Tag: bribery

MS law enforcement officers, deputies indicted in drug conspiracy

Twenty people, including more than a dozen former or current Mississippi law enforcement officers and deputies, were charged in connection with a drug trafficking conspiracy on Thursday, according to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Mississippi.

According to court documents, Brandon Addison, Javery Howard, Milton Gaston, Truron Grayson, Bruce Williams, Sean Williams, Dexture Franklin, Wendell Johnson, Marcus Nolan, Aasahn Roach, Jeremy Sallis, Torio Chaz Wiseman, Pierre Lakes, Derrik Wallace, Marquivious Bankhead, Chaka Gaines, Martavis Moore, Jamario Sanford, Marvin Flowers, and Dequarian Smith are all charged with drug distribution.

The indictment showed that several defendants included in the indictment had local addresses, including one with a Southaven address, three in Memphis, and one in Horn Lake.

They said that 14 of these people were Mississippi local law enforcement officials. Two were Mississippi Sheriffs: Milton Gaston of Washington County and Bruce Williams of Humphreys County. And 12 are officers.

The attorney’s office said that if they are convicted, a federal district court judge will determine the sentence.

According to court documents, the defendants were employed by an FBI member who posed as a member of a Mexican drug cartel to protect the transportation of drugs through the Mississippi Delta counties along Highway 61 and would eventually go into Memphis.

“I think you can probably characterize this as a sting, but again the original complaints that began the investigation were from drug dealers,” said Clay Joiner, United States Attorney of Northern District of Mississippi.

Drug dealers, who officials said complained about having to pay bribes. The highest was more than $30,000.

Officials said each defendant thought they were transporting 25 kilograms of cocaine or other drugs.  

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MSNBC’s Tom Homan ‘Scandal’ Has All The Earmarks Of A Hoax

fter nearly a decade of hoaxes — from Russiagate to Ukraine, from impeachment sagas to the circus around Brett Kavanaugh — the American public has been conditioned to expect another “bombshell” headline every few months. Now, right on schedule, a new one has emerged. This time, the target is Tom Homan, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and now the border security czar in the Trump administration.

MSNBC’s Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig reported on Saturday that Homan had supposedly been ensnared in a sting operation run by the Biden-era Department of Justice and FBI in 2024. According to their story, undercover FBI agents posed as business executives seeking help in obtaining border security contracts. MSNBC claimed Homan accepted “$50,000 in cash after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts in a second Trump administration.”

Those are MSNBC’s exact words: “indicated he could help.” Not “said,” not “confirmed,” not “promised,” not “agreed.” Just “indicated.” That slipperiness alone should set off alarm bells. In legal and journalistic terms, it means nothing. At its most generous, it could be seen as a subjective impression. More realistically, it appears to be a deliberate attempt to insinuate wrongdoing without citing any evidence.

Tellingly, MSNBC’s story contains no direct quotes from Homan at all. When it references the alleged recording of his interactions with undercover agents, it only says that “hidden cameras [were] recording the scene at a meeting spot in Texas.” There is no transcript, no quotations, and no evidence of what Homan actually said. If Homan had said anything remotely incriminating, MSNBC would right now be airing it on a loop.

Perhaps the most glaring problem with the story is that if Tom Homan really had done anything wrong, why didn’t the Biden DOJ bring charges? This wasn’t Trump’s Justice Department in 2024. It was Merrick Garland’s DOJ and Christopher Wray’s FBI. If they had any evidence that Homan took a bribe or engaged in corruption, they would have prosecuted him instantly and with fanfare, especially given his reputation as one of the toughest immigration enforcers in the country.

Instead, the file was carried over into the Trump administration, where, according to a statement issued by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, it was “subjected to a full review by FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors” before being closed. That should have been the end of it. Yet someone has now leaked this non-story to MSNBC to create yet another hoax.

Which brings us to the messenger: Ken Dilanian.

