My Brother's Keeper ?
Cook County news:
Rev. Jeremiah Wright's daughter found guilty of money laundering
| March 7, 2014
SPRINGFIELD - The daughter of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Barack Obama's former minister, was convicted by a federal jury Friday of laundering thousands of dollars from a $1.25 million state grant for a Chicago-based job-training program.
Jeri Wright said she would "definitely" appeal the verdict in U.S. District Court, which found her guilty of 11 counts that included money laundering, lying to federal agents and lying to a grand jury.
"I didn't do anything," Wright, 48, of Hazel Crest, said as she left the Springfield courtroom.
...
Her attorney described Wright as a victim of a web spun by longtime friend Regina Evans, the former Country Club Hills police chief who has pleaded guilty to corruption in the case. Evans had secured the state loan for the job-training program but allegedly diverted the money rather than use it for the purpose she proposed.
Prosecutor Timothy Bass contended Wright took as much as $11,000 in cash from more than $30,000 in checks in a scheme where she also sent money back to Evans. Bass maintained Wright lied “over and over” when quizzed about the case.
Bass maintained in closing arguments that Wright was “given an opportunity” and took it in a state that has a “well-earned” reputation for corruption.
Evans applied for the grant in February 2009 for a group called We Are Our Brother's Keepers. The proposal called for 40 people to get training in bricklaying and electrician skills, but the money allegedly was diverted.
Within months, Evans began tapping the funds for what Bass had called a "spending spree," including a trip to Las Vegas, a basement remodeling and the purchase of vehicles for a security business with her husband.
*With all the fresh Millennial journolists working the clean government beat, and all the independently financed new journolist start-ups coming into the business, I'm sure there will be an alert, non-swallowing, Mike Royko-type to keep these grant programs honest this time around...
Question, Question, Question...
and when they feed you an answer that sounds too suspiciously good to be true, question them some more...
It will take practice, and time, which some of these freshly minted liberal arts majors newly installed in their mainstream news positions, might not want to put in. They want to analyze, crack jokes, appear on the talking heads programs, sign a book contract and bank the advance.
Report honestly?
Question authority?
Risk losing friendly power networks?
That's the news-gathering business, babe.
The rest of it is just pure business sales, and tolerating black youth without serious economic or union job prospects because somebody on the team seized the reparation dollars before they could advance the mission intended.
"I Got Mine, now did you Get Yours?"
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