So far there is no tit for tat!
Posted on 07/01/2011 1:08:52 PM PDT by jazusamo
A prominent Maryland councilwoman who made international headlines for flushing a bribe down the toilet and stuffing another in her underwear has pleaded guilty to a felony but won’t leave her $96,417-a-year public job.
The unbelievably pompous move has led the area’s largest newspaper to blast the lawmaker, Prince George’s County Councilwoman Leslie Johnson, as a “case study in arrogance.” Every day she serves in public office and every act she commits in her official capacity is a disgrace to the county and her constituents, the editorial says.
In November Johnson and her equally corrupt husband (Jack Johnson) got arrested for operating a large-scale bribery scheme. Jack, a former county executive, recently got convicted of accepting more than $400,000 in bribes from developers as the county’s top elected official. Leslie tried to cover up the bribes by flushing a $100,000 check down the toilet and stuffing nearly $80,000 in her bra when federal agents came snooping.
The Johnsons were well known in the state as an African-American power couple. As Maryland’s largest county with a population of about 835,000 and 27 municipalities, Prince George’s County has the distinction of being the nation’s wealthiest with a black majority of residents. The Johnsons have even appeared on the cover of a major newspaper’s Sunday magazine as the stars of an article touting the county as a hub for educated black professionals.
For years the feds suspected that Jack and other county officials had been taking bribes from real estate developers in exchange for personal and business favors. As FBI agents tried to search the Johnson mansion, Jack ordered his wife to flush a bribe from a developer down the toilet and hide the rest in her underwear.
The feds recorded the incriminating telephone conversation and subsequently found $79,000 in cash stuffed into Leslie Johnson’s bra, according to federal prosecutors. The bribes were paid to Jack Johnson by a developer who needed his help securing federal grants for affordable housing projects, according to the feds.
This week Leslie, who is an attorney and once served as a judge in the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty to destroying evidence, but she refuses to resign from the council despite calls from colleagues and the media to quit. “I look forward to continuing to serve and help the lives of those in need,” Johnson said told the media as she left court.
Leslie could go to jail for more than a year, which of course, means that she will then be forced to relinquish her public office. Her sentencing is scheduled for October. Under Maryland law elected officials convicted of felonies must resign but a conviction evidently isn’t final until sentencing. In the meantime, District 6 will be represented by a handsomely paid felon.
Howdy was white
So I took a bribe. You gotta problem wid dat?
I think this is what the Brits call cheek.
How curious.
(sarcasm)
We should stiffen our upper lip and endure. As time passes we will accept such conduct without murmer. As the Gaul said to the Roman: "Woe to the conquered."
Johnson does not have to resign from the council until her Oct. 13 sentencing. She would earn about $28,000 of her $96,417 annual salary in the next 3 1/2 months.
Wait a sec....the council, or the county, or the state has NO mechanism to remove an elected offical?
Good point. I wouldn’t be surprised when this is over if sometime down the road she’s reelected to office by the voters.
but but but...think of the children, the money for schools, lunches...or fuel for private jets.
but but but...think of the children, the money for schools, lunches...or fuel for private jets.
I see the picture and am not surprised.
What sort of mental giant pays (or accepts) a bribe written on a check?
Well I suppose in a pinch it could be eaten or flushed, but somewhere, somehow it has to be cashed or deposited if it’s really effective.
Nothing like democrats. Rules and laws are made for others.
So is about one-half of the Defendant, it would appear...Bobo-itis
That just goes to show how corrupt the politicians in Prince George County are and have been for years.
It's many more than just the Johnson's and the only reason they were nailed is because of a lengthly FBI and IRS investigation.
But I hear you, it's idiotic to accept a check for bribery. LOL
What sort of mental giant pays (or accepts) a bribe written on a check?>>>>>>>
It is not uncommon for a corrupt hack to have a vacation house in another country. Lets say this one has a second home in the Bahamas. She would deposit that check in a Bahamas bank and US authorities would never know about it. She can then spend down that $100,000 when she visits the Bahamas or perhaps invest in property there
Mike
So far there is no tit for tat!
It's a cultural thing--a certain level of corruption is expected by the voters in their district as a job perq.
Johnson mansion?
No such thing as African American. Either you are an American or you are not.
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