get our salary, or we could leave. I recall telling him that he should look into working for the public sector as he seemed more suited as an activist than a loyal employee. He did leave IBM’s employment very soon afterwards.
Looks like he took my advice and then did a little self-serving promotion and bribery along the way.
I am not familiar with this particular judge, but I am glad that he gave the max.
Ricky’s still claiming that he was set up.
THANKS ALOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rickey Peete, any relationship to Rickey Bobby?
I would hope that Edmund Ford gets the same judge.
And for those not familiar with ALL of the Memphis Fords, Edmund is another uncle of wannabe-senator Harold Ford, Jr.
The real problem is that he probably sees nothing wrong with what he did. It permeates the non-profit sector. The players are shocked to find that bribery and embezzlement are against the law.
THANKS ALOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had the good sense to get out of Memphis as soon as I could!
Thank goodness the Ford brothers and sisters have not had as many offspring as their parent's. Except John.
Lucky you! We got locked in by grandchildren.
You are right. Don’t you know that he is owed!
But not from being appointed to office. There's still a future for him in Memphis politics!
They just indicted another one on corruption, Bruce Thompson, former county commissioner...GOP this time, and white.
“The players are shocked to find that bribery and embezzlement are against the law.”
What is the fine line between lobbying (legalized bribery) and the bribery done by individuals. Both are bribery and both subvert the public’s interest.
How can we stop this lobbying mentality, and take away the power of corporations? And of course at the same time, prosecute individuals for embesslement and bribery?
Nah they know the difference. That’s why they hide it. The problem is that they see nothing wrong with it. If they get a rolex and get to ride in a limo, it’s worth the chance of going to jail.
I’m now surprised when non-profits can pass an audit. Especially non-profits that help the people. In my old hometown, a non-profit was getting money from the City Council to build low-cost housing. When the city tried to audit the NP as it does every group that gets money, their supporters accused the City Council of racism. That’s right. An audit is racist. Of course, there was rampant financial wrongdoing and the head of the NP ended up killing himself.
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