Dilanian’s reputation in Washington is notorious. During the Russiagate years, he earned the nickname “Fusion Ken” for his uncanny habit of publishing exactly the kind of stories Fusion GPS, the Clinton-funded smear shop behind the Steele dossier, wanted in print. Discovery in lawsuits after the collapse of the collusion hoax uncovered emails showing Fusion GPS directing journalists to run stories, sometimes even giving them the exact framing to use. While Dilanian’s name did not appear in those specific exchanges, his track record speaks for itself. He was one of the most reliable megaphones for whatever narrative Clinton operatives wanted out there.

And that’s not all. Dilanian also sent draft articles to CIA officials for prepublication approval, even offering to make edits based on the agency’s feedback. In other words, he has literally acted as a mouthpiece for the intelligence community.

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FAIL: The Left’s Supposed ‘Bribery Scandal’ About Tom Homan Has Already Flamed Out

Liberal media and leftists on social media have been pushing a ‘bribery scandal’ about Tom Homan for the last few days and the story has already flamed out.

Lots of people knew this was nothing more than another hit piece on a Trump ally and completely dismissed it. Megyn Kelly’s response was particularly epic.

The problem for the left is that this is all so old, people can see a manufactured hit job like this coming from a mile away.

Townhall reports:

The Media’s Hit Piece on Tom Homan Evaporated Quickly. Here’s Why.

What the hell is even that? There were other reasons why this hit piece was drowned out, not least because no one cares about what MSNBC says. It’s another example of the legacy media dying—everyone is tired of their fake news and ‘scoops’ that are nothing burgers. Take this ‘big scoop’ the anti-Trump outlet had about Border Czar Tom Homan, who allegedly accepted $50,000 in bribes from undercover FBI agents, but Trump’s DOJ shut down that investigation.

The copy for the social media push seemed damning, but it’s another fake news circus. Also, this investigation wasn’t a Trump DOJ safari. It was a fishing expedition under Biden’s Justice Department goons.

Townhall points to MSNBC’s own reporting:

The FBI and the Justice Department planned to wait to see whether Homan would deliver on his alleged promise once he became the nation’s top immigration official. But the case indefinitely stalled soon after Donald Trump became president again in January, according to six sources familiar with the matter. In recent weeks, Trump appointees officially closed the investigation, after FBI Director Kash Patel requested a status update on the case, two of the people said…

In a statement provided to MSNBC, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “This matter originated under the previous administration and was subjected to a full review by FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors. They found no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing. The Department’s resources must remain focused on real threats to the American people, not baseless investigations. As a result, the investigation has been closed.”

Rest assured, the left will invent a new scandal about another one of Trump’s people next week, and then another. This is what they do. They are bankrupt of ideas, so they just attack again and again.

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DOJ ended probe of ‘border czar’ Tom Homan for allegedly accepting $50K in FBI sting: Sources

The Department of Justice shut down an investigation involving President Donald Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, in which he had been recorded allegedly accepting cash from FBI agents posing as business executives, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The sting operation, which stemmed from a broader public corruption probe that did not initially target Homan, led agents to an encounter in which they recorded Homan allegedly accepting a bag containing $50,000 in cash while agreeing to potentially help the men obtain government contracts in the event Trump won the 2024 election, the sources said.

The investigation, started during the Biden administration, was handed over to the Trump administration. Officials briefed Justice Department leadership about it in the early days of Trump’s presidency as part of their ongoing efforts to vet personnel who had been appointed to senior leadership posts in his administration, the sources said.

Investigators at the time were still working to determine whether Homan would have followed through on arranging the government contracts, as some in the Justice Department questioned the legal viability of charges in a scenario where Homan had proposed the government contract when Trump’s election victory wasn’t yet guaranteed, according to the sources.

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Indicted House Democrat BUSTED for Dirty Money—AGAIN

In South Texas, a growing scandal involving indicted Congressman Henry Cuellar is exposing just how deep the rot runs in America’s political institutions—and how little Democrats or the media care about election integrity.

Cuellar, who represents Texas’s 28th Congressional District, is under federal indictment for accepting more than $600,000 in foreign bribes from a Mexican bank and a state-run oil company in Azerbaijan. 

Prosecutors allege that Cuellar and his wife personally profited from years of secret deals, using their public positions to advance the interests of foreign entities. 

