3 Broward politicians arrested in FBI corruption sting

[maddezmom]

3 Broward politicians arrested in FBI corruption sting
A county commissioner, School Board member and former Miramar commissioner have been charged in separate fraud cases. The FBI probe continues, with a focus on alleged corruption in the county's school building program.
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Three separate federal probes in Broward County involving alleged payoffs of more than $40,000 have led to the arrests Wednesday of two leading political figures and a former Miramar city official.

Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion Jr., School Board member Beverly Gallagher and former Miramar Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman were arrested Wednesday on a variety of charges including bribery, fraud and money laundering.

FBI agents are interviewing other witnesses and could bring additional charges against other people.

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Three prominent politicians in Florida's second-most populous county were arrested Wednesday on federal corruption charges, accused of accepting thousands of dollars in cash from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen seeking illegal favors.

"Hopefully the message will get sent that if this is what you go into public service for, eventually you'll get caught," said acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Sloman at a news conference. "It just stuns me every time this happens."

Broward County Commissioner and Vice Mayor Josephus Eggelletion, 60, was charged in a criminal complaint with conspiring to help launder more than $900,000 through a Bahamas bank account from what the undercover FBI agents told him was an investment fraud scheme. For his efforts, he was paid more than $23,000.

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S omething about that description of Beverly Gallagher slouching out of a Plantation restaurant with a plastic doggie bag stuffed with leftover food and a $2,000 kickback.

Or Josephus Eggelletion taking his out on the fairway, secreted in a golf bag.

Or gunslinger Fitzroy Salesman guaranteeing he could fix the Miramar bidding process because a key city official ``owes me his f-----g job.''

•South Florida politicians arrested in federal corruption probe
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Three separate federal probes in Broward County involving alleged payoffs of more than $40,000 have led to the arrests Wednesday of two leading political figures and a former Miramar city official.

Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion Jr., School Board member Beverly Gallagher and former Miramar Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman were arrested Wednesday on a variety of charges including bribery, fraud and money laundering.

The payoffs were slipped into a restaurant doggie bag, an envelope and a leather day planner -- more than $40,000 in cash that undercover FBI agents, posing as corrupt businessmen, say they paid three Broward politicians arrested Wednesday in unrelated fraud cases.

With hidden tape recorders rolling, the classic FBI ``sting'' operations entangled County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion Jr., School Board member Beverly Gallagher and former Miramar Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman. The arrests shocked Broward's political community, still recovering from the 2007 corruption conviction of ex-Sheriff Ken Jenne.

More arrests are expected, after agents went public and started questioning dozens of people involved in the county's lucrative school building program, including lobbyists, school district employees and construction contractors.

``We are not done,'' acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Sloman pledged.

more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/1248795.html

[SteppingRazor]

1. This has been in the pipes for a long, long time.

Anybody closely following Broward politics knew Eggelletion was doomed months ago, and Gallagher's obviously been facing the headsman's ax ever since she failed to turn in her last annual financial report. Salesman's a bit of a shock.

In any case, though, this train has been coming into the station for a long time. Hell, Eggelletion's been involved in shady doings for years.

What this really shows is how awful it is when either party succeeds in gerrymandering districts so that one party is completely dominant. Eggeletion's county district is more than 70 percent Democratic. With no alternative to his money-grubbing, it's no surprise that he turns corrupt.