wmlro.com: Sheriff's scam benefits himself and his team.
Even by the standards of corrupt officials, the actions of Sheriff Charlie Morris of Okaloosa County in Florida was spectacular. It was not so much the amount of money he took but the persistence of his actions that make his case so fascinating.
Morris had a prediliction for new cars - but it was not the cars themselves that attracted him; it was more to do with the fact that he took a kickback on every car the County bought for his use.In fact, he had a stream of 41 new cars, all traded in at a loss when just a few weeks old.
But he went even further: he secured grants for his unit from the Department of Homeland Security and other departments.
Then he paid out bonuses to his team - in return for a refund to him personally of part of the bonus.
So far, USD114,000 has been identified as having been taken by Morris - but despite the investigation having reached a high-point in February when he was arrested in Las Vegas with USD35,000 in cash that is not thought to be the whole amount.
Morris drove his team with messages of honour and integrity: then gave them unexpected deposits saying they were bonuses but then demanding that anything up to a third of the money be handed to him in cash.
Morris and one of his administration staff have pleaded guilty to a range of offences including money laundering. They have yet to be sentenced.
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