UPDATE: As promised, there is more information coming on this important story. Check the latest here.
Could 7 of the 8 Supervisors in Prince William County be corrupt? That’s what I keep hearing from various sources, including Sheriff of Nottingham and Black Velvet Bruce Li. Only Supervisor Pete Candland has not been accused of participating in these shady dealings in the county. Tips on the Board’s corruption have been coming into the FBI office that is investigating corruption in the suburbs, including this email recently sent to the FBI:
From: Willie WhistleblowerSent: 03/03/14 04:46 AMSubject: Public Corruption Tips – Prince William CountyI read with great interest your announcement last month of your crackdown on public corruption in Northern Virginia. Prince William County government should be at the top of your list of targets.
The best place for you to start would be with the county supervisors’ recently curtailed “discretionary” (a.k.a. slush) funds. Use of these funds was only restricted after numerous abuses came to light via local media and blogs. Several elected officials used these official county funds for both political and personal gain including, but not limited to Supervisors Covington, Jenkins, Caddigan and Nohe (and to lesser degrees Supervisors May and Principi.)
Then there is the use of official county resources and staff (while on county time in county facilities) for political purposes by county supervisors. The main ones to look at here are Chairman Stewart and Supervisors Caddigan and Jenkins.
I would be remiss if I did not also point you in the direction of both current County Executive Peacor and former County Executive Gerhart. They are both at the crux of facilitating these activities as well as relationships between county supervisors and local land developers and land use lawyers where there have long been rumored quid pro quos involving campaign contributions, cash payments for dinners, and trips in exchange for approving developments and appointments to local boards. On that side of the equation, the primary focus should be the law firm of Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley, Emrich & Walsh, P.C.
Finally (for now at least), there is the misuse and outright conversion of campaign funds for personal use. The clearest cut examples of this are with Supervisor Caddigan where funds have been used to pay for personal things and/or benefits as well as several thousand dollars in sham “salary” payments to her husband for minimal work typically performed by campaign volunteers for free.
The following link provides a road map to get you started on your investigation:
http://www.bvbl.net/index.php/2014/02/19/seven-tips-for-the-fbi/
The following blogs have a further treasure trove for you to explore as well – just search the aforementioned names and you will find so much more:
http://sheriffofnottinghampwc.blogspot.com
http://www.bvbl.net
http://virginiavirtucon.wordpress.com
http://thederecho.blogspot.com
Thank you for your attention to these matters. The public corruption in Prince William County is one of the worst kept secrets around and has all but eroded the public’s confidence in local government.
Sincerely,
Willie Whistleblower
My, my, things in Prince William are hotter than a firecracker. The FBI investigations and reports should be VERY interesting. The Bull Elephant will keep you updated as this story develops.
