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“Always Out Front”

N7MX  SK

I just got back from a trip to Person Field.  You know, that City park that didn’t and never will cost the public $39,000,000?   Here are a few photos from the two Coeur d’Alene Junior Tackle football games that were being played at the time.  Tell me again, Mayor Bloem, why the people who were there encouraging and uplifting the kids playing ball would be better off if this lot was covered with houses.  (more…)

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…)