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Topic: The never ending Rizzo Trash deal
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Ex-trash firm CEO Chuck Rizzo, towing magnate indicted in bribery scam
Tresa Baldas , Detroit Free Press Published 12:57 p.m. ET May 31, 2017 | Updated

The federal government dropped a legal bomb on three millionaire businessmen today, indicting ex-trash company CEO Charles "Chuck” Rizzo, his father and towing company magnate Gaspar Fiore on a slew of bribery and fraud charges.

Among the allegations is that the Rizzos and Fiore stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Rizzo garbage company while it was majority-owned by others and used some of the money to build Rizzo Jr.'s Bloomfield Township mansion.

The indictment comes eight months after the FBI disclosed a public corruption investigation in Macomb County that shas now ensnared 10 defendants, half of them public officials accused of accepting bribes from Rizzo in exchange for political favors.

► Feds may seize Rizzo $2.5M mansion in public official bribery scandal

According to the U.S. Attorneys office, Rizzo, 46, of Bloomfield Hills, was indicted on five counts of bribery and three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, in connection with garbage contracts in Clinton, Macomb, and Chesterfield townships. Rizzo resigned amid the scandal last fall and the Rizzo-brand name has since been dissolved.

Rizzo's father, Charles P. Rizzo, 70, of New Baltimore, also was charged in the indictment. The elder Rizzo is charged with seven counts of mail and wire fraud for -- along with his son and others-- allegedly plotting at least 10 different schemes to steal money from Rizzo Environmental Services while it was majority-owned by a private equity firm.

Related:

Ex-Rizzo executive Quintin Ramanauskas cuts deal in corruption probe


Ex-lawyer cuts deal with feds in Rizzo trash scandal; Macomb County corruption probe grows
Specifically, prosecutors allege, the Rizzos, Fiore and a fourth individual stole money from the company using a fake legal settlement agreement, fraudulent consulting deals, cash kickbacks, shell companies and stolen money to pay for part of the construction costs of Rizzo Jr.'s Bloomfield Township mansion.

The fourth individual is Derrick Hicks, 47, of Bloomfield Hills, who was also charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Rizzo Jr. is charged with an additional 12 counts of mail and wire fraud.


Also charged with bribery is towing company owner Gasper Fiore, 56, of Grosse Pointe Shores, who is accused of paying cash bribes to former Clinton Township trustee Dean Reynolds in order to secure a towing contract in the township.

According to the indictment, in March 2016, Fiore paid a $4,000 cash bribe to Reynolds, and then another $3,000 in cash to Reynolds in May 2016. The bribes were paid by Fiore to Reynolds through Rizzo.

Rizzo Jr. is being represented by Thomas Greene, a high-powered Washington D.C. attorney and veteran of political scandals. According to his bio on his firm's website, Greene has represented public officials in scandals including Watergate, the Whitewater investigation and the Iran-Contra affair.


Greene, who works for the law firm Sidley Austin, declined comment.

Lawyers for the Rizzo Sr., Fiore and Hicks were not readily available for comment. Neither were the defendants. Arraignments have not yet been scheduled.

"This indictment demonstrates our commitment to bring to justice all participants in bribery schemes, including both the corrupt pubic officials and the bribe payers seeking to profit from public contracts," Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Lemisch said in a statement. "Our citizens are entitled to decision based on the best interests of the public, and not the best interests of politicians who accept bribes and bribe-paying contractors."

The charges against Fiore and Rizzo were added to an indictment that was filed last fall and charged Reynolds with bribery. Today's filing, however, adds fresh bribery charges against Reynolds in connection with another municipality. The indictment alleges that Reynolds conspired to commit bribery with former New Haven trustee Brett Harris, 57, of New Haven. Harris also was charged in the probe and has since pleaded guilty to bribery. He will sentenced Aug. 8.

According to the indictment, Reynolds introduced Harris to an individual who,
unbeknownst to Reynolds and Harris, was an undercover federal agent. Reynolds
introduced Harris as a politician willing to take bribes. The undercover agent proceeded to pay Harris $9,000 in cash bribes in return for Harris’ promise to help secure a garbage contract with New Haven.

Furthermore, the superseding indictment charges Reynolds with accepting
multiple bribes from engineering contractor, Paulin Modi. In this regard, Reynolds took
an $8,000 bribe from Modi in 2009 and another $8,000 bribe from Modi in 2013 in
connection with securing the engineering contract for Modi for Clinton Township.

ince the FBI disclosed the probe last fall, eight men have been charged, including an ex-lawyer, an engineering contractor, a former executive with Rizzo Environmental Services — the garbage giant that folded amid the probe — and five public officials. Of the eight defendants, six have cut deals in the case.

They are:

Ex-attorney Angelo Selva, whose law license was suspended in 2005 over the mishandling of client funds. He has a plea hearing scheduled for June 5 on charges he hid a bribery scheme involving Rizzo from authorities. Specifically, authorities allege that Selva knew about a bribery scheme between Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds and two Rizzo officials — an executive and a lawyer — and concealed it from authorities.
Quintin Ramanauskas, a former commercial manager who for years worked at Rizzo Environmental Services, was charged on May 18 with being the alleged bagman in the case. He is accused of delivering cash bribes to two local officials — Reynolds and former Chesterfield Township Supervisor Michael Lovelock, who in return allegedly helped Rizzo secure contracts.
Lovelock, 57, who is charged with demanding $30,000 in bribes from Rizzo in exchange for favors. Lovelock, 57, of New Baltimore has cut a deal in the case and has a plea hearing set for Thursday.
Former Macomb Township Trustee Clifford Freitas, 43, who is accused of giving insider bidding tips to Rizzo in exchange for a $7,500 cash bribe. He has a plea hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Former New Haven Trustee Christopher Craigmiles, who pleaded guilty in February to accepting a $5,000 bribe from an undercover agent in exchange for his vote on what he thought was a future Rizzo trash contract. He will be sentenced Thursday.
Former New Haven Trustee Brett Harris, who also pleaded guilty to bribery in February, admitting he took more than $11,000 from an undercover agent who was posing as a Rizzo official. He will be sentenced Aug. 8.
Reynolds, 49, of Clinton Township was indicted in November on charges he helped Rizzo secure an $18-million contract extension — without going out to bid — in exchange for $50,000-plus in bribes and a free divorce lawyer. Reynolds is awaiting trial.

Rizzo is now owned by Toronto-based GFL Environmental, which purchased the company two weeks before the corruption scandal surfaced.

Rizzo Environmental Services had trash contracts in more than 50 communities across metro Detroit before being dissolved by its new owner.

Chuck Rizzo Jr. resigned amid the scandal last fall.

