Department of Justice (DOJ)

Justice Dept. STILL Refuses to Disclose Mollohan Documents

Submitted by Kristen Byrne on Mon, 07/18/2011 - 15:52

Mollohan photo A watchdog group continues to call on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release documents from a four-year investigation of Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.). Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) previously filed Freedom of Information Act requests and administrative appeals seeking information about why the DOJ did not bring charges against Mollohan.

In 2006, the DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation on Mollohan and his connections to five non-profit organizations he created that were managed by close friends and real estate partners.

Justice Department Inspector General Opens Investigation of ACORN

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 17:05

Rep. Lamar Smith The IRS isn't the only federal agency alarmed over the potentially criminal activities of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN. At the start of this week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced its Office of Inspector General was initiating a probe of the radical New Orleans-based nonprofit nationwide network. The move was in response to a request by several members of Congress, led by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Tex., for aggressive oversight of the hard Left organization, which over the years has been a key cog in the Democratic Party and especially in the rise of the political career of Barack Obama. "It is clear that ACORN has fostered a culture of corruption," said Rep. Smith, Ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. "With investigations of ACORN now occurring in 20 states, it is time for the FBI to open up a full-scale investigation into possible criminal conduct by ACORN."

Daily Kos Blogger: Mollohan’s 'Amazing Conflict of Interest'

Submitted by Peter Flaherty on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 11:40

Daily Kos mastehead Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) better watch out. It is not just Republicans who are now complaining about his conflict of interest in controlling the budgets of the Justice Department and the FBI while under investigation by those entities.

From a blogger today known as texasrabble on the left-wing Daily Kos website:

Amazingly -- despite credible allegations of numerous violations of federal law -- Mollohan is still the Chairman of the House Appropriation Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. That subcommittee, according to Cong. Mollohan's own website, "funds the departments of Justice and Commerce."

So let's get this straight: The highest-level legislator responsible for funding the Justice Department is himself the subject of a very serious Justice Department investigation. Was there ever a bigger conflict of interest?

14 Chicago Mobsters Indicted for Murders and Other Felonies

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Mon, 05/09/2005 - 00:00

The Department of Justice has taken a dramatic step to combat Chicago’s most feared gangsters. In the process, any number of crooked union officials may have a change in career plans.

DOJ Asked to Investigate Aggressive Union Protests Nationwide

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Mon, 10/11/2004 - 00:00

Fourteen U.S. representatives, incl. Tom Feeney (R-FL), have asked the U.S. Dept. of Justice to investigate union protests they say were designed to intimidate Bush-Cheney supporters in 10 cities on Oct.

Another Teamsters Scandal Figure Sentenced

Submitted by Michael Nelson on Mon, 04/24/2000 - 00:00

U.S. Dist. Judge Thomas P. Griesa sentenced Nathaniel Charny, a lawyer with labor law firm of Cohen, Weiss & Simon, who vetted contributions for the Carey campaign, was sentenced to "serve time" and a $500 fine for conspiring to make false statements to a court-appointed election officer investigating the fund-raising activity. He pled guilty in Oct. 1998. [BNA 4/10/00]

No DOJ Oversight of 2001 Election
For the first time since settling federal racketeering charges in 1989, the Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters will conduct leadership elections free of government supervision. Campaigns for union posts in the historically-corrupt union begin this year with the selection of local delegates and conclude next fall with the election of a general president. Each of the past three Teamsters ballots -- including the scandal-ridden vote in 1996 in which Ron Carey's campaign stole the election with union funds -- have been conducted under the Dep't of Justice's oversight.

$100,000 Restitution for Hamilton, DOJ Admits Error

Submitted by Michael Nelson on Mon, 04/24/2000 - 00:00

U.S. Dist. Judge Thomas P. Griesa ordered Apr. 7 ex-Teamsters political director William W. Hamilton, Jr., to pay $100,000 in restitution for his role in a scheme to swap IBT political contributions for donations to Ron Carey's 1996 reelection campaign. Griesa already sentenced Hamilton to three years in prison. Hamilton is free on bail pending the appeal of his six-count conviction on conspiracy, embezzlement, fraud and perjury charges. In addition to prison, Hamilton must serve two years of supervised release. The Manhattan judge gave Hamilton until the end of his supervised release to pay the restitution.

Coia Pleads Guilty!

Submitted by Michael Nelson on Mon, 01/31/2000 - 01:00

Arthur A. Coia, ex-boss of the Laborers’ Int’l Union of N. Am., has agreed to plead guilty to a mail fraud charge related to union corruption. U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern in Boston and John R. McGlynn, of Dep’t of Labor’s Racketeering Division, announced Jan. 27 that Coia defrauded the State of Rhode Island and the Town of Barrington, R.I., of approximately $100,000 in taxes. The deal alleges that from 1991-97, Coia, with the assistance car dealers under the name of Viking (a LIUNA vendor), purchased Ferraris that ranged from $215,000 to $1,050,000 and avoided taxes due on the purchase and ownership of those cars. “While holding important leadership positions at LIUNA... Coia repeatedly found ways to shirk his duty to pay his taxes,” said Stern.

Hoffa "Anti-Corruption" Plan Endorsed

Submitted by Michael Nelson on Mon, 01/17/2000 - 01:00

Teamsters president James P. Hoffa claims the union, which has been under federal supervision for a decade, can police itself now. Hoffa appeared Jan. 11 before representatives of IBT and left with their unanimous approval to establish a code of conduct for union members. The representatives also supported creation of an ethics board and a study of the union's efforts to sever ties with organized crime.

"We want to move ahead and do this study and verify the fact we are corruption free, we are free of influence of organized crime and we are ready to talk to the federal government," Hoffa said after the meeting. Hoffa won the Teamsters' presidency on pledges to root out corruption and work to end the federal oversight, which the union agreed to in 1989 to avoid racketeering charges brought by the Dep't of Justice. IBT has spent $ 83 million to support the federal monitoring, Hoffa said. He added that more than 100 officers and members have been kicked out for associating with alleged organized crime figures.

Coia Resigns, Gets $335,000 a Year, No Plea Deal Cited

Submitted by Michael Nelson on Mon, 12/20/1999 - 01:00

On Sep. 30, the Bureau of Nat'l Affairs reported that Laborers' Int'l Union of No. Am. president Arthur A. Coia -- who has been repeatedly accused of organized crime ties by the Dep't of Justice -- would plead guilty to a felony for an improper association with a union vendor and that Coia would be forced by DOJ to resign as part of plea. On Dec. 6, Coia -- a personal and political friend of Bill Clinton -- resigned effective Jan. 1. There was no report of any plea or that DOJ had any role in the resignation.

Coia had a conflict in his dealings with car dealer Carmine Carcieri, who helped him avoid taxes on his purchase of a $450,000 Ferrari. At the time, the dealership held LIUNA's car-leasing contract, worth over $1 million a year. In a controversial and LIUNA-funded "trial," Coia was slapped with a $100,000 fine, but was dubiously cleared of several more serious charges, such as alleged ties to organized crime. DOJ openly criticized the "trial" of Coia and LIUNA's failure to oust him, and DOJ reportedly opened an investigation of his Carcieri dealings.