Robert Rizzo was making $800,000 a year as city manager of Bell, California, before being arrested for making $800,000 a year as city manager of Bell, California. Now, he's a volunteer parking lot attendant. (And still unattractive.) [LAT]
Allen "Mini-Madoff" Stanford, the crooked Texas financier charged with ripping investors off for billions, already had his head smashed in jail; now, he's being sent to detox to come down from his 3 mg/ day klonopin prescription. That's a lot.
Bell, California is not just the Most Corrupt Town in America; it's also one of the poorest towns in L.A. County. Which makes it all the more fucked up that officials were extorting regular working people with bogus "code violations."
Awful New York state senator Pedro Espada, known for suckling shamelessly at the public teat, has been indicted (along with his son) for embezzling brazenly from a health care network he controlled. An example, you ask?
Rep. Charlie Rangel narrowly avoided a reality TV-esque fiasco by walking out of his ethics trial, because the ethically-sound Donald Trump was set to testify against him, along with another upstanding citizen, AIG chief Hank Greenberg. Too bad! [Metropolis]
The Wall Street Journalis reporting that the SEC will file a civil lawsuit against former New York Times reporter, car czar, and asshole Steven Rattner for his role in a pension kickback scheme. His downfall continues!
In Bell, California—America's Most Corrupt Little Town—the corruption revelations never cease, ever! Today: the City of Bell operated a protection racket on city businesses, stealing money at will. Nice work, guys.
The gang of eight treasury-draining officials in Bell, California went to court and pleaded not guilty yesterday. All of them, not guilty! Even the city manager earning $800K, and the "disabled" running police chief. We were all wrong about them.
Washington's most famously corrupt (former) mega-lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, is gradually re-entering the public following his prison sentence. Last we checked in, he was on work-release at a Baltimore pizza place, and now he's on Facebook. We're still awaiting friendship confirmation.
What's the latest in Bell, California, America's Most Corrupt Town? The eight Bell officials arrested for looting the city's coffers are due in court today. An audit found they were greedier than expected. And they're being chased by a clown!
Is there any more news of shocking corruption today out of Bell, California, America's most corrupt town? But of course! Today: the police chief was even more corrupt than previously known. As was the city manager, a thief!
The verdict's in on Illinois ex-governor Rod Blagojevich: he's guilty of one count of lying to the FBI. The jury deadlocked on 23 other counts. He faces up to five years in jail, a $250,000 fine, and a retrial.
Police in Paris are looking for two young women who robbed a man at an ATM machine by flashing their breasts: "As he stared at one, the other then withdrew 300 euros" from the man's account. [Telegraph, via]
The House was back, briefly, from its month-long vacation today for a quickie vote on a $26 billion jobs bill. It passed! But then Rep. Charlie Rangel made members stick around for another half-hour, to yell about his innocence.
Grotesque self-serving politico scumbag and New York state senator Pedro Espada, Jr. has now been caught on tape throwing cash at protesters. Probably cash left in an unmarked bag under his desk, by crooks. Video below.
Former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik, currently incarcerated, is nobly tweeting out against the "Ground Zero Mosque," somehow. Hey, Muslims: Have some respect for 9/11's victims... by having affairs in apartments next to Ground Zero, like Kerik did. [Photo: AP]
Prosecutors are now going after the assets of two of Bernie Madoff's "back office" staffers, who oversaw the day-to-day operations of his scam. They handled office paperwork, and they're both multimillionaires? Guilty. Also—you guys seen $9 billion anywhere? [WSJ]
He screwed over Illinois; Now Rod Blagojevich wants to screw over all of America by subpoenaing Obama in his corruption trial. Lawyers claim that Obama can offer valuable insight into allegations that Blagojevich tried to sell Obama's Senate seat. [NYT]