Each bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and
a fine of $250,000. Each of the mail and wire fraud counts carry a maximum sentence
of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The bribery conspiracy counts carry a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
Post Wed May 31, 2017 2:20 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Feds hit ex-Rizzo leader with bribery, fraud charges
Robert Snell, The Detroit News 1:25 p.m. ET May 31, 2017

Detroit — Chuck Rizzo, the former head of trash hauler Rizzo Environmental Services, was indicted Wednesday on bribery and fraud-related charges in connection with a widespread public corruption scandal in Macomb County.

The indictment stems from tainted trash-hauling contracts in Clinton, Macomb and Chesterfield townships and alleges Rizzo stole from his own company to bribe elected officials and build a mansion, Acting U.S. Attorney Dan Lemisch said.

The indictment comes almost eight months after the first public officials were charged in federal court with accepting bribes in exchange for awarding multimillion-dollar contracts to Rizzo’s company, which rose from a small player to dominate the garbage industry in Metro Detroit.

Rizzo, 46, of Bloomfield Hills, was charged alongside his father, Charles Rizzo, 70, of New Baltimore, and Detroit towing titan Gasper Fiore, 56, of Grosse Pointe Shores.

A fourth man, Bloomfield Hills resident Derrick Hicks, also was charged in connection with the alleged conspiracy.

“This indictment demonstrates our commitment to bring to justice all participants in bribery schemes, including both the corrupt public officials and the bribe payers seeking to profit from public contracts,” Lemisch said in a statement. “Our citizens are entitled to decisions based on the best interests of the public, not the best interests of politicians who accept bribes and bribe-paying contractors.”

That brings to 12 the number of public officials and businessmen charged in the latest public corruption scandal to hit Metro Detroit in recent years, following the convictions of more than 40 public officials, including ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

“The public understandably is skeptical when public officials and municipal contractors in southeast Michigan conspire with one another to line their own pockets and illegally scheme to obtain advantages over their competitors,” said David Gelios, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit office.

The indictment adds a new dimension to the Macomb County corruption scandal, alleging politicians were bribed for trash and towing contracts.


Fiore and former Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds were charged with multiple counts of bribery-related charges in connection with a towing contract. In early 2016, Fiore allegedly gave Reynolds bribes totaling $7,000, prosecutors allege.

The bribes were funneled through Chuck Rizzo, according to the government.

Fiore, owner of Boulevard and Trumbull Towing, the city's largest tow firm, has long been a dominant figure in the Detroit towing industry.

Fiore also was a minor figure in the corruption case against Kilpatrick in 2012.

That year, Kilpatrick and contractor Bobby Ferguson were charged in federal court and accused of allegedly extorting more than $90,000 from Fiore.

Federal prosecutors later dropped the Fiore allegation to avoid a potential conflict of interest involving Kilpatrick’s lawyer.

The indictment also outlines a vast fraud scheme to steal money from Rizzo’s garbage company from 2013 until it was sold last year to a Canadian firm.

Rizzo, his father, Fiore, Hicks and others plotted to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from Rizzo Environmental Services using a fake legal settlement agreement, fraudulent consulting deals, kickbacks, shell companies and stealing money to pay for Chuck Rizzo’s mansion in Bloomfield Township, the government alleges.

Some of the stolen money bankrolled bribes handed to public officials in order to maintain and secure additional municipal garbage contracts, prosecutors say.

Chuck Rizzo called the embezzled cash “other people’s money,” or OPM, according to prosecutors.

“Bribery regardless of how you disguise it, is illegal”, said Manny Muriel, special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation. “Parties who profit and those who pay the bribe will be charged and held accountable for breaking the law.”

The indictment also says investigators have seized more than $4 million during the ongoing investigation. Prosecutors are trying to have the Rizzos forfeit proceeds from the sale of their minority interest in Rizzo Environmental Services.

The indictment adds new bribery charges against Reynolds, the former Clinton Township trustee.

Reynolds allegedly conspired to commit bribery with former New Haven trustee Brett Harris, according to the indictment.

Reynolds introduced Harris to an undercover federal agent, telling the agent Harris was a politician willing to accept bribes, prosecutors allege.

The agent gave Harris $9,000 in cash bribes to help secure a garbage contract in New Haven, according to the indictment.

Reynolds, meanwhile, pocketed $16,000 in bribes between 2009 and 2013 from engineering contractor Paulin Modi to secure an engineering contract for Modi in Clinton Township, prosecutors allege.

Modi, a former partner with Giffels Webster engineering firm, was charged Tuesday and is expected to plead guilty. A company official said Wednesday that Giffels Webster is not a target of the federal investigation.

In all, Chuck Rizzo was charged with five counts of bribery and three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Chuck Rizzo, his father, Fiore and Hicks were charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Charles Rizzo also was charged with seven counts of mail and wire fraud while his son was charged with 12 counts of mail and wire fraud.

The bribery charges are 10-year felonies and carry $250,000 fines. The mail and wire fraud counts are 20-year felonies and carry $250,000 fines.

Bribery conspiracy, meanwhile, is a five-year felony and carries a $250,000 fine.

rsnell@detnews.com

(313) 222-2486

Twitter: @robertsnellnews
Post Wed May 31, 2017 2:25 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Firm denies involvement in Macomb bribery scandal
Robert Snell , The Detroit News Published 10:34 a.m. ET May 31, 2017 | Updated 4 hours ago

Detroit – An engineering firm linked to a Macomb County public corruption scandal is not a target of the FBI investigation and did not authorize its former partner to bribe anyone, a company leader said Wednesday.

“Not even close,” Giffels Webster partner Matt Schwanitz told The Detroit News on Wednesday.

Schwanitz spoke less than 24 hours after the engineering firm was linked to a widening bribery scandal involving numerous Macomb County communities and businesses.

Former Giffels Webster partner Paulin Modi was charged Tuesday with bribery conspiracy and accused of paying an unnamed Washington Township public official a $1,000 cash bribe in May 2014 to secure a municipal contract, according to federal prosecutors. Modi, 48, of Troy also allegedly helped facilitate a $2,000 cash bribe from another contractor to the same public official between June and October 2014, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“(Bribery) is so far from our policy,” Schwanitz said. “We are very disappointed in what we’ve heard. It’s very disheartening that our name has been mentioned.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office told Giffels Webster officials the firm is not a target of the grand jury investigation, Schwanitz said. A U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman could not be reached for comment immediately Wednesday.

“We are a great firm and it’s very disheartening that our name has been mentioned,” he said. “But we are not a target of the investigation. All of our employees understand that and I think our clients will to.”

He would not say whether the company is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

“We cooperate fully when asked,” Schwanitz said. “The grand jury – I’m not going to comment on that. I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Modi is the eighth person charged in a corruption scandal involving numerous Macomb County communities, trash hauler Rizzo Environmental Services and the Macomb County Public Works office.

