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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TigerPaw who wrote (120858)	4/17/2008 1:31:02 PM
From: jlallen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

I believe the next congress will just let the Bush tax holliday expire. Excellent. That should make the midterm election quite interesting...

To: TigerPaw who wrote (120858)	4/17/2008 1:32:36 PM
From: TideGlider	Respond to of 173976

After James Conviction, GOP Senators Push for Change By Scott Goldstein 4/17/2008 In the wake of yesterday's corruption conviction of former Newark Mayor and former State Sen. Sharpe James, Republican state senators are pushing a package of ethics reforms that would immediately ban dual-office holding and place stricter limits on campaign contributions. "It's a sad day for all the people of New Jersey when the former mayor of our largest city is convicted of violating the public trust for personal gain," said Republican Senate Leader Tom Kean Jr. (R-Union) and Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) in a joint statement. James, a Democrat who left the mayor's office in 2006 and left the Senate earlier this year after his terms were complete, and his ex-mistress, Tamika Riley, were found guilty by a federal jury of corruption stemming from the cut-rate sale of city land to Riley. James, 72, who was mayor for two decades, was convicted on all five charges he faced, including fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors say the charges carry about seven to eight years in prison. The legislation being pushed by the GOP would ban dual-office holding (S-769 and S-685); set stricter regulations on contributions to and between county political parties (S-760); limit contribution by public contractors (S-287); and prohibit campaign contributions by buyers of property involved in eminent domain proceedings (S-600). The bills require the support of Democrats who hold majorities in both houses.

To: TigerPaw who wrote (120858)	4/17/2008 1:38:03 PM
From: TideGlider	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

JAMES GUILTY Thursday, April 17, 2008 BY JEFF WHELAN AND JOHN P. MARTIN Star-Ledger Staff Former Newark mayor Sharpe James was convicted yesterday of corruption charges, ending a four-year federal probe and tainting the legacy of one of the state's most influential and unforgettable politicians. On its sixth day of deliberations, a jury of six men and six women concluded James had illegally steered city land to his mistress, a woman who reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars by quickly reselling the lots instead of redeveloping them as required. Advertisement They found James guilty of fraud and conspiracy charges that could send him to prison for more than five years. Tamika Riley, his co-defendant and one-time girlfriend, was convicted of identical charges, plus housing fraud and tax violations for not reporting the income on the land deals. The legendary former mayor, now 72, leaned back in his chair at the defense table and froze as the verdict was read aloud just a block from the City Hall office he occupied for two decades. He and his attorneys, appearing stunned, shuffled silently from the room and down an elevator and slipped out a rear courthouse door. They said they would appeal the verdict. The conviction represented an unlikely coda for Newark's most towering political figure, a one-time gym teacher with a gap-toothed smile and oversized personality who led the state's largest city as it tried to rise from decades of blight and derision. James served five terms as mayor and two as a state senator and wielded influence as one of the state's top Democratic power brokers, all the while sidestepping graft investigations that snared some friends and political allies. He left office two years ago, choosing not to seek re-election as the FBI and Internal Revenue Service investigation into his dealings started to gain momentum. The verdict elated agents and prosecutors, who overcame several unexpected legal setbacks during the trial and doubts that their evidence had swayed jurors. James joins more than 100 other New Jersey public officials convicted of federal corruption charges in the past five years. "Justice has finally been done," U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said. "Justice for the people of the city of Newark." U.S. District Judge William Martini scheduled James and Riley's sentencing for July 29 but allowed both to remain free on bail. Federal guidelines recommend prison terms between 57 months and 71 months, but prosecutors or attorneys could argue for more or less. The verdict also could cost James part of his six-figure state pension. CONTINUED 1 \| 2 \| 3 Next nj.com