OpenCDA

December 11, 2013

Former Kootenai County Finance Director Convicted in CA: Corruption

Filed under: Probable Cause — Tags: , — Bill @ 3:39 pm

SpacciaBookingPhotoA former Kootenai County Finance Director has been convicted by a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury on 11 of 13 counts relating to public corruption .

On Monday, December 9, 2013, Angela Spaccia was convicted on charges including misappropriation of public funds, conflict of interest, and secretion [sic] of the official record. Spaccia committed the offenses while employed from July 2003 until October 2010 as the assistant to the Chief Administrative Officer of Bell, California.

During Spaccia’s trial it was learned that she had served from 1994 until June 1998 as the Associate Director of the YWCA in Coeur d’Alene.  From June 15, 1998, until June 16, 2000, she served as the Finance Director for Kootenai County,  Idaho, in the Auditor’s Office under then Kootenai County Clerk Dan English.  At the time she was known by her married name, Angela Sheffield.  In 2000 she divorced her husband, Thomas Allen Sheffield, and returned to southern California with her son. (more…)

December 7, 2013

Stump Art and Monotony

Filed under: Probable Cause — Bill @ 8:59 am

ANTHONY-DRAKE

Steve Anthony is the Recreation Services Director for the City of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and he is also the City’s liaison to the City’s Arts Commission.  Jennifer (Riggs) Drake is the Chairman of the Arts Commission Selection Committee which chose a sculpture titled Allium Spring Chorus by Somerville, Massachusetts, artist David Tonnesen for the McEuen Park Third Street entrance.

The final approval for the $110,000 purchase was made by the Coeur d’Alene City Council at its December 3, 2013, meeting on a tie-breaking vote by outgoing Mayor Sandi Bloem.   While the local skewspaper, the Coeur d’Alene Press, reported some of Anthony and Drake’s comments to Council , its article omitted others which some people believed were arrogant and disparaged local artists.  Here are audio recordings of the disquieting comments:

Anthony’s comment (Duration: 12 seconds)

Drake’s comment (preceded by Councilman Kennedy’s predicate question) (Duration: 61 seconds)

Readers may want to view the online video of the December 3rd Council meeting to get the entire context of their remarks.  The discussion of the piece of art began at 24:57 and ended at 49:38 on the video time stamp.

ADDENDUM on 12-09-2013 at 4:10 PM:  Apparently Boise is proud of its local artists.

 

November 27, 2013

You’re Kidding, Right?

Filed under: Probable Cause — Bill @ 11:26 am

DeerEyes copyThe Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has appointed corruption-fighting Deputy District Attorney Max Huntsman to be the County’s inspector general.   Huntsman’s marching orders give him independent authority to investigate numerous allegations leveled against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.  Huntsman has a strong reputation for handling public corruption and police misconduct cases as a supervisor in the LA County DA’s Public Integrity Division.

OpenCdA can imagine what Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh’s response would be to that:  “What?  You expect Idaho’s county prosecuting attorneys to aggressively prosecute corrupt public officials and dirty cops?  You’re kidding, right?  We need them to get re-elected or elevated to the bench!”

November 25, 2013

Containing the Story

Filed under: Probable Cause — Bill @ 8:05 am

Wasden

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The Washington Post is reporting Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and some better-known national public officials have served on the board of directors of a nonprofit organization which sought to understate rather than fully expose and prosecute high-dollar thefts from the organization.  The organization is the American Legacy Foundation.

The WaPo’s articles are headlined Inside the hidden world of thefts, scams, and phantom purchases at the nation’s nonprofits, and Non-profit groups often seek restitution, not prosecution, when money goes missing.

 

November 20, 2013

Pier’ Angela Spaccia (AKA: Angela Sheffield)

Filed under: Probable Cause — Tags: — Bill @ 8:22 am

SpacciaBookingPhotoThis is the photo taken of Pier’ Angela Spaccia by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department when she was booked into the Los Angeles County jail in 2010.  Spaccia is currently on trial in California Superior Court, charged with a total of 13 counts including conflict of interest, misappropriation of public funds, secretation of public records, receiving unauthorized compensation and conspiracy.

As Los Angeles Times reporters Jeff Gottlieb and Ruben Vives have reported,  Spaccia has a fairly recent connection to both Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls.  She was known as Angela Sheffield when she was Kootenai County’s Finance Director.

In her second comment appended to yesterday’s OpenCdA post titled Bell Corruption:  Tightening the Coeur d’Alene Connection, Stebbijo remarked, “… however, there isn’t much, connecting her to this area other than a sealed case out of Post Falls, Idaho.”

Here is what we’ve been able to find from a cursory inspection of public records. (more…)

November 19, 2013

Bell Corruption: Tightening the Coeur d’Alene Connection

Filed under: Probable Cause — Tags: — Bill @ 1:12 pm

pile-of-cash[

Last Saturday’s OpenCdA post titled Coeur d’Alene’s Connection to the Corruption in Bell asked why Angela Spaccia was interested in buying some very expensive property in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  More specifically, we wanted to know what Spaccia’s connection was and is to Coeur d’Alene.