Until April, Modi was a partner with Giffels Webster, a company that has numerous municipal contracts in Metro Detroit. During his tenure, Modi handled the bulk of engineering services for Washington Township.


“We parted ways, let’s put it that way,” Schwanitz said. “It’s a personnel matter but we definitely have no relationship with him.”

The unnamed public official allegedly bribed by Modi was not an elected leader of Washington Township and no longer works for the community, The Detroit News has learned.

Modi was charged in a criminal information, which means a guilty plea is expected. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

His lawyer could not be reached for comment.

Six people charged in the corruption investigation have either pleaded guilty or reached plea deals with the government. The bulk of those charged committed crimes in connection with Rizzo, a Sterling Heights company that is accused of bribing public officials as it expanded a business empire that reached 54 Metro Detroit communities.

Those charged include:

Shelby Township resident Quintin Ramanauskas, a former commercial manager with trash-hauling firm Rizzo Environmental Services.

Ramanauskas, 53, left a $3,000 bribe for Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds in November 2015 and a bribe totaling several thousand dollars for former Chesterfield Township Supervisor Michael Lovelock in fall 2015, according to court records.

Ramanauskas is scheduled to plead guilty June 30 in federal court. Lovelock is scheduled to plead guilty Thursday, the same day as former Macomb Township Trustee Clifford Freitas.

Freitas is accused of pocketing $7,500 in bribes from Rizzo between July 2015 and January 2016.

Former New Haven trustees Christopher Craigmiles and Brett Harris also were accused of taking bribes from an FBI agent posing as a Rizzo employee. Both have reached plea deals and await sentencing dates in federal court.

Reynolds, the former Clinton Township trustee, is the only public official that has not reached a plea deal with the government.

Reynolds was indicted in November and accused of taking $50,000 to $70,000 in cash from Rizzo in exchange for supporting the firm’s $3.5 million annual contract bid. He also was charged with taking $17,000 in cash from an undercover FBI agent.

Angelo Selva of Macomb Township is accused of concealing a bribery conspiracy involving Reynolds, a Rizzo Environmental Services executive and the company’s lawyer in September 2015. Selva is to plead guilty June 5 in federal court.

Rizzo’s founder, Chuck Rizzo Jr., resigned from the company in October amid the scandal and was believed to have been cooperating with investigators.

His namesake garbage company was acquired by Toronto-based GFL Environmental Inc. in October.

Two weeks ago, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said a federal grand jury also is investigating her office and has subpoenaed testimony from about a dozen public employees.

FBI agents are asking questions about Miller’s predecessor, Anthony Marrocco; his former deputy, Dino Bucci, and millions of dollars in payments to a county contractor, Miller said.

rsnell@detnews.com

(313) 222-2486

Twitter: @robertsnellnews
Post Wed May 31, 2017 2:28 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Feds: Garbage king Chuck Rizzo and towing titan Gasper Fiore got greedy
Tresa Baldas and Christina Hall , Detroit Free Press Published 10:34 p.m. ET May 31, 2017 | Updated 9 hours ago



The federal government dropped a legal bomb on three millionaire businessmen today, indicting ex-trash company CEO Charles "Chuck” Rizzo, his father and towing company magnate Gasper Fiore on a slew of bribery and fraud charges. Ann Zaniewski/Detroit Free Press

Macomb County corruption probe lands biggest players yet with indictments of Chuck RIzzo Jr. and Gasper Fiore

They had it all.

Chuck Rizzo Jr. built a garbage empire, servicing more than 50 municipalities across metro Detroit to become the biggest trash hauler in the region.

Gasper Fiore made his fortune in the towing business, securing multiple contracts in Detroit, with the State of Michigan, the federal government and several law enforcement agencies.

But it wasn’t enough, federal authorities allege. The men wanted more, investigators say, so they broke the law.

Ex-trash firm CEO Chuck Rizzo, towing magnate indicted in bribery scam
In a dramatic development involving a federal corruption probe into pay-to-play schemes across Macomb County, an indictment was handed up Wednesday charging Rizzo, his father and Fiore with running numerous schemes to enrich themselves.

Among the allegations is that the Rizzos and Fiore stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Rizzo garbage company while it was majority-owned by others and used some of the money to help build Rizzo Jr.’s Bloomfield Township mansion.

Rizzo referred to his ill-gotten gains as “OPM ... other people’s money,” prosecutors allege.

Rizzo and others are also accused of using the stolen money to pay tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to public officials who could help him maintain and secure garbage contracts.

On at least one occasion, court documents allege, a public official picked up a $3,000 bribe at the front desk of Rizzo’s headquarters in Sterling Heights.


Ex-Rizzo executive Quintin Ramanauskas cuts deal in corruption probe
The indictment comes eight months after the FBI disclosed the public corruption probe that has now ensnared 11 defendants, including five public officials accused of accepting bribes from Rizzo in exchange for political favors.

Rizzo resigned as CEO of the company in October amid the scandal. His company is now owned by a Canadian trash hauler and the Rizzo-brand name has since been dissolved.

The indictment charges Rizzo, 46, of Bloomfield Hills, with five counts of bribery and three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with garbage contracts in Clinton, Macomb, and Chesterfield townships. He is also charged with 12 counts of mail and wire fraud.

Fiore, 56, of Grosse Pointe Shores, whose Boulevard & Trumbull Towing company has had contracts with the Detroit police, Wayne County, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the federal government, was indicted on the same day as his 80-year-old father’s funeral. He is accused of paying $7,000 in cash bribes to former Clinton Township trustee Dean Reynolds in order to secure a towing contract in the township.


And he allegedly used Rizzo to hand off the cash.

According to the indictment, on March 18, 2016, Fiore gave $4,000 in cash to Rizzo, who then gave it to Reynolds. Two months later, Fiore gave Rizzo another $3,000 in cash to give to Reynolds.

But unbeknownst to Reynolds and Fiore, the FBI was on to the scheme.

When Reynolds went to pick up the $3,000, an undercover federal agent was there to hand off the money. Reynolds took it, records show, which led to him and several others getting charged last fall in what the government has described as a “wide-ranging corruption investigation centered in Macomb County.”

Reynolds, 49, of Clinton Township was indicted in November on charges he helped Rizzo secure an $18-million contract extension — without going out to bid — in exchange for $50,000-plus in bribes and a free divorce lawyer. Reynolds is awaiting trial.

“The public understandably is skeptical when public officials and municipal contractors in southeast Michigan conspire with one another to line their own pockets and illegally scheme to obtain advantages over their competitors,” Detroit’s FBI chief David Gelios said Wednesday in a statement. “Today’s indictment reflects the FBI’s continued resolve to root out public corruption and to work with honest community leaders to restore the public’s trust in their government officials and institutions. Unfortunately, though, corrupt activity such as this continues.”

