By Kelly McDarby '16:
Law enforcement cracked down on government officials this week. FBI agents and other federal officials raided and searched the properties of several political figures—making two actual arrests. The arrests and investigations appear to relate to fraud, bribery, and corruption.
California Senator Leland Yee (D) was arrested on Tuesday with charges of wire fraud and arms trafficking. California’s Senate President immediately requested Yee’s resignation. Then on Wednesday, Patrick Cannon (D), mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with theft and bribery. Officials report that Cannon could be sentenced to a twenty-year prison sentence and over one million dollars in fines.
There have also been several other recent crackdowns on illegal political actions. The FBI raided the offices of New York State Assemblyman William Scarborough (D) earlier this week. Two other Democratic New York State Senators are facing corruption charges.
Federal agents also raided the offices of House Speaker Gordon Fox (D) in conjunction with investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI, the IRS, and the Rhode Island state police. The next day, Fox resigned from his position.
It appears that FBI agents are taking bold actions. They are using undercover operations to reveal government corruption. What will become of this new initiative? Who is next?
Sources:http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/03/26/charlotte-mayor-patrick-cannon-arrested/6918119/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fbi-california-state-sen-leland-yee-arrestedhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/03/26/fbi-conducts-raids-targeting-elected-officials-in-three-states/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/26/fbi-public-corruption-arrests_n_5037482.html