Bad math
23rd January 2008
“They just offered me a better deal,” said former Orleans Parish School Board President Ellenese Brooks-Simms, answering why she gave business to Statewide, Inc., Dollar Bill Jefferson’s brother’s school uniform business. I guess that “I CAN Learn” software she was playing with does some funny math — not “ha ha” funny, mind you.
Burnell Moliere, president of janitorial services company AME Services Inc., has been charged with laundering at least $40,000 from Dollar Bill’s brother, Mose Jefferson (aka “Mr. A”), to line the pockets of confessed bribe-taker, then Orleans Parish School Board President Ellenese Brooks-Simms, in exchange for a contract with JRL Enterprises for a computer-based math-learning program, “I CAN Learn.” Mose Jefferson is alleged to have taken a $900,000 bribe from JRL to use his political connections to “persuade” decision makers to purchase a software contract.
Among Moliere’s other nefarious activities:
Moliere has been a longtime friend of William Jefferson, who awaits trial on 16 corruption-related federal charges. AME Services Inc., Moliere’s company, has contributed $5,000 to the congressman’s legal defense fund.
After Eddie Jordan, a Jefferson ally, was elected Orleans Parish district attorney in 2002, Moliere was tapped to lead his transition team.
Once Jordan took office, Moliere teamed up with trash hauler Jimmie Woods, president of Metro Disposal, and financier Ray Valdes to create a short-lived Jordan-affiliated Web site called nolada.com. The site was aimed at generating ad revenue that would be shared between the venture and the district attorney’s office, but it was dismantled after questions about its propriety were raised.
The trio also formed a company called Community Based Corrections that angled for a share of the local home-incarceration monitoring business. The company landed a Municipal Court contract from Mayor Ray Nagin’s administration in 2005.
Let’s let these assholes off easy. I say don’t give them jail time. Just let ‘em loose on the citizens. I’ll keep the tar warm.
Posted in New Orleans, Louisiana, Bill Jefferson, Political Corruption, Dollar Bill, Eddie Jordan, Ellenese Brooks-Sims, Mose Jefferson | 2 Comments »