Also charged in the indictment is Rizzo’s father, Charles P. Rizzo, 70, of New Baltimore. He is charged with seven counts of mail and wire fraud for — along with his son and others — allegedly plotting at least 10 different schemes to steal money from Rizzo Environmental Services while it was majority-owned by a private equity firm.

Specifically, prosecutors allege, the Rizzos, Fiore and a fourth individual stole money from the company using a fake legal settlement agreement, fraudulent consulting deals, cash kickbacks, shell companies and stolen money to pay for part of the construction costs of Rizzo Jr.’s Bloomfield Township mansion.

The fourth individual is Derrick Hicks, 47, of Bloomfield Hills, who was also charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Rizzo Jr. is being represented by Thomas Greene, a high-powered Washington, D.C., attorney and veteran of political scandals. According to his bio on his firm’s website, Greene has represented public officials in scandals including Watergate, the Whitewater investigation and the Iran-Contra affair.

Greene, who works for the law firm Sidley Austin, declined comment.

Lawyers for Rizzo Sr. and Fiore did not return calls for comment. An employee at Fiore’s towing company who answered the phone Wednesday declined comment. Arraignments have not yet been scheduled.

One longtime towing contractor from Macomb County expressed surprise at the news that Fiore had been indicted for allegedly paying bribes to win a Clinton Township contract.

Vito Strolis, owner of Vito’s Ruehle’s Towing in Mt. Clemens, said that he didn’t think Fiore currently had many — if any — municipal contracts in Macomb County. He noted that his company was awarded the towing contract in Clinton Township and that Fiore apparently never bid on the it.

“It’s kind of unusual,” Strolis said of the allegations that Fiore gave bribes for a contract that he apparently never bid on.

Strolis said the news “is surprising” and that Fiore “works very hard. He’s a self-made man.”

A towing contract in the township was controversial before it was voted on in late August — between the primary and general elections — and given to the lowest qualified bidder — Vito’s Rhuele’s Towing and Garfield & Canal Service, which were awarded the five-year contract, splitting the township geographically.

The prior towing contract had expired about seven years earlier, according to meeting minutes. Representatives of the two towing companies and a third, Nick’s Towing, came forward to speak at the August public meeting. Cannon said that six total companies initially expressed interest in the towing contract.

“Every time you hear something more, it’s disappointing,” Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon said of the latest charges, including more against Reynolds, who Cannon said was “always twisting arms and asking for money.”

“He had zero influence on the township board. He was persona non grata,” said Cannon, who defeated Reynolds for supervisor in November.

The charges against Fiore and Rizzo were added to the initial indictment that was filed last fall and charged Reynolds with bribery for allegedly helping Rizzo win a contract extension in exchange for money.

Reynolds, meanwhile, is facing new bribery charges for his alleged role in helping another elected official in another town accept bribes to help Rizzo win garbage contracts.

According to the superseding — or new — indictment filed Wednesday, Reynolds introduced New Haven Trustee Brett Harris to an individual as a politician willing to take bribes. But unbeknownst to Harris and Reynolds, that individual was an undercover federal agent who proceeded to pay Harris $9,000 in cash bribes in return for Harris promising to help Rizzo secure a garbage contract with New Haven.

Harris has since pleaded guilty to his role in the bribery scheme. He will sentenced Aug. 8.

Reynolds also is charged with accepting $16,000 in bribes from engineering contractor Paulin Modi in exchange for help Modi secure an engineering contract in Clinton Township. According to the indictment, Reynolds accepted two bribes from Modi: $8,000 in 2009 and another $8,000 in 2013.

Modi was charged Tuesday in a charging document known as an information, which signals that he is cooperating and likely to cut a deal soon. Out of the 12 defendants charged, six have cut deals in the case.

Rizzo is now owned by Toronto-based Green For Life Environmental, which issued a statement following Wednesday’s indictment of Rizzo Jr.

“Two weeks after GFL bought RES we learned of disturbing allegations regarding Chuck Rizzo, Jr. He resigned his employment at that time. No members of the Rizzo family are currently employed with GFL or any of our affiliate companies including GFL USA,” GFL CEO Patrick Dovigi said.

“We have taken appropriate steps to ensure the highest ethical standards are practiced by our company and our employees. We continue to work each day and provide our nearly 700,000 customers in Michigan with the highest level of service and standards at the best possible price.”

Rizzo Environmental Services had contracts in more than 50 communities across metro Detroit before being dissolved by its new owner.

Each bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. Each of the mail and wire fraud counts carry a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The bribery conspiracy counts carry a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
Post Thu Jun 01, 2017 6:50 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Cast of characters in Macomb County corruption probe
Tresa Baldas , Detroit Free Press Published 8:19 p.m. ET May 31, 2017 | Updated 10 hours ago


EX-Rizzo CEO indicted on fraud and bribery charges



The federal government dropped a legal bomb on three millionaire businessmen today, indicting ex-trash company CEO Charles "Chuck” Rizzo, his father and towing company magnate Gasper Fiore on a slew of bribery and fraud charges. Ann Zaniewski/Detroit Free Press


An ongoing federal investigation into political corruption centering on Macomb County has so far resulted in 12 people being charged.


