Several Indicted in Texas PAC Probe

AUSTIN, Texas - Three people and eight corporations — including Sears and Cracker Barrel — were indicted Tuesday in an alleged scheme to make illegal campaign contributions through a political action committee formed by U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.



DeLay, a Texas Republican, was not charged.


The grand jury has been investigating whether $2.5 million in corporate funds were used illegally to help Republican candidates win elections in 2002 that gave the GOP a majority in the Texas House for the first time since Reconstruction. The GOP later used its majority to redraw Texas' congressional districts to favor Republican candidates.


Texas law prohibits the use of corporate money for political activity.


DeLay was not questioned or subpoenaed as part of the grand jury investigation.


Those charged included three men connected to DeLay's PAC, Texans for a Republican Majority: John Colyandro, James Ellis and Warren RoBold.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=548&ncid=696&e=1&u=/ap/20040921/ap_on_el_ge/election_investigation

even TEXANS can't be stupid enough to re-elect this crook!

Tom Delay!

From the same article:

The eight companies were charged with making illegal political contributions. They include Sears, Roebuck and Co., the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain, Bacardi USA and Westar Energy. Each company donated at least $20,000.

I'm surprised to see Cracker Barrel...seems odd that a restaurant chain would need to buy political influence. :shrug:

Does anyone know where we can find out what other companies were indicted?

It probably involves lawsuits. I'm sure they probably contributed to the Prop 12 supposed tort reform as well. They were involved in a lawsuit alleging discrimination. I don't know what the outcome was or if has been to court yet.

Cracker Barrel faces lawsuit
11 customers say they endured discrimination
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/news/stories/20031002/localnews/375272.html


Sonia

they were hit with a $100 million class action lawsuit a few years ago for segregating their dining rooms and denying service to black employees.

they also had a policy of firing any openly gay employees. (yeah. in the restaurant business.) queer nation and some other organizations really took them to task for that several years back. i don't know if that policy's still in effect, but it speaks volumes about the guys who run the joint.

so their being charged in this doesn't seem the least bit odd to me.

I guess bigots donating money to other bigots isn't a huge leap in logic after all.

The thread was locked but the post still shows the companies and acmounts
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x843559

Questera Corp of Charlottesville, West Virginia -- two indictments for two $25,000 contributions
Westar of Topeka, Kansas for $25,000
Diversified Collection Services of San Leandro, CA -- $50,000
Sears Roebuck of Illinois -- $25,000
The Williams Companies of Tulsa Oklahoma -- $25,000
Bacardi USA of Miami, Florida-- $20,000
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, of Lebanon, Tennessee -- $25,000
Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care Corp -- $100,000

The allegedly illegal money received by Colyandro other than those
referenced above came from

El Paso Energy Service -- $50,000
Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway--two contributions totaling
$26,000
Reliant Resources -- $25,000
AT&T -$20,000


Sonia

Good lord, he gets away with EVERYTHING!!! That corrupt vermin of a man needs to GO!

Rats him out. DeLay wasn't called to testify before the grand jury, which is kind of odd -- after all, a sitting president was forced to submit to subpoena in a civil suit, and one would think that DeLay's job isn't quite as crucial as the president's.

However, when the slammer door beckons, a number of folks suddenly forget their promises of eternal loyalty and omerta, and flip on the sumbitch they perceive as "getting away with it." DeLay has to be REAL sure he's got something on every one of the indicted parties, or he should be sweating great big drops of sweat.

But then, a cold-blooded bastard like DeLay probably doesn't have sweat glands.

along with Tom Craddick.

Attorney says seven companies, three individuals named in up to 28 counts. So this is a big one.

If that was a democrat doing that sort of crap they'd be in gitmo right now with shackles around their arms & legs

:mad:

"Convict him because of the company that he keeps."

As it will shake out, "His hands are clean!"

Westar was the Kansas utility whose board was so worried about corruption that they turned over their files to an investigator. Seems it was basically a quid pro quo arrangement with the man who represents moral America, Mr. Delay.

DeLay, a Texas Republican, was not charged.

Why not? Is it because Republicans aren't accountable for crime and corruption? Is it because the American people are blissfully unaware of these issues because the republican press is too busy character assassinating democrats to mention them?

http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/09/22indictments.html

The alliance and companies indicted are: The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (a group of 14 nursing home companies), The Williams Companies, Sears and Roebuck, Westar Energy, Bacardi USA, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Diversified Collection Services and Questerra Corp.