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  1. #1
    Senior Member FedUpinFarmersBranch's Avatar
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    AZ-Joe examining Wilcox’s airport restaurant financing,

    Monday, September 21, 2009, 5:37pm MST | Modified: Tuesday, September 22, 2009, 9:11am

    Maricopa sheriff examining Wilcox’s airport restaurant financing, minority business status-

    by Mike Sunnucks
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    The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office investigation into County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and her business’ restaurant lease at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport focuses on whether Wilcox’s restaurant met minority-owned business standards, her statements to the city-owned airport on that status, and financing of the restaurant venture, including but not limited to, a $450,000 loan given to Wilcox and her husband Earl by HMSHost Corp.

    The MCSO declined comment on the ongoing investigation.

    Sky Harbor officials, however, showed the Phoenix Business Journal information given to the MCSO after a public records request.

    And, a county official -- familiar with the investigation who asked not to be identified -- said the MCSO is looking into financing deals related to the Wilcoxes and the restaurant lease, as well as financial and business statements made by Supervisor Wilcox to airport officials.

    HMSHost has the concessions contract at Terminal 4 from the Phoenix Aviation Department (which runs Sky Harbor). HMS doles subcontracts for restaurants in Terminal 4. Under federal rules, airports such as Sky Harbor need to have some of those contracts go to minority- and women-owned businesses.

    One of those contracts went Grant Park Enterprises, a Phoenix company owned by the Wilcoxes. A deal between HMS and the Wilcoxes then involved the latter receiving a $450,000 loan and the Wilcoxes having 30 percent ownership in the Chili’s Too restaurant in Terminal 4, according to airport documents.

    The Wilcox’s airport business qualified as a minority owned business but did run into questions from Phoenix officials over the actual involvement of the Wilcoxes in the Chili’s restaurants.

    The MCSO requested information from Sky Harbor on the contract, the deal between HMSHost and Grant Park, the Wilcox’s financial disclosures and a lengthy period of correspondence in 2008 and earlier this year between Phoenix officials and Mrs. Wilcox on how involved she was in the day-to-day operations of the eatery.

    Minority and women-owned business status is determined in part by how much time and investments its principals actually have in the operation.

    HMSHost is an arm of Italian conglomerate Autogrill SpA.

    Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced earlier this summer his office was investigating Wilcox, a Democrat, over the airport restaurant deal. Wilcox has become a frequent critic of the MCSO’s immigration sweeps and raids on businesses suspected of hiring illegal immigrants. She has said that Arpaio’s investigation in the airport deal is political payback for her immigration opposition.

    No formal charges have been filed by the MCSO against Wilcox.

    Wilcox did not respond to requests for comment for this story and what the MCSO is investigating.

    MCSO deputies arrested Supervisor Don Stapley Monday in a county parking garage in downtown Phoenix, charging him with fraud related to his businesses and campaign accounts. That follows up on an indictment against Stapley in 2008 secured by Arpaio and Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, claiming the Mesa Republican failed to disclose business and real estate deals on county financial disclosure forms.

    http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/ ... ily21.html
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  2. #2
    Senior Member American-ized's Avatar
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    Go JOE!!!! Get these corrupt traitor politicians!!!!!!!!!!

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