XPost: alt.fan.sean-hannity, talk.politics.misc, alt.politics.democrats   
   XPost: alt.war.civil.usa   
   From: Davecross@kremlin.ru   
      
   A veteran Cleveland councilman was busted Tuesday on charges of   
   bilking the city out of more than $127,000 over an eight-year   
   span, federal prosecutors said.   
      
   Democrat Kenneth Johnson, who was elected in 1980, was arrested   
   by FBI agents in Cleveland after a federal grand jury named him   
   in a 15-count indictment with violations related to federal   
   program theft, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern   
   District of Ohio announced Tuesday.   
      
   The indictment alleges that Johnson, 74, and two accomplices   
   stole from the city coffers by getting reimbursement checks from   
   its general fund for maintenance expenses in Ward 4 that were   
   never performed.   
      
   Johnson and co-defendant Garnell Jamison, the councilman’s   
   executive assistant of more than 20 years, first approached a   
   city recreation employee, Robert Fitzpatrick, in 2010 and asked   
   the worker to perform maintenance services like cutting grass,   
   property checks and snow removal, according to the indictment.   
      
   Fitzpatrick, who pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme   
   earlier this month, performed the duties for six weeks, but was   
   never paid by Johnson nor Jamison, federal prosecutors said.   
      
   “Fitzpatrick did not perform any ward services after the initial   
   six weeks and continued to receive his salary from the city,”   
   prosecutors said in a statement.   
      
   But Jamison, 61, delivered timesheets to Fitzpatrick, who signed   
   them even though the worker didn’t actually perform ward service   
   past the initial six-week span, authorities said.   
      
   Jamison is accused of giving the timesheet to Johnson for his   
   approval, which he submitted with his official council expense   
   reports to be reimbursed. The councilman then allegedly   
   requested the maximum reimbursement of $1,200 for each month of   
   expenses between January 2010 and October 2018.   
      
   Each check was later deposited into a personal bank account   
   owned by Johnson, totaling roughly $127,000, federal prosecutors   
   said.   
      
   Johnson is facing charges including conspiracy to commit federal   
   program theft, federal program theft, aiding and assisting in   
   the preparation of false tax returns, witness tampering and   
   falsification of records in a federal investigation.   
      
   “The allegations set forth in today’s indictment detail the   
   exploitation of public office for personal gain,” Acting US   
   Attorney Bridget M. Brennan said. “Such conduct may bring about   
   a temporary financial benefit for those involved, but it harms   
   the public’s confidence in its elected officials. Where an   
   elected official is alleged to have disregarded their oath and   
   obligations, the public should remain confident that we will not   
   disregard ours.”   
      
   Johnson, one of the Cleveland’s longest-serving city council   
   members, was elected in 1980, Cleveland.com reported.   
      
   Attempts to reach Johnson’s attorney were unsuccessful, the   
   outlet reported Tuesday.   
      
   A third man, John Hopkins, who worked as the executive director   
   of The Buckeye Shaker Square Development Corporation in   
   Johnson’s ward, was also charged with conspiracy to commit   
   federal program theft and federal program theft.   
      
   https://nypost.com/2021/02/23/cleveland-councilman-charged-in-   
   127k-expense-report-scheme/   
       
      
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