Ex-trash firm CEO Chuck Rizzo, towing magnate indicted in bribery scam
Charles (Chuck) B. Rizzo Jr., 46, of Bloomfield Hills, is charged with five counts of bribery, three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and 12 counts of mail and wire fraud. He is accused of paying tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to win garbage contracts in Clinton, Macomb and Chesterfield townships. He's also accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Rizzo trash company, while it was majority owned by others, and using the stolen money to build a mansion and pay bribes to public officials to maintain and win additional garbage contracts.
Gasper Fiore, 56, of Grosse Pointe Shores, owner of the Boulevard and Trumbull towing company, is charged with two counts of bribery and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He is accused of paying $7,000 in bribes to a Clinton Township trustee to win a towing contract and participating in a scheme that involved stealing money from the Rizzo trash company while it was owned by a private equity firm.
Charles P. Rizzo, 70, of New Baltimore, father of Chuck Rizzo, is charged with seven counts of mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He is accused of participating in a scheme that involved stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Rizzo trash company while it was owned by a private equity firm.
Derrick Hicks, 47, of Bloomfield Hills, is charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He is accused of participating in a scheme that involved stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Rizzo trash company while it was owned by a private equity firm.
Dean Reynolds, 50, former Clinton Township trustee, is charged with multiple bribery counts and conspiracy. He is accused of helping Rizzo secure an $18-million contract extension — without going out to bid — in exchange for $50,000-plus in bribes and a free divorce lawyer. He also is accused of pocketing $7,000 in cash bribes from Fiore, who wanted help securing a towing contract.
Ex-attorney Angelo Selva, whose law license was suspended in 2005 over the mishandling of client funds, has a plea hearing scheduled for June 5 on charges he hid a bribery scheme involving Rizzo from authorities.
Quintin Ramanauskas, a former commercial manager who for years worked at Rizzo Environmental Services, was charged on May 18 with being the alleged bagman in the case. He is accused of delivering cash bribes to two local officials — Reynolds and former Chesterfield Township Supervisor Michael Lovelock, who in return allegedly helped Rizzo secure contracts.
Michael Lovelock, 57, of New Baltimore, the former supervisor of Chesterfield Township, is charged with demanding $30,000 in bribes from Rizzo in exchange for favors. He has cut a deal in the case and has a plea hearing set for Thursday.
Clifford Freitas, 43, a former Macomb Township trustee, is charged with bribery. He is accused of giving insider bidding tips to Rizzo in exchange for a $7,500 cash bribe. He has a plea hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Christopher Craigmiles, a former New Haven Trustee, pleaded guilty in February to accepting a $5,000 bribe from an undercover agent in exchange for his vote on what he thought was a future Rizzo trash contract. He will be sentenced June 8.
Brett Harris, a former New Haven trustee, pleaded guilty to bribery in February, admitting he took more than $11,000 from an undercover agent who was posing as a Rizzo official. He will be sentenced Aug. 8.
Paulin Modi, 48, of Troy, an engineering contractor, is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery for allegedly paying a $1,000 cash bribe to a Washington Township official in exchange for help winning a contract. He's also accused of helping facilitate a $2,000 cash bribe involving another contractor.
Post Thu Jun 01, 2017 6:55 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Ex-FBI chief: Chuck Rizzo doomed for turning on the feds
Tresa Baldas , Detroit Free Press 11:08 p.m. ET June 1, 2017

The federal government dropped a legal bomb on three millionaire businessmen today, indicting ex-trash company CEO Charles "Chuck” Rizzo, his father and towing company magnate Gasper Fiore on a slew of bribery and fraud charges. Ann Zaniewski/Detroit Free Press

Legal experts say Charles Rizzo Jr. is probably looking at a much longer prison term if convicted of federal charges.


If Chuck Rizzo Jr. thought he'd get little to no prison time for wearing a wire for the feds in a continuing corruption investigation, he made a big mistake, experts say.

Given the charges he faces — paying bribes to multiple public officials for multimillion-dollar garbage contracts — prison is inevitable, they say.

But Rizzo isn't settling for that. And he's apparently done cooperating with the government.

In a move that experts believe will doom Rizzo, the 46-year-old garbage executive stopped cooperating with the government because he had no guarantees that he would avoid prison, multiple sources familiar with the case told the Free Press.

The move quickly backfired as Rizzo — who wore a wire for months and secretly recorded numerous public officials and a well-known businessman — was indicted Wednesday on a slew of federal charges that could send him to prison for up to 20 years.

"Obviously, it's going to hurt him," Ex-FBI chief Andy Arena said of Rizzo's decision to end cooperation with the government, noting he's got "the full weight of the government coming down" on him now.

Arena, who ran the Detroit FBI office during the City Hall public corruption probe that led to the downfall of ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, said when defendants back out of cooperation agreements, they typically "end up paying for it." He also noted that cooperation and plea deals don't equal avoiding prison time.


"Working a deal doesn't necessarily mean you're not going to jail. You're still going to be held accountable, but you just may be able to soften the blow a little bit," Arena said.

In Rizzo's case, avoiding prison would largely depend on what he gives up, Arena said.

"A good example is (Sammy) Gravano. He gave up John Gotti and the entire structure of the Gambino crime family," Arena said. "You've got to give up something really, really major to walk away scot-free. ... I've seen it happen. But it's rare."

So far, Rizzo's cooperation in the case has led to charges against five public officials who are accused of pocketing bribes from Rizzo in exchange for garbage contracts in their Macomb County municipalities. Rizzo also helped the FBI ensnare towing titan Gasper Fiore, 56, of Grosse Pointe Shores, who was indicted alongside Rizzo and charged with paying bribes for a towing contract in Clinton Township.


Rizzo and Fiore are the biggest names to surface in the FBI probe, which was disclosed last fall and has since led to charges against 12 individuals, including Rizzo's father, Charles P. Rizzo, 70, of New Baltimore. The Rizzos and Fiore are accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Rizzo trash company to pay bribes to politicians and to help build Rizzo Jr.'s mansion in Bloomfield Township.

Of the 12 defendants charged so far, six have cut deals.

Since the corruption scandal broke last year, Chuck Rizzo has gone through three lawyers. His first attorney died in October. Then he was represented by top-shelf defense attorney David DuMouchel of Butzel Long. His attorney now is Washington, D.C., attorney Thomas Green, who has represented clients in scandals including Watergate, Whitewater and the Iran-contra deal.

DuMouchel and Green both declined comment.

Prominent criminal defense attorney Bill Swor said he wasn't surprised by the Rizzo indictment, noting it's typical of what happens when defendants renege on a cooperation deal.

"Once you sign your deal with the government, they own you. And if you don't do what they want you to do, this is what happens," Swor said, adding an indictment "was going to come sooner or later."

"Certainly his lawyers are going to argue that he's a changed man and that his cooperation demonstrates that. And he should receive consideration for that," Swor said.

Peter Henning, a former federal prosecutor who worked for the Justice Department in Washington, believes Rizzo's about-face with the government will cost him.

"He put himself in serious jeopardy of a substantial prison term, one that instead of being measured in months is likely to be measured in years," said Henning, a Wayne State University law professor who has been closely following the case. "The government went after him with everything it has. It's not pulling any punches here."

Henning believes Rizzo's cooperation is especially going to harm him because he's already allegedly admitted to wrongdoing.

"He can't contradict what he told the government and FBI when he was a cooperating defendant," Henning said.

"The standard agreement when you are cooperating is that if you don't reach a final agreement and you go to trial and take a contrary position, (the government) can impeach your case. It's like having a defendant testify against himself. It's very dangerous to go down that road."

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com.
Post Fri Jun 02, 2017 8:49 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Businessman set to plead guilty in Macomb scandal
Robert Snell , The Detroit News Published 2:43 p.m. ET June 21, 2017 | Updated 14 hours ago


Federal prosecutors have charged 12 people in a widespread bribery scandal involving corrupt municipal trash and towing contract. Rob Snell, The Detroit News



Detroit – A Bloomfield Hills man accused of plotting to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from Rizzo Environmental Services is expected to plead guilty for his role in the Macomb County public corruption scandal.