Adding to the gravity, three of Cuellar’s top aides are now cooperating with the Department of Justice.

Yet despite facing trial, Cuellar was not removed from the 2024 ballot. 

Instead, he ran for re-election and supposedly defeated Republican challenger Jay Furman in a district Donald Trump carried by seven points. 

Somehow, Cuellar won by five points—a shocking 12-point swing.

Furman submitted more than 80 affidavits from voters who said his name was missing from their ballots. 

The Texas Fourth Court of Appeals ordered a forensic review and instructed Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina to conduct it “immediately.” 

Judge Tijerina refused.

The situation quickly escalated from suspicious to outrageous. After blocking the ballot inspection, Judge Tijerina announced his own planned campaign for Congress—entering the same race he had just helped suppress. 

In any functioning democracy, such a conflict of interest would end careers. In South Texas, it simply became another chapter in a growing scandal.

Financial records make the picture worse. 

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Democrat Indicted for Bribes Reappointed to Key Spending Committee

In one of the most glaring examples of Washington’s broken standards, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) has been reappointed to the powerful Appropriations Conference Committee—despite being under federal indictment for bribery and corruption. 

The move signals not only poor judgment but also a complete disregard for accountability in Congress.

Cuellar, who represents Texas’s 28th Congressional District, was indicted earlier this year on charges that he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from foreign companies and governments in exchange for political favors. 

According to federal prosecutors, he and his wife received payments funneled through shell companies tied to entities in Azerbaijan and Mexico. 

The Department of Justice detailed how Cuellar allegedly used his position to influence U.S. policy while personally enriching himself. 

These charges are among the most serious faced by any sitting member of Congress in decades.

Yet, instead of stepping back while the legal process unfolds, Cuellar is being rewarded with a seat at the table where the nation’s spending decisions are made. 

The Appropriations Conference Committee is no ordinary assignment. It brings together members of the House and Senate to finalize government funding bills—deciding how trillions of taxpayer dollars will be spent. 

For decades, this committee has been considered one of the most influential in Congress.

The irony is staggering. At a time when trust in government is near historic lows, the Democrat party has decided to empower a member facing corruption charges with direct control over how federal funds are allocated. 

This is not just tone-deaf; it undermines every claim Democrats make about protecting “integrity” in government.

Cuellar’s defenders point to his long tenure in Congress and his reputation as a centrist. First elected in 2004, he has positioned himself as a moderate voice on issues such as border security, veterans’ services, and agriculture. 

His district, which spans from Laredo up toward San Antonio, undoubtedly benefits from his seniority. But the fact remains: the allegations against him are not minor. Bribery, foreign influence, and abuse of office go to the heart of whether a representative can be trusted with public responsibility.

The message this sends to the public is devastating. 

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Major NYC strip club group bribed state auditor with lap dances, avoided $8M in taxes: AG

What a bunch of boobs.

A major strip club group bribed a state auditor — including with lap dances — to avoid paying more than $8 million in New York City sales taxes over the last 14 years, prosecutors charged Tuesday.

The State Attorney General’s Office unsealed a 79-count criminal indictment against the company, RCI, and five of its executives, accusing them of engaging in a naked, tax fraud scheme.

The affair was so brazen, a top RCI accountant even allegedly made at least 10 trips from Texas to New York to treat the former auditor at the company’s Manhattan jiggle joints, Rick’s Cabaret, Vivid Cabaret and Hoops Cabaret and Sports Bar, court papers state.

“RCI’s executives shamelessly used their strip clubs to bribe their way out of paying millions of dollars in taxes,” said AG Letitia James. “I will always take action to fight corruption and ensure everyone pays their fair share.”

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New FBI files released by Sen. Chuck Grassley show more Hunter, Joe Biden bribery allegations

Newly declassified FBI files set to be released Tuesday by Sen. Chuck Grassley will reveal more bribery allegations involving former first son Hunter Biden and former President Joe Biden that may have never been fully investigated.

