You Can't Separate Conservatism From Corruption-- Not On Either Side Of The Aisle

Ahmad & Rahm-- two crooks

Yeah, yeah... Republicans stink-- all of them. I hope they all disappear off the face of God's earth (before they destroy it). But there are politicians who call themselves "Democrats," for one reason or another, who are every bit as bad as any corruption-mired garden variety Republican. Remember the crook Rahm Emanuel hired as Comptroller of Chicago, Amer Ahmad, who helped Rahm figure out how to illegally cut pensions for public service employees? His behavior could have been predicted long before Rahm hired him-- and probably was; Rahm was looking for a kindred soul. He found him. As socially "liberal" as careerist bribe-takers like Joe Crowley and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Ahmad was long a classic Wall Street suckup/fuck the little people sort of character. He was finally indicted Thursday.

A former deputy treasurer was among those indicted Thursday for his role in a bribery and money laundering scheme federal prosecutors say involved the Ohio Treasurer’s office.

Amer Ahmad, 38, of Chicago, a deputy under Ohio Treasurer Kevin Boyce, and attorney Mohammed Noure Alo, 35, of Columbus, were charged with conspiracy and honest services wire fraud. Ahmad is also charged with money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, federal program bribery and making false statements.

The charges resulted following an investigation that involved the FBI’s Central Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes special agents from the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

In court documents, the government charges that from 2009 to 2011 Ahmad used his position to direct state broker service business to Douglas E. Hampton, a Canton securities broker, according to the Justice Department.

Hampton, the justice department said, was paid about $3.2 million for handling 360 trades on behalf of the state treasurer’s office.

In exchange, Hampton funneled more than $500,000 in payments to Ahmad and others, the Justice Department said. Alo, a lobbyist and friend of Ahmad, is accused of getting more than $123,000.

Hampton pleaded guilty to conspiracy Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Peter C. Economus of the Southern District of Ohio. Chiavaroli pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to commit money laundering.

Ahmad left the treasurer’s office after Boyce lost the 2010 election to current Treasurer Josh Mandel. More recently he had been comptroller for the city of Chicago under Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

After learning of the indictment, Emanuel announced he intended to have an audit done on Ahmad’s work for the city, the Sun Times reported.

“We have no reason to believe and have no knowledge of any such wrongdoing during his tenure in Chicago,” Sarah Hamilton, communications director for the vacationing mayor, said in a statement. “But we will take any action that is needed-- including conducting a review of Finance Department activities over the last two years-- to ensure that Chicago taxpayers are protected.”

Ahmad indicated to a reporter, via text message, that he would plead not guilty to the charges, the Sun Times said.

Mandel’s communications director, Seth Unger, issued a statement.

“The alleged conduct of Amer Ahmad from the previous Treasurer’s administration is deeply concerning. On behalf of Ohio taxpayers, we hope that he and the others involved are brought to justice,” Unger said.

A friend familiar with the FBI corruption investigation tells me Boyce, now the most corrupt Democrat in the Ohio House of Representatives is the real target and that they hope to get Ahmad to squeal on his former boss. It's because Democrats allow crooks like Ahmad and Boyce (not to mention Wasserman Schultz and Crowley) in their midst that the country gets saddled with sociopaths like Josh Mandel (another paragon of political corruption), who beat Boyce for state Treasurer in 2010.

Boyce is as corrupt as a Democrat gets, hiring his high school buddies, church friends and political cronies to fill key positions in Ohio’s Treasury, while wasting thousands upon thousands of taxpayer dollars to put his name on things like water bottles and hand sanitizer (which might be necessary for absolution after shaking his hand).

Boyce has also played corrupt games with campaign contributors and lobbyists, handing out, as though he were a Republican, state contracts for campaign contributions, and hiring a bank that defrauded the states of California and New York to do state business, because a friend of his Deputy Amer Ahmad was their lobbyist (this lobbyist's only client) and the lobbyist’s wife was Ahmad’s assistant.

Ohio Treasurer Kevin Boyce: Corrupt, Cowardly & Incompetent

This year, it's especially important that we elect good progressive Democrats. Reactionary lunatics are going to win a lot of races around the country, that much is sadly inevitable. Yes, Christine O'Donnell will be able to take her performing dog act on the road and won't be in the U.S. Senate but plenty of candidates just as fundamentally bad-- if less flamboyent-- will be in the Senate and in the House and in offices high and low. As we’ve been discussing here for a long time, better Democrats are what matter, and wasting any time or effort to protect the bad ones, well, it would be more useful to spend your time mastering new gardening techniques or learning to speak Pig Latin... literally.

