Posted on 12/25/2010 9:54:02 AM PST by Sub-Driver
Rep. Conyers reimburses government for son's use of official car By Jordan Fabian - 12/25/10 12:10 PM ET
Michigan Rep. John Conyers said this week that he reimbursed the federal government for his son's use of a vehicle belonging to his congressional office.
The Detroit Free Press reported that the Democrat paid the Treasury Department $5,682 for John Conyers III's use of the 2010 Cadillac Escalade hybrid, which was leased at the expense of taxpayers.
Conyers's son told Detroit police early Thanksgiving morning that the two computers and $27,000 worth of concert tickets were stolen out of the vehicle. The Free Press later reported that court records showed that Conyers III received a speeding ticket while driving the same vehicle in September.
Conyers, the outgoing chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said his son's use of the vehicle was inappropriate and pledged to reimburse the government.
House members are permitted to lease vehicles with office funds but they cannot be used for personal reasons.
Conyers said the $5,682 reimbursement was based the, "Per diem cost of the vehicle for every day my son could conceivably have had access to the vehicle.
"It is unlikely that his usage was anywhere near this high," Conyers told the Free Press. "But, in an abundance of caution, I want to be sure that there is no cost to the taxpayers whatsoever for any possible nonofficial use of the car."
For a rat?
C'mon now!
Yeah - let me steal a car from a Mercedes....then when/if I’m caught red-handed simply “reimburse” the dealership. No harm, no foul.
DETROIT (WJBK) John Conyers III, 20, told police two Apple MacBooks, valued at $1,100 apiece, and more than $27,000 worth of concert tickets to the Fillmore were stolen out of a burgundy 2010 Cadillac Escalade registered to the 14th Congressional District.
FOX 2 is also working to get details on what the concert tickets were for and if the stolen laptops had any sensitive government information.
The police report says the vehicle was parked at Brush Street and Congress around 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 24. When Conyers returned around 12:30 a.m., he noticed scratches on the side door and items scattered throughout the interior.
...........the incident brings into question why the son of a congressman was driving a registered government vehicle. "I don't know of a single person in congress in the 16 years I was there who had to put vehicle titles in the name of the government," former U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg tells FOX 2.
According to the U.S. General Services Administration Web site , if an employee allows an unauthorized person to use a government vehicle, that employee could be suspended or fired. "I would tell you that they better use this (vehicle) just for the purpose of what they had been required to do," said Knollenberg. "Not to get into the hands of a relative or a friend or whatever."
Currently, there is no word on why John Conyers III was driving the vehicle. A spokesperson for the congressman's office tells FOX 2 she will get back to us on the allegations.
Conyers has been a member of the U.S. House since 1965. His wife, Monica, is serving a 37-month federal prison sentence for corruption after pleading guilty last year to a bribery scheme involving her vote on the Detroit City Council in favor of a sludge-hauling contract.
Click at web site to read the police report >>
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Conyers Has Driver's License Suspended After Bounced Check
Fox News ^ | October 4th, 2010
FR Posted Monday, October 04, 2010 by mockingbyrd
Rep. John Conyers, the powerful chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, had his driver's license suspended for a month this summer when a check he used to pay the renewal fee bounced, according to Michigan driving records obtained by The Associated Press.
The 81-year-old Detroit Democrat tried to renew his license at a secretary of state branch office on Feb. 2, the records show. Months later, state officials determined the bank account tied to the check had insufficient funds, and his license was suspended on June 30. Conyers eventually paid the fee, and his suspension was lifted July 26.
Asked for an explanation, Conyers' Detroit district office responded with a written statement that said "a check was inadvertently written to renew the chairman's driver's license from an account that had been recently closed. "As a result his driver's license was suspended," the statement said. "Immediately upon learning of this, a replacement cashier's check was provided, and his driver's license was immediately reinstated." (Excerpt) Read more at
It's cheaper to lease it with tax payer funds than buying one with personal cash.
Why does the US Government give a car to a US Representative?
I thought we paid US Representatives a salary and they were to use that salary to get to and from their office.
I’m still a little curious about how one ends up having 27,000 dollars worth of concert tickets....and for what purpose.
You or I would go to jail.
But, we are not democrat party organized crime figures.
Wan-ta bet he has a office credit card to bu the gas, damn official office bum.
Sounds like daddy AND son belong in jail.
The whole damn family are worthless, the new congress can remove this scum from congress, lets see if they have the conjones to do it.
We really can’t send politicians to jail as it would drop the overall integrity of any prison.
Merry Christmas
Tip of the iceberg.
Or Republican, for that matter.
Let’s face it. Politicians of all stripes get treated as if they were royalty.
$5,682?
That’s just about the same amount of cash that his wife Monica took in a bribe and put her in the federal slammer.
“But, in an abundance of caution, I want to be sure that there is no cost to the taxpayers whatsoever for any possible nonofficial use of the car.”
Abundance of caution?! WHY did his son have access to a taxpayer funded vehicle AT ALL?! Outrageous.
These people are supposed to be our servants, remember? They are not aristocracy.
Jail time is warranted for the entire family.
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