Derrick Hicks, 47, is scheduled to plead guilty at 10 a.m. June 30 in federal court in Port Huron, according to court records. Details about the plea deal were not available Wednesday.

Macomb corruption scandal figure arraigned

A plea could give prosecutors a key witness against three key figures charged in the scandal: former Rizzo CEO Chuck Rizzo, towing titan Gasper Fiore and former Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds.

The hearing was set three weeks after Hicks was indicted and accused of participating in conspiracy to bribe Reynolds in return for his support of municipal contracts.

Rizzo, his father Charles Rizzo, Fiore, Hicks and others plotted to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from Rizzo Environmental Services using a fake legal settlement agreement, fraudulent consulting deals, kickbacks, shell companies and stealing money to help pay for Chuck Rizzo’s mansion in Bloomfield Township, the government alleges.

Some of the stolen money bankrolled bribes for public officials to maintain and secure additional municipal garbage contracts, prosecutors say.

Chuck Rizzo called the embezzled cash OPM, short for “other people’s money,” according to prosecutors.

Chuck Rizzo, Charles Rizzo, Fiore and Hicks also were charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

In all, 12 people have been charged in the corruption scandal.

rsnell@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2486

Twitter: @robertsnellnews
Post Thu Jun 22, 2017 11:15 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

WXYZ Channel 7

FBI corruption probe targets Macomb County Public Works office

Jim Kiertzner
6:32 PM, May 15, 2017
6:32 PM, May 15, 2017



(WXYZ) - The feds have expanded their public corruption investigation in Macomb County.

Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller confirms a dozen employees have testified in front of the Federal Grand Jury downtown answering questions about former Commissioner Anthony Marrocco and other top official, Dino Bucci.

Both are now out of that office.

Miller also says the FBI has gotten documents from her office that include invoices totaling millions of dollars and written on the documents: give the check to Bucci or Marrocco.

Bucci is also an elected Trustee on the Macomb Township Board.

The feds have charged 5 local elected officials in Macomb, Chesterfield, New Haven and Clinton Townships with taking bribes in connection with Rizzo trash contracts.

Four of the 5 have taken plea deals including Cliff Freitas, who was on the Macomb Township Board with Bucci, but also worked at Rizzo.

The speculation is Freitas could help the feds build a case against Bucci, who could then take the feds to Marrocco.

Neither Marrocco nor Bucci is charged with any crime.

Former U. S. Attorney Barb Mc Quade said elected officials are often targets in corruption cases because they are elected to serve the public trust. The feds have called the Macomb County case “systemic corruption.”

It is not known how much longer the case will go.
Post Mon Jun 26, 2017 5:51 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Ex-Rizzo CEO arraigned in Macomb County corruption case
Nicquel Terry, The Detroit News 6:06 p.m. ET June 28, 2017

Detroit — The embattled former CEO of Rizzo Environmental Services was arraigned in federal court Wednesday on a slew of bribery and conspiracy charges in a widespread corruption scheme.

Chuck Rizzo appeared with his attorney David Debold before Magistrate Judge Anthony P. Patti.

Rizzo is charged with five counts of bribery, three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, a count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and 12 counts of mail and wire fraud.

Patti entered a not-guilty plea for Rizzo and released him on a $10,000 unsecured bond.

Rizzo, 46, of Bloomfield Hills was indicted in the corruption scandal after sources say he stopped cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The relationship soured after Rizzo had cooperated with an investigation into public officials pocketing bribes in exchange for approving municipal contracts with Rizzo’s firm and a towing company.

The 43-page indictment stems from tainted municipal contracts across Macomb County and alleges Rizzo stole from his own company to bribe elected officials and build a $2.5 million mansion.


The indictment came nearly eight months after the first public officials were charged with accepting bribes in exchange for awarding multimillion-dollar contracts to Rizzo’s company.

In all, 12 people have been charged in the corruption scandal.

The government alleges Rizzo, his father Charles P. Rizzo, 70; Detroit towing titan Gasper Fiore and Bloomfield Hills resident Derrick Hicks and others plotted to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from Rizzo Environmental Services using a fake legal settlement agreement, fraudulent consulting deals, kickbacks, shell companies and stealing money to help pay for Chuck Rizzo’s mansion in Bloomfield Township.

The bribery charges each carry a 10-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. The mail and wire fraud charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. And the bribery conspiracy charges carry a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

nterry@detroitnews.com
Post Wed Jun 28, 2017 6:55 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Detrot police suspend permit of towing titan Gasper Fiore amid corruption probe
Tresa Baldas , Detroit Free Press Published 8:32 p.m. ET June 15, 2017 | Updated 7:57 a.m. ET June 16, 2017

EX-Rizzo CEO indicted on fraud and bribery charges

The federal government dropped a legal bomb on three millionaire businessmen today, indicting ex-trash company CEO Charles "Chuck” Rizzo, his father and towing company magnate Gasper Fiore on a slew of bribery and fraud charges.



Indicted towing titan Gasper Fiore has fallen out of the Detroit Police towing rotation after landing in the middle of a federal corruption probe in Macomb County.

According to a document obtained by the Free Press, the Detroit Police Department today voted to suspend the towing permit of Boulevard & Trumbull Towing -- the company that Fiore built his fortune around. The prominent Grosse Pointe Shores businessman was indicted May 31 on allegations that he paid cash bribes to win a towing contract in Clinton Township.

Fiore was arraigned on Tuesday. Two days later, the Detroit Police wrote this one-page administrative message: "Pursuant to various local rules and ordinances pertaining to police authorized towing, the Board Of Police commissioners voted to suspend Boulevard and Trumbull's Police Authorized Towing Permit. As a result, Boulevard & Trumbull shall be removed from all department tow rotations. Until further notice, members are prohibited from contacting Boulevard and Trumbull for police-related towing services."

An employee at Boulevard & Trumbull who answered the phone late Thursday declined comment and said to call back Friday. An attorney for the company could not be reached for comment, nor could Fiore's criminal defense attorney in the federal case, Robert Morgan.

Detroit police spokesman Sgt. Adam Madera declined comment.

Fiore, 56, of Grosse Pointe Shores, whose company has also had contracts with Wayne County, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the federal government, is accused of bribing Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds in exchange for a political favor. Specifically, he is accused of paying Reynolds $7,000 for help in securing a towing contract.

And he allegedly used indicted trash hauler Chuck Rizzo Jr. to hand off the money.

According to court documents, Fiore last year allegedly gave $4,000 in cash to Rizzo, who then gave it to Reynolds. Two months later, Fiore gave Rizzo another $3,000 in cash to give to Reynolds, but an undercover agent delivered Reynolds the money instead.


