District Attorney John Morganelli is investigating the disappearance and possible embezzlement of $100K from the Northampton County Criminal Division, according to a Morning Call newsflash. It's too early to say exactly what happened, but I'm not surprised. Underpaid employees have seen no raises for over three years. Judges spend bond money for their Taj Mahal like drunken sailors, and are each accepting illegal payraises. Cost overruns on the courthouse project alone exceed at least $2 million. Courthouse furniture lies stranded in halls and stairwells, and the construction has made many row office employees ill. One top Reibman administration official went to federal prison for bribery. A second used county cell phones to arrange wife-swapping parties. A third was harassing female employees. Although an elections chair was also a political party officer in violation of the county's charter, most council members didn't seem to mind. And very few council members have any interest in county oversight, as demonstrated by last night's twenty-three minute meeting. County Exec John Stoffa himself has compared the courthouse to a candy store in which the door has been left open while the owner has gone down the street.
I suspect charges will eventually be filed against some courthouse employee, and I suppose that's as it should be. But when we rail against a "culture of corruption," we need to look a little closer to home.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Friday, October 06, 2006
7 comments:
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A perfect crime ?
ReplyDeleteSteal a ex-con's fines / costs / and/or restitution,,,and state he never paid it. Who is going to be believed ....
Not such a perfect crime, as evidenced by the investigation and the fact that one employee has already been sent home.
ReplyDeleteThe lowest person on the totum-pole will get the blame and the shaff. Whoever is at fault in the higher ups will pass the buck down and get away with the crime.It happened to me while I was there and to a very good friend of mine. We wern't to blame and could prove it, but we still were offered:resign/retire or get fired--take your choice. Some things never change.
ReplyDeleteTo Anon 4:15, Now that's a story I'd like to hear.
ReplyDeletewhere was the county controller's office? they haven't audited that place since 92??? reading the paper, they seem to be available for every politically motivated audit anyone can conjure up, but shouldn't this stuff be their real job?.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:19, It's inexcusable that any office handling these cash payments would go without an audit for so long. I can't think of any office, other than the tax office, that deals with such large amounts of cash. Can you?
ReplyDeleteOther offices do deal with larger sums of money, but it usually involves checks. It's much harder to embezzle when checks are involved.
14 years later. No less corrupt.
ReplyDelete