Coeur d’Alene Loses Again

May 7, 2009

Coeur d’Alene Loses Again

Filed under: Probable Cause — Bill @ 1:09 pm

Which US city is named “Scam Capital of America” in the May 25, 2009, Forbes Magazine article Fraud: Scam Capital of America ?

You guessed Coeur d’Alene? No, but you’re close — only about 34 miles off.

Comments (6)

6 Comments

S’plains a lot don’t it?

Comment by Wallypog — May 7, 2009 @ 3:21 pm
I thought the author came close to explaining the underlying circumstances that permit people to be victimized: “…a metropolitan object lesson in what can befall the unwary when rugged individualism is revered and consumers unsuspecting.” I would change “unsuspecting” slightly to “too trusting.” If we were talking about Coeur d’Alene, the attitude can be generalized as, “Why I graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School with ol’ so-and-so, and I’ve known him all his life. He wouldn’t do…” Yes, he would if he’s a crook. Just because victims have known old so-and-so for years doesn’t mean old so-and-so is honest. It means the victims have been blinded to or intentionally ignorant of old so-and-so’s thievin’. It’s called affinity fraud. That’s what Bernie Madoff did and why he was so successful until his scheme finally ran its course.

Comment by Bill — May 7, 2009 @ 4:17 pm
Unbelievable, Bill! What an interestingly scathing article about Spokane, Forbes held nothing back. I was born and raised in Spokane and never realized it had such a colorful history of fraud. Coeur d’ Alene is not much different; the culture of cronyism is alive and well here too.

Comment by mary — May 7, 2009 @ 8:02 pm
Spokane was as dirty and corrupt as Kootenai and Shoshone counties.

To read a very interesting account of Spokane’s Depression- and post-Depression era corruption, read Timothy Egan’s book Breaking Blue. I believe it’s out of print but available on interlibrary loan through the Kootenai Shoshone Area Library System. Here’s a teaser from Library Journal:

In the course of preparing a master’s thesis on law enforcement in Pend Oreille County, Washington, Sheriff Tony Bamonte discovered new evidence relating to the 1935 murder of Town Marshal George Conniff. Bamonte uncovered documents that implicated another police officer in the murder and also revealed a widespread cover-up by the Spokane Police Department. Already unpopular because of his confrontations with the lumber industry and his criticism of other law-enforcement agencies, Bamonte further angered the police community by disregarding the code that forbids going after a fellow police officer–“breaking blue.” Tracking down witnesses who verified his suspicions, Bamonte turned his efforts to a search for the murder weapon, a gun thrown into a river more than 50 years earlier. The trail eventually led him to a final surprising discovery, which in turn was capped by an even greater irony. Egan, Seattle bureau chief of the New York Times , tells this remarkable story with a journalist’s thoroughness and a novelist’s ability to evoke place and character. The tale is rich in history and suspense and is recommended for all crime collections.

Comment by Bill — May 8, 2009 @ 7:01 am
I remember, reading about the Town Marshal George Conniff case and Sheriff Tony Bamonte,trying to solve the murder many years ago.I think he was talking to a man who was in his 90’s who was an ex-cop and was considered a suspect.This man died soon after.

Anyway, in tough economic times people might be apt to do what they normally wouldn’t do and no community is immune from it.

Comment by kageman — May 9, 2009 @ 7:46 am
kageman,

Your memory is good. The ex-cop you mentioned was, I believe, former Spokane police officer Edward W. “Bill” Parsons who later became Spokane’s police chief. If you’re interested in Spokane Police Department history, you might want to look at the book Police Files the Spokane Experience 1853-1995: Personal & Historical Accounts by a Career Staffer by M. Kienholz.

Comment by Bill — May 9, 2009 @ 8:08 am

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