Posted on 10/16/2008 8:19:15 PM PDT by Bean Counter
Chapter two of the Cuyahoga County corruption probe opened Wednesday with a new round of early morning raids focusing on a new cast of characters.
The scope of the investigation, which has already shaken the foundation of county government, has clearly widened.
Wednesday's raids took aim at contracts involving the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and MetroHealth Medical Center, two publicly funded agencies that serve the housing and health-care needs of the area's poor.
FBI, IRS and U.S. Housing and Urban Development investigators searched the agencies and the homes of CMHA Director George Phillips; former hospital Vice President John J. Carroll, who was fired in July after taking gifts from a contractor; and Carroll's assistant, Thomas Greco Jr., who still works for MetroHealth.
Agents on Wednesday also searched at least two construction companies -- Reliance Mechanical and a local division of Siemens -- that landed large contracts with both CMHA and the hospital.
While most of the names of those under investigation changed from the initial raids in July, the question asked by the FBI stayed the same: Did public officials squander hundreds of millions of tax dollars trading lucrative contracts for personal favors and kickbacks?
During the first round of raids July 28, federal investigators focused on two of the most powerful public officials in the county: Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and Recorder Frank Russo. Search warrants sought information about a handful of developers who had worked for the county and a few contractors who had also worked at the homes of Dimora and Russo.
Likewise, Wednesday's raids focused on men who had equally great power at their agencies. Phillips was the head honcho of CMHA and Carroll, with Greco's help, oversaw all of the hospital's building and renovation projects.
What investigators sought from CMHA is unclear. Agency officials declined to release the search warrant. But MetroHealth officials released a subpoena showing that investigators are probing Carroll and Greco's relationships with contractors since 1999.
They also want to know whether contractors gave the men any gifts or performed any work at their houses.
**SCHNIPP**
Check that link for a lot of background into this ongoing scandal, while we wait to see what the Democratic Secretary of State does next in her ongoing scandal...
Worth keeping a close eye on...
“Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, rain, rain...”
Long overdue...
I moved here (Cleveland) from NJ. I thought that NJ was the most corrupt state government in the nation … OH has NJ beat, hands down.
You might tell some of those federal agents to hang around, just in case they need to haul your Secretary of State off to a federal prison somewhere....
I moved out of Ohio years ago. I see nothing has changed.
Well now, I see corruption in Ohio, But if you want to see corrupt politics on a large scale, move to calif.
The Cleveland area is one of the most economically depressed areas in the nation, and still the politicians do nothing except collect their paychecks. Yep, nothing has changed. ;-)
I lived in that area for 15 of my 18 years in Ohio. The more things change....
If it’s Cleveland, It’s dimocrat. If it’s Cleveland dimocrat, it’s corrupt to the very core.
LOL! I live in Brunswick so I’m some distance from the corruption in Cleveland … but, Ohio goes as Cleveland goes. ;-)
There was a high up D indicted this summer-a Cuy County Commission. I’m starting to wonder if he’s starting to do a little singing. I believe he was tied up in mortgage fraud-so ACORN may very well have been involved.
That’s all they need is for one guy to come clean, and the Federal Prosecutor will clean house.
“I’ve got the FBI so far up my ass, all I can taste is Brylcreem!”
Uncle “Junior” Soprano
All of those lib Dems are tough guys until faced with the propect of being some guy named Bubba’s girlfriend in the slammer. When they realize that they might be going away for a while they all fold like a cheap suit, (or like John Dean). I’m just hoping that the same thing happens with that scumbag Mike Veon in Western PA.
I’m afraid though that should osamaobama win he will call off the DoJ.
yah...What happens when the Obamessiah takes office, and the first thing he does is fire every single US Attorney...??
Singin’ in the rain, just singin’ in the rain,
What a glorious feelin’, I’m happy again!!
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