Investigation on the wrong “track”

Shucet asks for a peashooter to shoot an elephant

Philip Shucet, Hampton Roads Transit president and CEO, requested a review by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) inspector general of Norfolk’s light-rail project and business practices.

Follow up:

Sorry, Phil! You need to call (757) 455-0100. This affair has gone way beyond some internal white wash by VDOT officials. This is about public corruption.

Public corruption is #4 of the top ten investigative priorities for the FBI. Why? Because it takes a significant toll on our pocketbooks, siphoning off tax dollars.

Folks, HRT is only ONE facet of this mess - the all-appointed 17 member TDCHR (Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads) was responsible for safeguarding our tax dollars. Any investigation into HRT's misuse of our tax dollars needs to include investigating the role of the members of the TDCHR and the political campaign "contributions" they received from business interests that stand to gain from light rail and the promised TOD (Transit Oriented Development). This is a step in the right direction, but there are far more people who were responsible for the oversight of hundreds of millions of our tax dollars to pretend that this situation was caused only by HRT and that the board in charge of HRT knew nothing about any of this. Submitted on Pilot on-line by Reid Greenmun on Sat, 02/13/2010 at 8:35 pm.

The Government Accountability Office estimates that at least 10 percent of the funding for federal government programs is lost to public corruption and government fraud every year.

The Norfolk FBI website states their focus on public corruption investigations in on violations of federal law—such as bribery, contract and procurement fraud, antitrust violations, environmental crimes, and election fraud—by public officials in local, state, and federal government.

What can the FBI do? Plenty. They use cyber capabilities, surveillance skills, and track financial dealings. Last year, they opened over 900 cases, which led to over 650 convictions or guilty pleas. They are proactive. FBI analysts are specifically trained to uncover corruption, and agents always have an eye out for new and evolving angles.

Yup, it is time for the big guys to step in.