Larisa Alexandrovna: Alabama U.S. Attorney Targets Another Dem...?

[Hissyspit]

http://www.atlargely.com/2008/01/alabama-usa-tar.html

Alabama USA targets another Dem...
Hey folks, I am still away on assignment, but I read something earlier today that made my blood boil:

BIRMINGHAM - State Rep. Sue Schmitz has been arrested on federal charges of taking $177,251 in pay from a program affiliated with Alabama's two-year college system despite doing hardly any work.

Court records show Schmitz, D-Toney, was arrested today on fraud charges after a court unsealed a felony indictment returned earlier this month. She was freed on $25,000 bond.

Well, given that this is the state with the two most corrupt US Attorneys in the country, I take everything with a grain of salt. So I made some calls to both Republican and Democratic members of the state Congress. What I got from both is two things: 1. Ms. Schmitz is very respected and 2. Ms. Schmitz did a great deal of work for the education system. In fact, when she was arrested, she was in the middle of a trip with a bunch of poor kids from across the state of Alabama. She was showing them - I am told - around Montgomery.

Alice Martin is the US Attorney on this case. Just a reminder, she and Karl Rove are thisclose.

[Usrename]

1. Larisa is also asking for help on this story.

"I am curious just how many local Democrats across the country are being arrested. Can someone do a state by state quickie news search and see if anything comes up? I don't have time as I am traveling. Thanks."

[hootinholler]

2. After the USA firings

A number of is were more concerned about USAs who were left that would do the bidding of the body politic.

-Hoot

[Hissyspit]

3. .

[L. Coyote]

4. Not getting paid from the same entity where you work. YUP, federal crime!

If you are a friend of a Dem :rofl:

Apparently, she was "working" for Siegelman's administration while getting a paycheck from a college.
I can see why the federal governmewnt is concerned. Someone has to make sure the 50 states enforce
their own laws whenever anyone in those states opposes the Bush Junta.

Federal Charges Against Rep. Sue Schmitz?
by: mooncat - Jan 31, 2008 - http://www.leftinalabama.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1113

Although now free on bond, Representative Sue Schmitz (D, Toney) was arrested today on federal charges of fraud relating to her salary with the CITY Skills Training Consortium.

Schmitz was employed from January 2006 until October 2006 by the CITY Skills Training Consortium, an arm of Alabama's troubled two-year college system. The indictment claims she made as much as $53,403 annually in the post despite rarely showing up and doing virtually no work.

I have no knowledge of Schmitz's position of whether she did anything wrong, but federal charges? Who was in charge of these programs? Are federal charges customary when employees "rarely show up and do virtually no work" or is that just for Democrats?