GREENBELT, Md. — A former Maryland county executive pleaded guilty on Tuesday to shaking down developers for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and other favors in exchange for doing business with the county, part of a wide-ranging public corruption probe that prosecutors said is far from over.
The plea came six months after former Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson accepted $15,000 in cash from a developer and was immediately confronted by FBI agents. Shortly thereafter, agents tapping Johnson's cell phone listened as he called his wife while agents were at the door of their home and asked her to flush a $100,000 check down the toilet and to stuff nearly $80,000 in cash in her underwear. He and his wife were then arrested and the cash was recovered.
"I want to say to all the citizens of our county that I'm very sorry for what happened," Johnson, dressed in a dark suit and striped tie, said outside court. "We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of the Lord."
Johnson, a Democrat, led the Washington suburb of more than 860,000 residents from 2002 through 2010. He's now likely to face an even longer stint in prison. Federal sentencing guidelines call for him to receive between 11 and 13 years, although U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte is not required to sentence him within that range. Johnson pleaded guilty to one count each of extortion and evidence and witness tampering, and prosecutors agreed to drop six other counts, including bribery.
Read more:
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/former-md-county-exec-948952.html
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
