Former Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll (R) claimed she “had no idea law enforcement was investigating a veterans charity accused of running illegal slot machine-style casinos until two agents walked into her office last month,” the AP reports.

“She was taking photos with people in her office on March 12 when she was told the agents wanted to speak to her. When the agents walked out about 20 minutes later, Gov. Rick Scott’s chief of staff was waiting outside her office. He told her Scott wanted her to resign. She immediately said yes and called her husband to let him know.”

New York Assemblyman Nelson Castro (D), “who wore a wire to help indict his colleague, Eric Stevenson, announced his resignation,” the New York Observer reports.

“Stepping down from office, in addition to cooperating with federal authorities, were steps he took in order to avoid prosecution himself.”

The Westchester Journal News notes Castro “has been working as an informant for investigators since July 2009.”

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s office “announced yet another New York State elected official, Bronx Assemblyman Eric Stevenson, has been arrested and accused of taking bribes,” the New York Observer reports.

“Earlier this week, New York’s political world was rocked when corruption charges were leveled against State Senator Malcolm Smith and Councilman Dan Halloran. Mr. Stevenson’s charges will be formally unsealed at noon today.”

Taxpayers could shell out at least $120,000 to figure out how indicted former Pittsburgh police Chief Nate Harper might have misappropriated about $70,000, the Pittsburgh Tribune reports.

Juan Gonzalez: “New York has produced some of the most crooked politicians in the nation’s history. This was, after all, the city of Boss Tweed, Jimmy Walker, Mario Biaggi and Meade Esposito. But this latest political scandal has to be the dumbest, most delusional scheme ever concocted.”

“That’s politics, that’s politics. Not about whether or will, it’s about how much, and that’s our politicians in New York, they’re all like that. And they get like that because of the drive that the money does for everything else.”

— New York City Councilman Daniel Halloran (R), quoted by the New York Times, in a complaint charging him with an attempt to rig the mayoral election.

Former Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer was sentenced to 18 months in state prison, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Greer last month “pleaded guilty to money laundering and theft, admitting he had created a company called Victory Strategies to siphon to himself and an associate some $200,000 of party donations.”

Said a judge: “You’re now a convicted felon, sir. I feel that this crime deserves prison. You egregiously violated a position of trust.”

A federal grand jury in Miami is investigating Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), “examining his role in advocating for the business interests of a wealthy donor and friend,” the Washington Post reports.

“Menendez has intervened in matters affecting the financial interests of Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, seeking to apply pressure on the Dominican government to honor a contract with Melgen’s port-security company, documents and interviews show. Also, Menendez’s office has acknowledged he interceded with federal health-care officials after they said that Melgen had overbilled the U.S. government for care at his clinic.”

Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll (R) “abruptly resigned amid law enforcement questions about a Florida Internet sweepstakes company at the center of a nationwide criminal investigation,” the Miami Herald reports.

“It’s unclear if Carroll is the target of any criminal charges. Attorney General Pam Bondi and law enforcement officials have scheduled a 2:30 p.m. press conference in Orlando to discuss the case. Gov. Rick Scott also has announced an afternoon press conference.”

Daily Beast: “On one fateful night in Boston, two dynamic speakers made waves at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Both men, young, black, and products of hardscrabble Midwestern cities, were considered rising stars and were getting major exposure on one of the country’s biggest stages. One of those men was a first-term state senator from Illinois named Barack Obama. The other was the charismatic first-term mayor of Detroit: Kwame Kilpatrick.”

“To say that the fortunes of those two men have gone in opposite directions is an understatement. Obama’s DNC speech, which followed Kilpatrick’s that night, helped propel him to national stardom, a seat in the U.S. Senate, and eventually the presidency. On the other hand, Kilpatrick, who narrowly won re-election in 2005 before a sex scandal and perjury conviction cost him the job in September 2008, was convicted on 24 counts including federal racketeering, extortion, mail fraud, and tax evasion on Monday. He was later sent to prison to await sentencing. He is one of 35 former city employees, including other elected officials, to be convicted by the federal government in the past eight years.”

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) was convicted of corruption charges, “ensuring a return to prison for a man once among the nation’s youngest big-city leaders,” the Washington Post reports.

“Jurors convicted Kilpatrick of a raft of crimes, including racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum punishment of 20 years behind bars. He was portrayed during a five-month trial as an unscrupulous politician who took bribes, rigged contracts and lived far beyond his means while in office until fall 2008.”

Detroit News: “Kilpatrick will learn shortly whether he is headed directly to prison today after being found guilty on 24 counts in his corruption trial earlier Monday morning.”

Police say a man in Lexington, KY stole $274,000 in campaign-contribution checks intended for the Democratic Governors Association, the Jessamine Journal reports.

National Journal reports that disgraced former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) makes dramatic accusations against Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in his new memoir, Sideswiped.

Writes Ney: “If the Justice Department were ever to make John produce receipts for his addiction to golf just for the years from 1995 to 2004, he would be hard-pressed to comply. John got away with more than any other Member on the Hill.”

A key suspect in a criminal case tied to former Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) “will officially switch his plea to guilty in three federal charges for illegal campaign activity,” the Miami Herald reports.

“Justin Lamar Sternad’s admission of wrongdoing next Wednesday will be another sign that he’s cooperating with the federal government in its investigation of Rivera.”

Oscar Hernandez, the unschooled and illiterate former mayor of the scandal-ridden suburban city of Bell, CA claimed in court that he had no training that would have alerted him that his huge salary was illegal, the AP reports.

“Hernandez is among six former Bell city officials charged with misappropriating funds. He was earning just under $100,000 a year for the part-time job.”

“Legally, the officials could have paid themselves $673 a month for what was a part-time job, since they didn’t actually run the city… But in addition to their inflated council salaries, the officials appointed each other to commissions that did nothing and often met yearly just to increase their pay, he said.”

“Tell everybody back home, I’m sorry I let them down, OK?”

— Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), to Lynn Sweet after pleading guilty to misuse of campaign funds.

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D) pleaded guilty today “to a conspiracy to siphon about $750,000 in federal campaign funds for their personal use,” the Chicago Tribune reports.

“About 3,100 personal purchases were made on campaign credit cards, totaling $582,772.58… Prosecutors said $60,000 was spent on restaurants, nightclubs and lounges; $31,700 on personal airfare; $16,000 on sports clubs and lounges; $17,000 on tobacco shops; $5,800 on alcohol; $14,500 on dry cleaning; $8,000 on grocery stores and $6,000 at drug stores.”

“In one of the more exotic purchases, Jackson used campaign funds in the spring of 2011 to pay a taxidermist in Montana $7,058 for two mounted elk heads to be shipped to his office in Washington. This was the beginning of an FBI sting, according to court documents.”

Former New Orleans
Mayor Ray Nagin (D), “the brash spokesman for the city inundated by Hurricane
Katrina, is expected to plead not guilty in federal court on Wednesday
to charges that he accepted kickbacks in exchange for city contracts,” Reuters reports.