7/24/2007

Investigation

Since I try to maintain this as a reality-based weblog, I want to clear up what I believe is a misconception.

In an earlier post, an anonymous commenter suggested that there is a federal investigation into missing money on the coal plant project. Later in the same thread, someone I believe to be the same poster said he is "working on getting the name of the investigator and his division for you. He was at a Commission meeting a few months back, began to state his case and was shut down by Stebbins and escorted out. Sound familiar?"

If there is truly a federal investigation underway, I find it extremely difficult (ok, impossible) to believe that such an investigator would a) publicly appear at a City Commission meeting to state his case and b) be escorted out.

Methinks the poster is referring to none other than Lawrence Rezentes, an accountant who's guest column first piqued my interest in this whole coal fiasco. While the Tribune reports that he is employed by the US Department of Justice, it is my understanding he works for the US Bankruptcy Trustee's office. It is also my understanding that Mr. Rezentes' interest in this issue is personal and, while he has obviously brought his professional training to bear on the questions, I do not believe he speaks for the Justice Department.

Thus, I do not believe that there is a "federal investigation" underway.

But I could be wrong.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am not that anonymous poster-but I would think that you are correct. The Tribune says that Mr. Rezentez is employed by the Department of Justice. The DOJ website reveals that the Office of the United States Trustees is part of the DOJ that supervises bankruptcy cases.

Anonymous said...

So Mr. Rezentez has a financial clue.

Mary Jolley has a financial clue.

Susan Overfield has a financial clue.

Hmmm.... those with financial clues speak up and are dissed with a 3 minute rule or threatened and then thrown in jail for speaking up.

That might suggest city commissioners, especially Ms. Stebbins, are not stupid but might be calculatingly clever.

Can an argument be made the Commissioners, especially Ms. Stebbins, are acting in bad faith?

GeeGuy said...

Bad faith? To what end?

Anonymous said...

Well, maybe there are issues with the way commissioner don't want people to know which funds the payouts come from?

I don't know. I hear the term "in bad faith" all the time so figured you could explain it or make a connection.

I just don't get how the commissioners could take taxpayer money and gamble it. I mean, come on, all the public service announcements say "If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't true."