Mayor of Charlotte arrested on public corruption charges

Mayor of Charlotte arrested on public corruption charges

Published March 26, 2014 FoxNews.com

http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncsta....jpg?ve=1&tl=1Oct. 29, 2013: Then-candidate for Charlotte mayor Patrick Cannon speaks to students at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C.AP


The mayor of Charlotte, N.C. -- the state's largest city and the site of the 2012 Democratic National Convention -- was arrested Wednesday on public corruption charges and accused of taking bribes after an FBI sting.

Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon, a 47-year-old Democrat, is facing theft and bribery charges, U.S. Attorney Anne Tompkins said. Cannon is accused of soliciting and accepting bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as real estate developers who wanted to do business in Charlotte.

According to the U.S. attorney's office, the FBI first learned that he may have been involved in illegal activities years ago and started an investigation in 2010.

During the course of that probe, the mayor allegedly accepted bribes from undercover FBI agents on five separate occasions, in exchange for access to city officials responsible for planning, zoning and permitting.

A criminal complaint said Cannon is accused of soliciting and accepting more than $48,000 in cash, airline tickets, a hotel room and the use of a luxury apartment as bribes.

During the last encounter, according to the U.S. attorney's office, he accepted $20,000 in cash.

If convicted on all the charges, he faces 20 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines.

Cannon was elected mayor in November, replacing Anthony Foxx. Foxx was named Transportation Secretary by President Obama.

Cannon was first elected to City Council in 1993. He is also longtime radio show host who discusses local and national politics. In November, he defeated Republican challenger Edwin Peacock.

Cannon was also accused of accepting $12,500 from an undercover agent to help him develop a feminine hygiene product called "Hers" to be marketed and sold in the United States. In exchange, Cannon offered to help the undercover agent -- posing as a business manager for a venture capital company -- get the necessary permits to open a nightclub.

During the meeting, an undercover agent told Cannon: "You know, again whatever you can do to get our application moved up towards the top, uh, business license and things like that, that we need."

According to the complaint, Cannon responded: "Yeah, not a problem."

In a separate case, federal agents on Wednesday also arrested a California state senator during a series of raids in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.

FBI spokesman Peter Lee confirmed the arrest of State Sen. Leland Yee, but declined to discuss the charges, citing an ongoing investigation.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014...ption-charges/

FBI Targets, Raids Democrats Across Country


http://s3.freebeacon.com/up/2014/03/FBI-RAIDS.jpg

FBI raids in San Francisco / AP

BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff
March 26, 2014 3:53 pm

Democrats in California, New York, and North Carolina were targeted by the FBI on Wednesday. All are targets of unrelated federal investigations.

Democratic state Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco was taken in by federal authorities on public corruption charges after a series of FBI raids Wednesday morning. Also arrested as part of the investigation was “infamous Chinatown gangster Raymond ‘Shrimp Boy’ Chow,” according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Yee was a candidate for California Secretary of State.

New York Assemblyman William Scarborough (D., Queens) had both his Queens and Albany offices raided by FBI agents on Wednesday and was met by agents at his hotel room.

The FBI is investigating per diem payments that reimburse legislators for days spent in the Capitol.

Scarborough told reporters that the FBI raid is the result of a “tabloid hit job.”

Charlotte, N.C., Democratic Mayor Patrick Cannon was arrested on public corruption charges of theft and bribery as a result of a four-year FBI sting operation.
Cannon collected cash bribes and other items of value from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen who wanted to do business in Charlotte,according to U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Anne Tompkins.

The month of March has been rife with Democrats on the crime blotter.
Rhode Island’s Democratic Speaker of the House Gordon Fox had both his home and office raided by the FBI last week. Illinois state Rep. Keith Farnham, also a Democrat, had his home and office raided as the FBI searched for documents“pertaining to the possession, receipt or distribution of child pornography.”

http://freebeacon.com/politics/fbi-t...cross-country/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Mayor of Charlotte arrested on public corruption charges

Published March 26, 2014 FoxNews.com

http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncsta....jpg?ve=1&tl=1Oct. 29, 2013: Then-candidate for Charlotte mayor Patrick Cannon speaks to students at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C.AP


The mayor of Charlotte, N.C. -- the state's largest city and the site of the 2012 Democratic National Convention -- was arrested Wednesday on public corruption charges and accused of taking bribes after an FBI sting.

Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon, a 47-year-old Democrat, is facing theft and bribery charges, U.S. Attorney Anne Tompkins said. Cannon is accused of soliciting and accepting bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as real estate developers who wanted to do business in Charlotte.

According to the U.S. attorney's office, the FBI first learned that he may have been involved in illegal activities years ago and started an investigation in 2010.

During the course of that probe, the mayor allegedly accepted bribes from undercover FBI agents on five separate occasions, in exchange for access to city officials responsible for planning, zoning and permitting.

A criminal complaint said Cannon is accused of soliciting and accepting more than $48,000 in cash, airline tickets, a hotel room and the use of a luxury apartment as bribes.

During the last encounter, according to the U.S. attorney's office, he accepted $20,000 in cash.

If convicted on all the charges, he faces 20 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines.

Cannon was elected mayor in November, replacing Anthony Foxx. Foxx was named Transportation Secretary by President Obama.

Cannon was first elected to City Council in 1993. He is also longtime radio show host who discusses local and national politics. In November, he defeated Republican challenger Edwin Peacock.

Cannon was also accused of accepting $12,500 from an undercover agent to help him develop a feminine hygiene product called "Hers" to be marketed and sold in the United States. In exchange, Cannon offered to help the undercover agent -- posing as a business manager for a venture capital company -- get the necessary permits to open a nightclub.

During the meeting, an undercover agent told Cannon: "You know, again whatever you can do to get our application moved up towards the top, uh, business license and things like that, that we need."

According to the complaint, Cannon responded: "Yeah, not a problem."

In a separate case, federal agents on Wednesday also arrested a California state senator during a series of raids in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.

FBI spokesman Peter Lee confirmed the arrest of State Sen. Leland Yee, but declined to discuss the charges, citing an ongoing investigation.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014...ption-charges/

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good for him how many more are just like him . they are all in this for the money no two way about it

Mayor of Charlotte resigns after public corruption, bribe charges

Fox News - 24 minutes ago

http://www.alipac.us/f9/california-s...-fraud-299865/

Let me paraphrase Willie Sutton: Why go into politics?

Because that's where the money is. ;-)

Well, that's all well and good, but sort of penny ante stuff when you get down to it, why isn't the FBI investigating all these federal politicians on the take with the drug cartels promoting and rewarding illegal immigration? Maybe they'll be next. Spread the word, far and wide, we want a federal probe of all politicians and officials who support, protect and reward those violating US Immigration, US Labor and US Civil Rights Laws.