We have no better contrast than in the perennial swing state of Ohio. There have been some great Progressives elected over the past few cycles, including Congresswomen Mary Jo Kilroy and Betty Sutton, and this cycle we have a special opportunity to oust Big Tobacco Bag Man & cadmium-colored Sun King John Boehner and replace him with a hardworking, progressive West Point graduate, Justin Coussoule.

Yet, there are other Democrats in Ohio who would benefit us most by just disappearing, such as one of our least favorite Blue Dogs Zack Space, whose woman-hating, gun-loving, healthcare-despising record is just enough to make you puke just a little in your mouth, at the thought of even voting for him.

But I’d like to talk about another terrible, corrupt Democrat today, one who has not received the attention he deserves. I am speaking of Appointed City Councilman/Appointed Treasurer Kevin Boyce. I wouldn’t be surprised if Boyce agrees with right wingers who want to repeal the 17th Amendment (direct election of US Senators) as he can’t seem to actually get himself elected to anything, unless you include a 2-3 person ballot of insiders who know they can count on him to do whatever they want.

But Boyce’s record goes well beyond just his ability to hold office without running for it. Boyce is as corrupt as a Democrat gets, hiring his high school buddies, church friends and political cronies to fill key positions in Ohio’s Treasury, while wasting thousands upon thousands of taxpayer dollars to put his name on things like water bottles and hand sanitizer (which might be necessary for absolution after shaking his hand).

Boyce has also played corrupt games with campaign contributors and lobbyists, handing out, as though he were a Republican, state contracts for campaign contributions, and hiring a bank that defrauded the states of California and New York to do state business, because a friend of his Deputy Amer Ahmad was their lobbyist (this lobbyist's only client) and the lobbyist’s wife was Ahmad’s assistant.

Boyce is also a notorious coward, ready to throw any other Democrat under the bus at a moment’s notice to protect his own arrogant hide. When he was busted for spending taxpayer money on himself, his reaction was to attack Democratic Attorney General and former Treasurer, Rich Cordray, saying at least he wasn’t as bad as him.

More recently, when it became clear what a nightmare his office was, such that, among others, his Campaign Manager, Chief of Staff, Communications Director, Director of Community Affairs, Finance Director, Information Technology Director, Executive Assistant, Director of Community Education, Director of Technology, Deputy Legal Counsel, both Deputy Communication Directors, the Deputy IT Director, etc. and so forth had all left his employ in less than 18 months in office, he, in his cowardly way tried to lay the blame at their feet, saying he fired them.

Of course when the Cleveland Plain Dealer called them to find out what really happened, he changed his story. But he still did, laughably, get offended this his "integrity" was being questioned, which would be like David Vitter getting offended that his chastity would be questioned.

Additionally, I have heard some even more distressing stories about Boyce's intolerance. He once sat in a senior staff meeting while one of his staffers made a comment about “working harder than a Hebrew slave,” and when other senior staffers expressed dismay, simply chose to ignore it. He also once referred to his opponent at a fundraiser, Josh Mandel (another loser), as a “rich Jew,” after making sure there were no Jews in the room. Never one for the high-ground, when Mandel put out a a lame ad insinuating Boyce is somehow sympathetic to Muslims, Boyce struck back with an ad that seems to insinuate that being "a good Christian," he's more qualified to be Treasurer than Mandel. Too bad Ohio doesn't have "None of The Above" as an option!



Members of the gay community have told me of his disgust for them and unwillingness to reach out, and he was even caught referring to one of his female staffers as a “loud, white woman.”

Ohio is an important state for a strong, progressive coalition going into the future. The corrupt, cowardly and incompetent Kevin Boyces of the world only degrade, water down, corrupt and destroy any chance we have of making that a reality. So get out there and vote for great progressive candidates, but if you are progressive, leave the Treasurer’s line blank. It will help the movement in the long run, and weed out another charlatan from those who will be there with us to fight the important fights. Remember, if this clown does get elected, it puts him in a position to run for governor or senator one day-- and we have enough problems without adding that one!