To date, 12 people have been charged in the Macomb County corruption investigation, including Rizzo, 46, of Bloomfield Hills, who is charged with five counts of bribery and three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with garbage contracts in Clinton, Macomb and Chesterfield townships. He is also charged with 12 counts of mail and wire fraud.

Reynolds, 49, of Clinton Township was indicted in November on charges he helped Rizzo secure an $18-million contract extension — without it being put out to bid — in exchange for $50,000-plus in bribes and a free divorce lawyer. Reynolds is awaiting trial.

Fiore is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, mail and wire fraud. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

Tresa Baldas can be reached at tbaldas@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @Tbaldas.
Post Wed Jun 28, 2017 7:08 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Rizzo bag man strikes deal in Macomb corruption scandal
Robert Snell, The Detroit News Published 12:36 p.m. ET July 27, 2017 | Updated 12:39 p.m. ET July 27, 2017

A businessman ensnared in the Macomb County public corruption scandal struck a plea deal Thursday and could spend up to five years in federal prison.

Shelby Township resident Quintin Ramanauskas, 53, pleaded guilty to one county of conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud and will be sentenced Nov. 28 by U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland in Port Huron.

Ramanauskas is the seventh person to strike a plea deal in the high-profile public corruption scandal involving the trash-hauling firm Rizzo Environmental Services.

The guilty plea came two months after Ramanauskas was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud and accused of delivering bribes to public officials.

He is a former commercial manager with trash-hauling firm Rizzo Environmental Services, the Sterling Heights company that is accused of bribing public officials as it expanded a business empire that reached 54 Metro Detroit communities. Ramanauskas left the company in February, though circumstances surrounding his departure were unclear.

Federal prosecutors have charged 12 people in a widespread bribery scandal involving corrupt municipal trash and towing contract. Rob Snell, The Detroit News

Ramanauskas left a $3,000 bribe for Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds in November 2015 and a bribe totaling several thousand dollars for former Chesterfield Township Supervisor Michael Lovelock in fall 2015, according to court records.

The corruption investigation has led to charges against 12 people so far.

The plea comes one week after a Bloomfield Hills man accused of plotting to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from Rizzo Environmental Services struck a plea deal and implicated Ramanauskas.

Derrick Hicks was owner and CEO of Southfield-based ASAP Services Inc., which provided garbage carts to tens of thousands of homes serviced by Rizzo’s trash company.

Between 2013 and October 2016, Hicks admitted committing wire fraud by embezzling money from Rizzo Environmental Services.

At the direction of trash company CEO Chuck Rizzo, Hicks inflated invoices to Rizzo Environmental Services that exaggerated the number of garbage carts delivered by ASAP Services, according to court records. The embezzlement totaled more than $500,000.

“During the course of and as a part of the conspiracy, (Chuck Rizzo) concealed the existence of the fraud scheme from the chief financial officer of (Rizzo Environmental Services) and from the private equity firm” that owned a majority stake in the trash hauling company, according to Hicks’ plea deal.

Hicks kept some of the cash and split the rest every week with Chuck Rizzo and Ramanauskas, according to the plea deal.

In October 2015, Hicks delivered $50,000 cash to Chuck Rizzo, according to the plea deal. The next month, he gave $3,000 to Ramanauskas.

The government alleges Rizzo, his father Charles Rizzo, Detroit towing mogul Gasper Fiore, Hicks and others plotted to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from Rizzo Environmental Services using a fake legal settlement agreement, fraudulent consulting deals, kickbacks, shell companies and stealing money to help pay for Chuck Rizzo’s mansion in Bloomfield Township.

Some of the stolen money bankrolled bribes for public officials to maintain and secure additional municipal garbage contracts, prosecutors say.

Chuck Rizzo called the embezzled cash OPM, short for “other people’s money,” according to prosecutors.

Chuck Rizzo, Charles Rizzo and Fiore also were charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

rsnell@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2486

Twitter: @robertsnellnews
Post Thu Jul 27, 2017 12:21 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Detroit News


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Ex-official 13th charged in Macomb corruption probe
Mark Hicks, The Detroit News Published 7:35 p.m. ET July 28, 2017
rizzo2Buy Photo
(Photo: The Detroit News)

A former Washington Township public works superintendent who allegedly accepted $10,000 in bribes has become the 13th person charged in the Macomb County public corruption case, federal authorities announced Friday.

In a charging document, Steven Hohensee is accused of accepting cash bribes between March and April 2014 from an unnamed source working under the FBI.

The 61-year-old now faces one count of bribery in connection with his official position at the township, Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch said in a statement. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

Hohensee’s charges are the latest in the corruption scandal involving Rizzo Environmental Services, the Sterling Heights trash-hauling firm accused of bribing public officials as it expanded a business empire that reached more than 50 Metro Detroit communities.

On Thursday, Shelby Township resident Quintin Ramanauskas, a trusted employee and associate of the company’s CEO Chuck Rizzo, became the seventh person to strike a plea deal in the case.


Rizzo and his father both were indicted in May. The government alleges the pair and others plotted to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from Rizzo Environmental Services using a fake legal settlement agreement, fraudulent consulting deals, kickbacks and shell companies.

Also this year, former Giffels Webster engineering partner Paulin Modi was charged with bribery conspiracy and accused of paying an unnamed Washington Township public official a $1,000 cash bribe in May 2014 to secure a municipal contract, federal prosecutors reported.

The Troy man also allegedly helped facilitate a $2,000 cash bribe from another contractor to the same public official between June and October 2014, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The FBI and federal prosecutors have said they learned of the alleged criminal contact after Washington Township Supervisor Dan O’Leary tipped them off.
Post Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:33 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Feds snag 13th defendant in Macomb County corruption probe: an ex-public works official
Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press Published 5:09 p.m. ET July 28, 2017 | Updated 7:36 p.m. ET July 28, 2017



The federal government popped a 13th defendant in its ongoing Macomb County corruption probe, this time a former Washington Township public works official for alleged bribery.

Steven Hohensee, the former superintendent of the Department of Public Works in Washington Township, was charged today with accepting $10,000 in cash bribes in 2014 from an undercover informant who was working for the FBI. According to a charging document filed today, the bribes were handed off just weeks apart — the first one in March 2014 the second in April of that same year.

Hohensee was charged in what's known as an information, a charging document that typically signals the defendant is cooperating and will cut a deal. No lawyer had yet been listed for Hohensee in the court filing system.


Hohensee's case, which is part of a broader corruption probe targeting pay-to-play schemes across Macomb County, is the second hit for Washington Township, where a whistle-blower inside the township alerted authorities about suspicious activity.

In a rare move, the U.S. Attorney's Office in May revealed the name of a Washington Township official who blew the whistle on corruption, including a tip that led to an engineering contractor being charged.

