Former Baldwin Park Councilman Ricardo Pacheco was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for taking bribes and hiding nearly $63,000 in cash in his backyard, exposing the depth of local government corruption that left taxpayers footing the bill. Federal prosecutors revealed that Pacheco, who served on the Baldwin Park City Council for over twenty […] The post Corruption exposed: Ex-California councilman sentenced after FBI uncovers cash buried in backyard appeared first on American Almanac .
Former Baldwin Park Councilman Ricardo Pacheco was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for taking bribes and hiding nearly $63,000 in cash in his backyard, exposing the depth of local government corruption that left taxpayers footing the bill. Federal prosecutors revealed that Pacheco, who served on the Baldwin Park City Council for over twenty years, admitted to soliciting and receiving bribes in exchange for advancing lucrative city contracts and marijuana permits. The FBI’s investigation found Pacheco went so far as to bury tens of thousands of dollars in cash behind his home, a vivid symbol of how far some local officials will go to evade accountability and enrich themselves at public expense. Pacheco’s sentencing comes…Open
A 30-person town in southeast Colorado has been officially declared abandoned by the state after all of its elected officials resigned, leaving residents with no government and a water system the state now calls a public health hazard. Deputy Secretary of State Andrew Kline issued the abandonment order for the Town of Hartman this week […] The post Colorado declares tiny town of Hartman abandoned after every elected official quits and water turns hazardous appeared first on American Almanac .
A 30-person town in southeast Colorado has been officially declared abandoned by the state after all of its elected officials resigned, leaving residents with no government and a water system the state now calls a public health hazard. Deputy Secretary of State Andrew Kline issued the abandonment order for the Town of Hartman this week under a Colorado statute that had never looked more necessary. Every trustee, the mayor, and the town clerk were gone. No one remained with the legal authority to sign a contract, spend a dollar of public money, call an election, or keep chlorine flowing into the water supply. Fox News Digital reported that the order followed a public hearing held July 13 at which state officials laid out the full scope of…Open
Lawmakers’ extended and sometimes unexplained absences from Washington are raising questions about how much transparency elected officials owe the public about their health. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been in the hospital for more than three weeks, with aides providing few details about the reason even as 911 dispatch audio revealed paramedics had responded to [...]
Owen Shroyer discusses people becoming increasingly frustrated with politics and that a large portion of the population do not feel the American people are being adequately represented by our elected officials.
At least 15 former elected officials and co-conspirators with corruption offenses have been pardoned by President Trump in the last year, undermining the fight against public corruption.
