Since your liberal media tends to favor highlighting Republican politicians in trouble with the law as opposed to their "name-that-party", Democrat counterparts, I figured I'd take it upon myself to begin showcasing corrupt Dems making news, but not nearly enough news. First batter up is very well-known, former & longtime mayor of Newark, NJ:
Former Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Sharpe James and co-defendant Tamika Riley were found guilty Wednesday of charges related to property fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of New Jersey said. Prosecutors said James, 72, hijacked a program designed to encourage urban renewal by offering developers land at low costs, and approved the sale of city-owned properties to Riley, 39, then his girlfriend, at a fraction of their actual value from 2001 to 2005.
With James "steering" land to her, Riley bought multiple discounted properties and resold them at market rate without attempting to first rehabilitate them, as required by the program, prosecutors said. Riley collected about $500,000 in profits from the transactions, they said.
James and Riley were found guilty of fraud charges, including conspiracy to "defraud the public of James' honest service." Riley alone was additionally found guilty of tax fraud and evasion. They will probably face four- to five-year sentences, district attorney spokesman Mike Drewniak said.
Mind you, James still faces a federal trial on charges he used city-issued credit cards to pay for $58,000 worth of personal expenses while he was mayor, including trips with several women other than his wife to Martha's Vineyard, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Rio de Janeiro. No shame, no shame.
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