The files memorialize two interviews, in 2017 and 2019, with FBI sources who shared details about the Biden family being linked to a possible foreign bribery “scheme” with Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings, according to copies reviewed by The Post.

The informants alleged that Zlochevsky sought to offer then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko $100 million in “shares and guaranteed profits from gas sales” to stop an “Interpol investigation” into Burisma — into which Joe and Hunter Biden had “money invested” via a Latvian “shell company.”

The sources also alleged that Joe Biden met directly with Poroshenko “to protect the interests” of his son and, by extension, Zlochevsky, who was paying Hunter around $1 million per year between May 2014 and April 2019 to serve on Burisma’s board.

The future 46th president’s effort to protect Burisma’s owner was also allegedly supported by members of the US intelligence community.

“[T]wo CIA officers took Zlochevsky into the office of Yuriy Lutsenko, who is the Prosecutor General of Ukraine,” reads the one document, also known as an FD-1023, drawn from an in-person interview with a confidential human source on Feb. 21, 2019.

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Another Democrat Official Caught in Federal Corruption Case

Federal prosecutors in Detroit unveiled new charges on Thursday that expose yet another case of corruption within the Wayne County government. 

Jontae Jackson, a 45-year-old former taxpayer assistant in the county treasurer’s office, was charged with bribery, conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. 

According to court documents, Jackson pocketed nearly $18,000 in bribes in exchange for illegally removing properties from the county’s tax foreclosure list.

Prosecutors allege that Jackson worked with Zina Thomas, 61, a former director at the United Community Housing Coalition, a nonprofit organization aimed at protecting struggling Detroit homeowners. 

Instead, Thomas conspired to steal more than 30 properties from low-income residents, using forged quitclaim deeds, fake driver’s licenses, and fraudulent residency documents. 

Jackson would process the documents, remove the properties from foreclosure, and Thomas would flip the homes without the consent of the rightful owners.

The scheme lasted from March to September 2023, and prosecutors say it preyed on Detroiters who were already at risk of losing their homes. 

At least $17,950 in bribe payments were funneled to Jackson. Both she and Thomas are expected to plead guilty, with potential prison sentences of up to ten years.

This scandal is not an isolated incident. It comes on the heels of a wave of public corruption cases in Michigan. 

Just this month, former Inkster Mayor Patrick Wimberly was sentenced in a bribery scheme involving a strip club shakedown. 

Earlier in August, Saif Alsenad, the former government and public affairs director of Wayne County, was charged with lying to the FBI during a bribery investigation. 

These cases paint a bleak picture of Michigan politics, where local government officials repeatedly betray the trust of the very citizens they are sworn to serve.

Unfortunately, Michigan is far from alone. Across the country, similar cases of corruption and abuse of power are surfacing. 

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Former Adams Aide Winnie Greco Bizarrely Claims Cash-Stuffed Potato Chip Bag Handed to NYC Reporter Was ‘Birthday Gift’ – But Her Birthday’s Months Away

In a bizarre twist to an ongoing scandal surrounding New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, former adviser Winnie Greco has claimed that a potato chip bag filled with $300 in cash, which she handed to a local reporter, was merely a “birthday gift” rooted in Chinese cultural traditions.

The problem, aside from it being in a shady sour cream and onion potato chip bag, is that the reporter’s birthday is not until November.

The incident unfolded after a reelection event for Mayor Adams, where Greco allegedly gave The City reporter Katie Honan a bag containing an envelope stuffed with cash.

Many obviously interpreted the gesture as a potential bribe or payoff attempt, but Greco insists it was innocent.

When confronted about the secret envelope full of cash by The New York Post, Greco said, “I don’t have purpose, and I treat people everyone is the same. It’s angel, OK, but if somebody want to hurt me because I have love to my community, and I have love to the world, to my family, my people, and somebody try to hurt me, I cannot say nothing.”

“Before I didn’t know how much in my envelope because it’s my birthday gift that’s Chinese culture. Somebody give me my birthday gift, I made big mistake I’m so sorry. Talk to my lawyer.”

When asked to clarify if she believes the reporter was trying to “hurt” her, Greco said, “Yes. Talk to my lawyer.”

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