Allegheny County Councilman Charles McCullough faces 23 criminal counts for taking more than $154,000 from Shirley Jordan's trust fund, $40,000 of which were political contributions. The counts range from theft to criminal conspiracy to making false reports. McCullough had power of attorney over Mrs. Jordan's finances and trust fund.
His sister, Kathleen is charged in a separate but related embezzlement case.
In April 2007, Mrs. Jordan was the largest donor to four local Republican candidates, yet she had not voted in years. That led the Pittsburgh Post Gazette to dig deeper into the story and revealed that Mrs. Jordan never approved the donations.
Among other things, McCullough charged the trust $4,000/month for legal fees and services rendered; charged $300/hour for his Jordan Foundation work; $15,000 in foundation legal fees; and another $79,000 billed to his firm.
Members who were asked to sit on the foundation's board were offered $1,000 per meeting. Former Allegheny County Executive and Chair of the Republican party Jim Roddey testified before the Grand Jury at the excessiveness of the pay.
It seems like it was a huge trust fund for McCullough instead.
I would have thought McCullough learned from his colleagues that using money from a trust fund and funneling money through non-profits for political purposes sets off a lot of alarms. Seriously, a lot of alarms. Even regular people who screw around with these kinds of funds are eventually caught. Marty Griffin anyone?
Take Rick Santorum and his Operation Good Neighbor--$216,000 was unaccounted for in 2004, which was half of the total donated to organizations in Philly, which is an interesting place for a Pittsburgh-based charity to donate money (see http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/7821894/detail.htm). When you are using half of your donations for unaccounted expenses, it seems to me your organization may be a front to further your own political goals. Although Santorum was not charged with doing anything wrong (just many eyebrows raised), former Democratic House Minority Whip Mike Veon was.
The Beaver Initiative for Growth is his charity. Ahhh, what an evil genius Veon is. He used this group to breed non-profit after non-profit to funnel millions of money along with former State Senator Gerald LaValle.
The Godfather of Philadelphia, former State Senator Vince Fumo, is in the trial of his life. He's admitting to pretty much everything, from "asking for help" from legislative aides and politicians or what we know it as issuing ultimatums, to campaign work on state hours to taking cruises through the Citizen's Alliance for Better Neighborhoods. This is his non-profit organization that Fumo bought tools, tiki torches and a $6,000 shower curtain through. The Citizen's Alliance was funded from $17 million in private Philadelphia Electric and Gas Company (PECO) funds that was received after he challenged them in court before state regulators.
And then there's Kickback Queen Twanda Carlisle, whose supporters still insist she did nothing wrong. She hired three "consultants," then received kickbacks from them and bought herself a mink coat! One consultant who wrote up a "health report" was her mother's boyfriend and most of the report was taken from a study performed by the University of Pittsburgh.
So, why do I bring all of this up?
1. For shit sakes, if you are a politician, DO NOT start a non-profit and DO NOT TAKE money from a trust fund. People will investigate your non-profit very rigorously and someone is going to figure out their money is gone from their fund.
2. Go the Jimmy Carter route and start your non-profit when you retire from politics. You are in politics for public service. Work hard on that. Worry about your charity later when you are collecting your pension and wondering what to do with the rest of your life. And hopefully it will be a charity and not your crappy memoirs.
3. Do not take campaign contributions from elderly women with dementia--ever hear of vetting your donors?
4. When you are being investigated and wire-tapped by the FBI, do not buy your girlfriend a state-funded laptop; don't declare your 27-room mansion a "research and development" place; hire a private detective to spy on your former lover; and make your son-in-law manage the renovations of your mansion, among other insane things.
5. Even Mensa members can made mistakes.
I hope you heed my warnings, fair politicians.
Lady Elaine
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