Puerto Rican governor faces 18 counts

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - U.S. authorities have announced an indictment charging Puerto Rico's governor with 18 counts in a long-running campaign finance probe.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said Thursday the indictment also charges 12 other people associated with Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila's party.

Rodriguez told reporters that the 13 are accused of running a conspiracy to illegally raise money to pay off Acevedo's campaign debts in 2000.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080327/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/puerto_rico_governor

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PR governor, four Philadelphians charged
Puerto Rico's governor and four Philadelphians, including prominent fund-raiser Robert M. Feldman, were charged this morning in San Juan with federal campaign-finance related crimes.

The investigation of Gov. Anibal Acevedo-Vila, a Democrat who faces re-election this year, was triggered by the FBI's Philadelphia City Hall corruption probe in 2003.

Feldman, who raised more than $1 million for Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Gov. Rendell, was a former business partner of Ronald A. White, the late power-broker who was the lead defendant in the Philadelphia corruption case.

Feldman was investigated but not charged in the Philadelphia case. In San Juan, he was charged with one count of conspiracy to violate federal election laws.

The governor was charged with conspiracy to violate federal campaign laws, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the IRS and filing a false tax return.

Feldman and others from Philadelphia were charged with conspiring to help Acevedo-Vila evade federal election rules to raise more than $100,000 in campaign funds as a way of gaining access and "to further their business interests" in Puerto Rico.

more:http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20080327_PR_governor__four_Philadelphians_charged.html

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Se jodió. n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

2. For those keeping track at home, this guy is an Obama super delegate

[maddezmom]

3. pdf of indictment here:

http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2008/03/27/05/Indictment_as_Filed.source.prod_affiliate.56.pdf?loc=interstitialskip

[Psephos]

4. Another Dem governor. Uncool. n/t

[Doctor_J]

6. There will be a steady stream of political prosecutions of Dems

from now until the DOJ is purged on 1/21/09.

[gasperc]

5. did Hillary just lose another superdelegate?

is his endorsement toxic now?

[saigon68]

7. They should have organized a "SWIFT BOAT" entity

They could smeared their opposition to the end of the earth

WITH NO CHARGES