- Council Committee Passed the Freeze
- Carol Campbell Passes Away
- My first trip to the public library
- Fight digital exclusion
- What if half of Philadelphia didn't have roads?
- You know, let's not even worry about the City Commissioners office messing up voter registration processing
- Bold ideas to fix the budget
- Mayor Nutter's Town Hall Meeting Schedule
- City Releases Library Information to City Council
- Size of Philadelphia government?
Vince Fumo is in Big Trouble
Submitted by Dan U-A on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 9:09am.
All I can say is... Wow.
All-powerful political boss, and State Senator Vince Fumo is in a lot of trouble. Turns out, he has been notified by the US Attorney's office that he is a target of their investigation:
The issuance of a so-called target letter from prosecutors to Fumo, one of Pennsylvania's most powerful politicians, is a significant milestone in the four-year investigation, which appears to be in its final stages.
...
Typically, prosecutors send target letters to people who are likely to be charged, as a warning and as an invitation to testify before the grand jury. It's an offer that the targets usually refuse.
"It is the rare case, in my experience, that you can talk a prosecutor out of charges once a target letter is issued," said Lawrence S. Lustberg, a Newark lawyer who defended one of the Commerce Bank executives convicted in the 2005 City Hall corruption trial.
Fumo has been under investigation for years for using money for the non-profit for his own personal gain. But, what may end up getting him, in the end, is the cover up in his office and the deletion of documents that seems to have occurred once he knew he was under investigation. It appears on that charge, that the feds already have "flipped" one person from his office to testify against him.
And, if you want to know how serious this is- Mayor Street was never issued a target letter. When the Feds send you this letter, well, it might be time to book a flight somewhere... I think we are looking at a very real possibility that Fumo is going to jail.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Because
whatever the government, especially this administration, tells us or alleges must be true. The only reason you are reading about this today is that this very same government leaked it to the Inquirer, a violation of the secrecy of the grand jury process.
Leaks suck. But, you are a
Leaks suck.
But, you are a smart guy, and you know what this means... There is a good chance he is going to prison.
I understand he is your friend, and somewhat of a patron. But I saw that you recently wrote you resented being linked to old time City scandals like ABSCAM, considering they happened when you were in high school. If he broke the law, then, I would hope you don't let your own image be swept up in it.
1st Council District
I am far from an objective observer, but I think this is very bad news for Councilman Frank DiCicco. Everyone knows that he and Fumo are extremely close. If I remember correctly, Fumo is one of DiCicco's biggest donors. It's not good to have your close associate indicted.
Bad news for Frank is good news for Vern Anastasio. We might be approaching a "perfect storm" in the 1st. First the casinos and now this. I seriously think progressives have a great shot at taking out an incumbent that many people believed was invulnerable.
---
http://benwaxman.com
How about its effect on Brady?
Let's not forget that Vince Fumo has also been THE driving force behind convincing/cajoling Bob Brady to run for Mayor.
Fumo is History
If and when Fumo's indited and found guilty doesn't the song "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" come to mind?
Well, if he actually gets
Well, if he actually gets indicted--we shall see.
Fumo for breakfast
Imagine you did any thing shady in the past with Fumo.....you've got to be worrying your head off.....because you know that Fumo WILL FLIP LIKE A BUTTERMILK PANCAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
An indictment is only the beginning of the process.
And people should not assume anything. It's worth noting that in 1979, as the article says, Sen. Fumo was not only charged but actually convicted of a crime (ghost employees). The trial judge then threw out the jury verdict saying it was not warranted by the evidence.
No need to assume anything-
No need to assume anything- there is no question that there is a good chance he will be indicted and convicted. Pat Meehan and his boys don't really seem to send targets unless they are fairly confident. Again, I am not saying he is definitely going to prison- but- given that he got a target letter, and they have already flipped at least one person in his office, it would be pretty surprising if he isn't charged.
Fumo is not Kemp
I agree that a target letter is not a good thing, but let's not convict the Senator just yet. He's no Corey Kemp, and I think he'll have a pretty good lawyer.
Fumo is not Kemp...you're
Fumo is not Kemp...you're right. Kemp did not have an "ALLEGED" criminal enterprise around him...This should fall under R.I.C.O.
Isn't his lawyer an owner of Sugar House casino?
I heard that Richard Sprague, an owner of the proposed (and not yet licensed- http://www.hallwatch.org/news/1168552594176) Sugar House casino, is Senator Fumo's lawyer. Fumo is the architect and lead champion for gaming in the State House. And then I read this this morning: http://www.pennlive.com/news/capitol/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/11... .Looks like gaming and gambling could lead to many results in this time of citizen anger, calls for greater transparency in government, and lukewarm commitments of reform. The funny thing is that the Gaming Act wouldn't even have passed if Fumo's reform package was in place at the time that he pushed the vote for Gaming. What an absurd almost comical tragedy.
Sprague/Fumo/Sugar House
Question...Do you think that Fumo and his band of desperados will end up with a piece of Sprague's piece of the Sugar House Casino??????????