Edward MacKenzie, Jr. once provided muscle for mob boss Whitey Bulger, and later became the operations director for a Boston church. However, he apparently couldn't understand that collections in a church wasn't quite the same as collections on the street.
The feds have charged MacKenzie with racketeering for allegedly "systematically loot[ing] the church of its considerable financial
assets through a combination of fraud, deceit, extortion, theft and
bribery" as reported by The Associated Press.
MacKenzie chronicled his mob years in the 2003 memoir Street Soldier in which he expressed "get[ing] sexual pleasure out of breaking the bones of other men" as reviewed by John W. Dean for The New York Times.
Apparently some female officers were unable to resist the animal magnetism of their imprisoned wards within a Baltimore city jail.
A "federal grand
jury indicted 25 people -- including 13 state correctional officers --
on accusations that they conspired to run operations of the Black
Guerilla Family gang inside correctional facilities," and U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said "correctional
officers were in bed with BGF inmates, in violation of the first
principle of prison management" as reported by WBAL.
Reputed BGF leader Tavon White apparently admitted over a wiretapped cellphone that "I make every final call in this jail," and while awaiting trial for attempted murder "allegedly had a sexual relationship with four correctional officers --
Jennifer Owens, Katera Stevenson, Chania Brooks and Tiffany Linder --
impregnating all of them at least once," and according to the indictment Owens and Stevenson even "got 'Tavon'
tattoos."
The defendants variously are charged with racketeering and other crimes for their alleged roles in a scheme by which "BGF members and associates bribed correctional
officers at the Baltimore City Detention Center to smuggle drugs,
cellphones and other contraband."
Earlier this month an Orleans parish jail made headlines when videotapes were released which seemingly showed inmates chatting on cellphones, taking drugs and one even playing with a loaded gun as reported by The Times-Picayune.
Earlier this month six politicians were charged with attempting to fix the next New York mayoral election, and in announcing their indictment United States Attorney Preet Bharara said in a press release
that "a show-me-the-money culture seems to pervade every level of New
York government" which stretches from the city to the capital, and "we will continue pursuing and punishing every corrupt official we find."
Apparently those harsh words were no idle warning.
In a speech yesterday before the Citizens Crime Commission the federal prosecutor "said his office has been adding staff to its public-corruption unit," and law enforcement will "use every aggressive and creative tool at our
disposal -- wiretaps and confidential informants and undercover agents
and stings" as reported by Joseph Spector for Politics on the Hudson.
That's some shot across the bow.
Bharara previously spent five years as a mob-busting AUSA prosecuting the Gambino and Colombo crime families.
Meanwhile, dirtbag Congressman Charlie Rangel "is suing House Speaker John Boehner and six other lawmakers to overturn his censure on ethics charges" on the laughable claim that his due process rights or something were violated as reported by Kevin Robillard for Politico: "the House voted overwhelmingly to censure Rangel," and "the censure covered a wide range of activities, including using a
rent-controlled apartment in Harlem as a campaign office, using
congressional stationery and staff to solicit funds for an academic
center named after Rangel and failing to pay taxes on rental income for
17 years."
The Charbonneau Commission is investigating corruption allegations involving the Montreal Mafia and dirty officials in the
award of public contracts in the construction industry, and yesterday Frank Zampino who once headed the city's executive committee testified that he was not a mob tool as reported by Sidhartha Banerjee for The Canadian Press: "Zampino has frequently been mentioned at the inquiry as being close to various players involved in corruption."
Federal prosecutors have charged six New York politicians for their alleged roles in an election scheme by which Democratic state Senator Malcolm Smith "paid top Republicans for permission to run on their ticket in the city's upcoming mayoral race" as reported by Edith Honan for Reuters.
In addition to Smith the FBI has arrested five GOP officials: City Councilman Daniel Halloran, Queens County
Republican Party Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone, Bronx County Republican
Party Chairman Joseph Savino, Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin and
Spring Valley Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret.
During the investigation Halloran -- a former cop who became a lawyer and was once of counsel to the Patrolman's Benevolent Association -- allegedly told a confidential informant "you can't do anything without the f------ money" as reported by Greg B. Smith for the Daily News: "The witness then paid Halloran $7,500 in cash, causing the Queens
politician to say, 'Money is what greases the wheels — good, bad or
indifferent.'"
"[I]n addition to cash payments," Halloran allegedly "also mentioned the
possibility of being named Deputy Police Commissioner if Mr. Smith found
his way into Gracie Mansion" as reported by William K. Rashbaum for The New York Times.
In announcing the indictments against the six politicians United States Attorney Preet Bharara said in a press release that "a show-me-the-money culture seems to pervade every level of New York government," and "the public corruption crisis in New York is more than a prosecutor's problem."
In 2011 Joe Franco, a restaurateur whom law enforcement once alleged was a
Gambino soldier, purchased the White House eatery in Queens, NY,
and Councilman Halloran "applauded Franco for investing in the
area and said he has no provable mob ties" as then reported by Heather Haddon for the New York Post:
"'Unfortunately, many Italian-Americans in my district get painted with
a very broad brush,' he said during a closed-door meeting last month
with concerned civic groups."