Paulin Modi, 48, of Troy, an engineer for a municipal engineering firm that does work in Washington Township, was charged with paying a $1,000 cash bribe to an unnamed Washington Township official in exchange for help winning a contract. He's also accused of helping facilitate a $2,000 cash bribe involving another contractor.

On the day the charges were filed, the U.S. Attorney's Office credited and praised the work of the whistle-blower: Washington Township Supervisor Daniel O'Leary, saying he "brought the criminal conduct to the attention of federal law enforcement and has been a valuable asset to the investigation since its inception."

O'Leary has declined to comment on specifics of the case.

Today's charges are part of the government's wide-ranging corruption investigation that triggered the demise of trash giant Rizzo Environmental Services last fall and landed its founders in federal court, along with millionaire towing titan Gasper Fiore and 10 others.

Among the allegations is that the Rizzos and Fiore stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Rizzo garbage company while it was majority-owned by others and used some of the money to build Rizzo Jr.'s Bloomfield Township mansion. Chuck Rizzo Jr. and Fiore also are accused of paying bribes in order to secure contracts in various municipalities.





The federal government dropped a legal bomb on three millionaire businessmen today, indicting ex-trash company CEO Charles "Chuck” Rizzo, his father and towing company magnate Gasper Fiore on a slew of bribery and fraud charges. Ann Zaniewski/Detroit Free Press

Both Rizzo, Chuck Rizzo Sr. and Fiore have pleaded not guilty and are free on bond.

Since the FBI disclosed the probe last fall, six defendants have cut deals. The defendants include an ex-lawyer, an engineering contractor, a former executive with Rizzo Environmental Services and six public officials.
Post Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:53 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Feds charge contractor in Macomb corruption scandal
Robert Snell, The Detroit News Published 12:18 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2017
rizzo-truck
(Photo: Detroit News file)

Detroit — Federal prosecutors charged a 14th person in the Macomb County corruption scandal, a contractor accused of funneling $66,000 in kickbacks to a politician.

Christopher Sorrentino, 51, of Macomb Township was charged with structuring financial transactions to avoid current reporting requirements — a five-year felony. He was charged in a criminal information, which means a guilty plea is expected.

Court documents indicate Sorrentino accepted a check from an unnamed Macomb Township official for payment he did not perform. Sorrentino deposited the township check into his bank account.

The unnamed elected official told Sorrentino to pay him a $66,000 cash kickback, according to court records. To avoid IRS reporting requirements, Sorrentino wrote seven checks of less than $10,000 and gave $66,000 in cash to the elected official.

His lawyer Art Weiss declined comment.

The charge is the latest in a wide-ranging, ongoing investigation into public officials pocketing bribes in exchange for approving municipal contracts with Sterling Heights trash hauler Rizzo Environmental Services and a towing company.

Wrongdoing in Macomb Township has repeatedly factored into the investigation.

In June, former Macomb Township Trustee Clifford Freitas, 44, pleaded guilty to demanding and accepting bribes.

In May, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said a federal grand jury is investigating her office and has subpoenaed testimony from about a dozen public employees.

FBI agents are asking questions about Miller’s predecessor, Anthony Marrocco; his former deputy, Dino Bucci, and millions of dollars in payments to an unnamed county contractor, Miller said.

Bucci is a Macomb Township trustee.

rsnell@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2486

Twitter: @robertsnellnews
Post Mon Aug 28, 2017 1:23 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Miller letter claims ‘corruption’ by ex-Macomb Co. aide
Mike Martindale, The Detroit News Published 1:58 p.m. ET Aug. 30, 2017


A newly released letter reveals Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller made allegations in February of “corruption, extortion, bullying and unethical behavior” by former office employee Dino Bucci.

At issue are various matters that allegedly occurred while Bucci worked for former Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco as his $75,000-a-year operations manager for the engineering department. Voters elected Miller to Marrocco’s job last November.

The letter from Miller to Bucci, dated Feb. 9, 2017, and released this week, outlined how a county internal investigation determined he could face discipline or be fired.

The letter alleged “misappropriation of County employees, equipment, resources, your County issued vehicle, County supplied gasoline and time for personal gain, the misuse of your County owned email account for business unrelated to Macomb County, the misuse of County time to conduct business unrelated to Macomb County, insubordination for your blatant disregard of the directives in your Notice of Administrative Leave letter dated January 3, 2017 and alleged violations of the Macomb County Ethics Ordinance.”

Rather than respond, Bucci, who has not been charged with any crimes, resigned from that same month after working for the county since 1993. He remains a Macomb Township trustee.

Miller disclosed in May that county employees had appeared before a federal grand jury regarding their dealings with both Marrocco and Bucci – who is also accused in a federal civil lawsuit of allegedly trying to extort $76,000 from a contractor. Federal investigators also have been reviewing records from the office, presumably including the Miller letter to Bucci.

FBI agents are asking questions about Bucci, Marrocco and millions of dollars in payments to an unnamed county contractor, Miller said in May.

The letter from Miller includes allegations that during his time in the Public Works office, Bucci:

--Conducted township business on county time and required businessmen to report to the Public Works Commission office to pick up township permits.

--Told contractors that money owed by the county for services they would not get paid until they spoke to Marrocco directly and contributed to his fundraisers.

--Had Public Works employees, on county time and with county equipment, do various tasks for Bucci, his relatives and friends, including snow removal, lawn maintenance, landscaping and general labor projects – including moving a woman’s belongings from Ohio to Michigan.

--Authorized use of county cellphones for his family.

-- Conducted Macomb Township work on county time without using the “time off bank.”

--Violated a January notice of administrative leave by contacting Public Works employees and personally returning to county buildings


--Conducted Macomb Township work and fundraiser activities on county time and using county equipment

--Ordered a Public Works employees to obtain child size boots under a Uniform Allowance and then took the boots for his own child.

Through a spokesman, Miller said Wednesday she had no comment on Bucci or her letter.

Bucci, who has declined repeated interview requests this year, did not immediately return telephone calls or an email to The News.

Bucci is reportedly part of an ongoing federal investigation into Macomb County political corruption that has already led to charges against 14 people, including Clifford Freitas, who, like Bucci, was a Macomb Township trustee.

Freitas was charged with several counts of bribery and pleaded guilty to a conspiracy count in June and is a federal witness.

Bucci is named in a federal civil lawsuit that accuses him of attempting to extort $76,000 from a contractor seeking a refund on a permit from Macomb Township. In a video deposition, Bucci denied the allegations and insisted he was offered a bribe by the contractor. That lawsuit is pending.

mmartindale@detroitnews.com

(248) 338-0319
Post Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:00 pm 
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