Democrat Culture of Corruption: Gregory Meeks Edition

This one's got it all. Apparently corrupt Democrats, Hugo Chavez, Ponzi-schemer Allen Stanford, freebie luxury vacations, you name it.

Ah, the most ethical Congress ever!

Gregory Meeks, the U.S. Representative for much of Queens, has been accused by the Miami Herald of being a pawn in alleged Ponzi-schemer R. Allen Stanford's efforts to undermine a whistle-blower. It's been known for months that Meeks accepted donations, travel, and lodging from Stanford and his nonprofit Inter-American Economic Council. The latter has spent over $22,000 since 2003 on airfare, hotels, and meals for Meeks and his wife in places like Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Sometimes, the couple even flies on Stanford's private jet. But it was only this week that allegations were made by former Stanford workers that he'd asked Meeks, a friend of Hugo Chavez, to ask the Venezuelan president to punish a man named Gonzalo Tirado. In 2006, Tirado accused Stanford of stealing from his banking operations in Venezuela (of which Tirado was president) and questioned whether his whole enterprise was a fraud. According to workers, Stanford asked Meeks to pressure Chavez into opening a criminal probe of Tirado. According to former federal agents eavesdropping on the call, Meeks agreed to convey the message to Chavez. Now, though, the New York Representative has nothing to say about the story.

The Miami Herald report is dated Sunday and clearly flew under the radar. They were also unsuccessful at eliciting comment from the normally loquacious Meeks. Maybe he's off in the Caribbean hanging out with Charlie Rangel, that other New York City paragon of virtue.

Meeks did not return repeated phone calls and e-mails asking for more information about the trip.

The New York lawmaker's relationship with Stanford dates to at least 2003, when he joined other representatives on a trip funded by Stanford to Antigua. Meeks was an active member of the Caribbean Caucus, a group of lawmakers close to Stanford.

Over the next four years, Meeks took five more trips -- several with his wife to luxury resorts in the Caribbean -- paid for by a nonprofit funded by Stanford.

In 2008, he received $12,100 in contributions from Stanford and his employees.

Meredith McGeehee, policy director at the Campaign Legal Center, said Meeks' ties to Stanford should be reviewed by the Office of Congressional Ethics, especially if the congressman interceded on behalf of a donor with the leader of a foreign country.

``It certainly raises questions about the motivation,'' she said.

Mark it down: Nothing will happen to Meeks. He's got double protection, if you know what I mean, and I know you do.

FBI Finds Fugitive Democrat Financier

Of course conveniently omitted from this story is the word Democrat.

Embattled Texas billionaire Robert Allen Stanford was found by federal agents Thursday, two days after he was named in a multi-billion dollar fraud case, according to several news agency reports.

Stanford, chairman of Houston-based Stanford Financial Group, was charged this week by federal authorities following a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation, alleging he had engaged in fraud related to the sale of $8 billion worth of high-yield certificates of deposit held in the company’s bank in Antigua.

Stanford does not face criminal charges and was not taken into custody after being served with court papers related to the civil case filed in federal court in Dallas.

For some reason he wasn't taken into custody, but nonetheless is in a world of trouble.

But now the SEC's fraud charges may be the least of Stanford's worries. Federal authorities tell ABC News that the FBI and others have been investigating whether Stanford was involved in laundering drug money for Mexico's notorious Gulf Cartel.

Authorities tell ABC News that as part of the investigation, which has been ongoing since last year, Mexican authorities detained one of Stanford's private planes. According to officials, checks found inside the plane were believed to be connected to the Gulf cartel, reputed to be Mexico's most violent gang. Authorities say Stanford could potentially face criminal charges of money laundering and bribery of foreign officials.

Authorities say the SEC action against Stanford Tuesday may have complicated the federal drug investigation. The SEC had been prepared to move in earlier, but was asked to hold off because of the FBI's undercover investigation. But this week, when officials realized Stanford was moving huge amounts of cash out of his bank, they had no choice to move in, even if it jeopardized the drug money case.

The federal investigation, however, did not stop Stanford from using corporate money to become a big man at last year's Democratic convention in Denver.

A video posted on the firm's web-site shows Stanford, now sought by U.S. Marshals, being hugged by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and praised by former President Bill Clinton for helping to finance a convention-related forum and party put on by the National Democratic Institute.

"I would like to thank the Stanford Financial Group for helping to underwrite this," Clinton said to the crowd at the event.

Thanks to Dan Riehl for the link.