Today, we have a much better idea. (more…)

November 16, 2013

Coeur d’Alene’s Connection to the Corruption in Bell

Filed under: Probable Cause — Tags: — Bill @ 9:35 am

pile-of-cashThere was a tantalizing mention of “Idaho” twice in the Los Angeles Times story dated November 14, 2013, headlined Ex-Bell leader Spaccia faces cross-examination in corruption trial.

These two sentences appeared near the end of the article:

“Spaccia also testified that in 2010, she borrowed $200,000 from Rizzo’s mother-in-law to buy a house in Idaho.”

“Adams testified that Spaccia asked him for a $350,000 loan for property in Idaho in February 2010.”

OpenCdA was curious about where  Angela Spaccia had been trying to buy property in Idaho, so we contacted LA Times reporter Jeff Gottlieb and asked.    His answer:  “In your fair city, Coeur d’Alene.”

Mr. Gottlieb’s answer raises more questions.  Why did Angela Spaccia happen to choose Coeur d’Alene?  Does she have friends, family, or business associates here?   During her tenure as Bell’s Assistant City Administrator, had she been in contact with someone in Coeur d’Alene who suggested this would be a good place to “get lost” because our local and regional news media and law enforcement are not professionally too inquisitive?

Maybe some day we’ll get an answer to these questions.

ADDENDUM:  Here’s a link to some selected news stories the Los Angeles Times has published concerning the Bell corruption.

The Bell Corruption Scandal: Altered Official Documents

Filed under: Probable Cause — Tags: , — Bill @ 7:03 am

pile-of-cashThe corruption scandal involving the city of Bell, California, Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo and his chief deputy, Angela Spaccia, gets dirtier and dirtier.

During Friday’s testimony, Deputy District Attorney Sean Hassett forced Spaccia to acknowledge that a 2006 resolution approved by the City Council had been illegally altered (switched) so the wording they signed was different from the wording of the resolution in their council packets.   What was in the Council packet and what the Council believed they were signing was, in fact, different from what they actually did sign.   Someone on the City staff, someone obviously trusted by the Council members, had altered the documents, public records.

The result was that the Council gave Rizzo more power and authority than had been intended.  It allowed Rizzo to approve lucrative contracts with City employees without Council approval.

Fortunately, nothing like that could ever happen in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  Our Council diligently reads every document in its packet.  They compare word-for-word what their packet contains with what our City Clerk puts in front of them.  Our City Finance Director and City Attorney do the same.   Everyone’s paying attention, so we’re safe, right?  Two words:  Sheryl Carroll.

November 15, 2013

Some Perspective

Filed under: Probable Cause — Bill @ 3:32 pm

Malek2108 copyAccording to our local skewspaper, the Coeur d’Alene Press, first-term State Representative Lucas Malek is considering becoming a candidate to be Idaho’s Secretary of State.

Predictably, the Press article had a mini-bio which included this statement:  “His education and work experience are a good fit to lead the office, he said. A graduate of the University of Idaho’s law school, he’s a former Kootenai County deputy prosecutor and served Jim Risch as North Idaho regional director when Risch was governor.”

Wow!  He’s a former Kootenai County deputy prosecutor!  Hard-hitting crime fighter? Oh, not so fast, Lukey-Dukey.  According to the Idaho State Bar Association, Malek was admitted to the Bar on April 28, 2011.  And according to Malek’s own LinkedIn information, he served as a deputy prosecuting attorney from May 2011 until April 2012.  But that same LinkedIn information also notes that Malek declared his candidacy for the Idaho State Legislature in December 2011, so we wonder how much time he really spent as a functioning deputy prosecuting attorney.  By his own admission, it was no more than one year.

It appears to OpenCdA that Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh put Malek on his office’s county payroll more to bolster Malek’s political resumé than to serve as a functioning deputy prosecutor for the people of Kootenai County.  Malek had been endorsed by outgoing Representative Marge Chadderdon, and it was her vacant seat Malek sought.

Thus far, Malek’s resumé appears to reveal more self-serving ticket-punching than a legitimate long-term commitment to public service.

November 14, 2013

Suitability in the Real (Federal) World

Filed under: Probable Cause — Bill @ 7:34 am

USSS Suitability WrenchThe Washington Post is reporting that two US Secret Service Supervisory Special Agents, Ignacio Zamora, Jr. and Timothy Barraclough, have been reassigned after an internal investigation of their off-duty conduct.  The details of the allegations against them are reported in the news article.

The article also states:  “All Secret Service employees must maintain top-secret security clearances to be employed. An inspector general’s report this year that dealt with events in Cartagena said employees’ sexual behavior should be considered in granting or revoking security clearances “when the behavior may subject the individual to coercion, exploitation, or duress, or reflects lack of judgment or discretion.” ”

That statement is the essence of “suitability” as it applies to many federal employees including US Secret Service employees.

There is no doubt more to the story than what was reported by the WaPo.  The bigger question that needs to be answered for both Zamora and Barraclough is, “Does their conduct warrant revocation of their security clearance, and does it warrant suspension or termination?”  If their security clearances are revoked, they will be ineligible for continued employment as Special Agents with the US Secret Service.

Their reported sexting with a subordinate female Special Agent may result in separate personnel actions against any or all three of them.  That will depend on the outcome of the investigations.

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