Far too many people believe that federal law enforcement agents and US Attorneys and their Assistants are above being corrupted.  They’re wrong.

The US Department of Justice has announced the criminal indictment of a now-former FBI Special Agent, Robert G. Lustyik Jr., age 50, of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.

“According to the indictment, while active in the FBI, former Special Agent Lustyik used his position in an attempt to stave off the criminal investigation of a business partner with whom he was pursuing lucrative security and energy contracts,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.  “He allegedly acted through a childhood friend to secure promises of cash, purported medical expenses and business proceeds in exchange for abusing his position as an FBI agent.”

There have been others.  (more…)

My OpenCdA post on February 19, 2012, expressed feigned shock and surprise to learn that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office (the equivalent of the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office) has a Public Integrity Division to investigate allegations of criminal wrongdoing by Los Angeles County elected officials and employees.  That post reported Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez was being investigated for having allegedly reduced property assessments in return for favors from influential people.

The headline and story in today’s Los Angeles Times says it all:  L.A. County assessor arrested in bribery case.

Imagine that.  The Los Angeles County District Attorney is not afraid to investigate county employees who are alleged to be engaging in public corruption with influential people in the community.    What a novel concept!

At its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, October 16, the Coeur d’Alene City Council will vote to approve a contract with Kristina Lyman, its pre-selected Propagandist-in-Chief (Communications Coordinator Consultant.)

Here is a link to some of the documents Council members have been provided to help them consider this position.

There are a few interesting tidbits in the documents.  (more…)

In an online article Saturday headlined “Embezzling suspect pleads guilty,” the Coeur d’Alene Press skewspaper reported that former City employee Sheryl Lynn Carroll has pleaded guilty to six counts of wire fraud involving her electronic diversion of funds from the City’s account to her own accounts rather than to the intended recipients.  (I believe the skewspaper’s report is technically incorrect.  The former employee has offered a guilty plea which has been tentatively accepted by the US Attorney’s Office,  but it is my understanding that the plea hearing in front of a Federal District Court judge has not yet occurred.)

Assume that the guilty pleas will be accepted by the Federal District Court as offered in documents filed Friday with the Federal District Court.  Clearly Carroll has primary responsibility for her actions, but there are other City officials who need to be held accountable for creating an environment in which she was able to allegedly divert about $365,000 to her own accounts without detection for about ten years.   Simply put, they failed to exercise proper supervision as the duties of their employment or office require. (more…)

This morning’s Coeur d’Alene Press skewspaper had an article reporting that Kootenai County had donated $40,000 in seized drug money to the Idaho Meth Project.

Here’s an October 11, 2012, Associated Press article headlined Mexican cartels fill demand for meth in USA.  One of the urban and suburban areas mentioned in the article?  Salt Lake City.   Somehow I doubt that all that product is staying in Salt Lake City.

The AP article gives us a pretty clear picture of the economics of Mexican meth coming into the US.

The upcoming election on November 6, 2012, may result in a new President being inaugurated in January 2013.   If a new President is elected, the period between election day and inauguration day is the election and transition period.

To help Congress better understand the national security considerations that naturally occur during the election and transition period,  the Congressional Research Service has published a report titled “2012-2013 Presidential Election Period:  National Security Considerations and Options“.

The 39-page report is interesting and focuses on national security decision-making and actions during the election and transition period.

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The City of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has decided it needs to create a super-duper whiz-bang high-cost ($65,000/year)  “communications position to help City Hall share up-to-date, accurate information with the public.”

Embedded in the Coeur d’Alene Press skewspaper article linked above, however, were several indicators that this is just another effort by the Mayor to put high-priced lipstick on the City’s propaganda pig.  (more…)

The Los Angeles Times is running an op-ed photo essay entitled 7 terrible politicians who may be elected anyway.   The Times list includes many L.A. area politicians, though some national ones are listed as well.

If you were doing a photo essay of “terrible politicians who may be elected anyway” in our area, who would you include?