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U.S. ATTORNEY John Brownlee, second from left, presents Buchanan County Administrator W.J. Caudill with a check for $1,050,544 for the county. The proceeds represent the monies collected by the federal government through asset forfeitures from defendants convicted in the federal government's Operation Big Coon Dog case. Looking on during the presentation are FBI Senior Agent Don Thompson, IRS Special Agent in Charge Charles Pine and at right, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bondurant.
(Staff photo/Cathy St. Clair.) |
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Feds Deliver $1.05 Million
Buchanan County Gets Lion's Share of Coon Dog Forfeitures
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by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor |
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Buchanan County taxpayers got back $1.05 million of the monies its former public officials and convicted local contractors cost the county in the wake of a bid-rigging and bribery scheme, dubbed “Operation Big Coon Dog.”
The scheme was uncovered by federal investigators following the Hurley flood of 2002 and the monies returned Monday represented a portion of the county’s financial losses in the case. A civil suit against those named in the case continues in federal court.
U.S. Attorney John Brownlee, together with representatives from the FBI, the IRS and federal prosecutors Tom Bondurant and Jennifer Bockhorst, traveled to the county Monday to present a check for $1,050,544 to the county.
The announcement came during a 2:30 p.m. press conference in the middle of Monday’s regular meeting of the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors.
Brownlee took the podium, noting the monies being returned to the county Monday -- although not all of the funds the county has previously said it lost as a result of the dishonesty of its now jailed public officials and contractors – represented money forfeited from the 16 defendants named in the case.
“Today, we are here to do something we don’t get to do very often,” Brownlee said. “Typically, when I stand behind the podium, I’m the bearer of bad news, but today, we’re here to share good news. Today, the issues that the people of Buchanan County have endured since the Hurley flood of 2002 have come full circle.”
Beginning in May 2002, after the flood at Hurley, some $545,000 in bribes were paid by vendors and contractors to public officials in an effort to obtain almost $8 million in federal and state money for repair and clean-up contracts. In the end, the state ended up denying some of the county’s claims for reimbursement on work completed, which left the county responsible for 100 percent of the costs of the denied clean-up effort, mounting up losses to the county at what has been estimated at $2.7 million.
A civil lawsuit has been filed in federal court against the defendants and their companies seeking restitution.
The county’s attorney in that case, Stephen Minor, said Monday that the amount that suit seeks in damages will now be adjusted downward as a result of the receipt of the $1,050,544 through the asset forfeitures of the named defendants.
Brownlee noted that less than two years ago, he and representatives of his office, the FBI and the IRS has stood outside the federal courthouse in Abingdon to announce “16 community leaders had victimized their own people.”
“Sixteen defendants were charged with fraud and bribery for stealing taxpayer dollars in Operation Big Coon Dog,” Brownlee said. “During a time when the people of Buchanan County needed assistance the most, they were instead victimized by the very people sworn to help them. The actions of the Buchanan County leaders at that time were clearly fueled by greed. The people of the county were let down.
“Throughout this investigation and prosecution, we had two major goals, -- finding justice for the people who suffered through the Hurley Flood of 2002 and ensuring that this kind of public corruption was rooted out,” Brownlee continued. “I believe we have accomplished both of these goals. It is gratifying to be able to present the people of Buchanan County with the assistance that is rightfully theirs.”
He continued, “Today, we have come full circle. Each of those 16 defendants has been convicted and sentenced. Buchanan County has new leadership. The people you see here with me are committed to serving the people who put them in office. Now, it’s time for the people of Buchanan County to get what is rightfully theirs.”
The U.S. Attorney’s office went to bat for the county with the U.S. Department of Justice in seeing that the bulk of the asset forfeiture funds collected were returned to the county, through its support of the county’s petition for those funds. Some $1.4 million was collected in asset forfeitures from the defendants named in the case, who are now serving time. The monies returned to the county represent the forfeitures less percentage administrative costs, according to a spokesman for the IRS. |
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story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at
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Committee Named to Eye Road Policy
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by
Cathy
St.
Clair
News
Editor |
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A
committee
was
appointed
to
examine
proposed
amendments
to
the
county’s
road
and
bridge
policy
after
concerns
about
the
policy
were
expressed
Monday.
Buchanan County Board of Supervisors
Chairman
Roger
Rife
asked
fellow
board
members
to
name
a
committee
to
look
at
the
policy
and
to
bring
back
a
recommendation
to
the
full
board
as
to
whether
the
policy
should
be
adopted
or
further
amended.
"I wonder on some of the things
we
see
that
we’re
doing
that
the
policy
says
we’re
not
supposed
to
do,"
Rife
said,
without
elaborating
further.
"I feel we should grandfather
some
in,
or
take
some
out,
but
we
need
to
know
with
this
policy,
what
are
the
repercussions
on
existing
roads.
I’d
like
to
get
some
questions
answered
before
we
do
a
coal
road
plan."
County Administrator W.J. Caudill suggested
that
if
the
board
had
questions
about
the
proposed
policy
that
the
committee
route
might
be
the
best
way
to
address
the
issue.
He
suggested
that
the
committee
also
include
the
county
attorney
and
Coal
Road
Engineer
Marcus
Stiltner
as
members.
Plans are for the committee to meet as early as
next
week.
A
recommendation
is
expected
to
be
developed
by
the
April
meeting.
Garden Supervisor Buddy Fuller made
the
motion
to
establish
the
committee
and
Prater
Supervisor
Eddie
Lindsay
seconded
the
motion,
The
vote
was
unanimous.
Supervisors
named
to
the
committee
included
Rife,
North
Grundy
Supervisor
Carroll
Branham
and
Knox
Supervisor
Pat
Justus.
Later in the meeting, following
a
discussion
on
an
unrelated
matter,
Hurricane
Supervisor
William
P.
Harris
suggested
in
a
whispered
conversation
to
Justus
that
when
the
policy
is
examined,
it
needed
to
be
changed
to
allow
county
roads
to
serve
two
homes.
Harris
suggested
to
Justus
that
the
change
was
needed
for
his
district
and
for
Justus’
district.
Several roads were
on
the
table
Monday
for
consideration
to
be
taken
into
the
county
system.
At
least
one
each
was
in
the
Hurricane
or
Knox
districts
and
involved
a
proposed
new
road
to
serve
only
two
homes.
Ultimately, board members
did
not
consider
any
of
the
roads,
agreeing
to
wait
until
the
policy
has
been
developed
and
approved.
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For more of the
story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at
newsstands now. To subscribe to the Mountaineer,
call 276-935-2123 today.
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