MDPD saves the environment and some trust fund shenanigans.

We're not talking about trust fund monkey business like disbarred attorneys Roger Besu or Sally Sawh allegedly ripping off their clients of millions of dollars, we're talking about our own MDPD misappropriating (what stealing is called when the government does it) money from a federally funded trust fund!  YUP!  Uncle same sets aside millions of dollars in a trust fund for the MDPD to go after people breaking federal and state environmental laws, FANTASTIC!  But how does that money get spent?  Jim DeFede does a great job of breaking down how some of that money was spent, let's take a look...


Hybrid SUV's for the MDPD top brass  $300,000...

They're now reporting they actually spent $900,000 on those SUV's, so maybe they looked like this...

Camper $8,000.  Wait a minute, what kind of camper does $8,000 buy?!

Travel expenses $180,000...

DirecTV subscriptions $10,000...

30 Smith and Wesson assault rifles $20,000...

High powered rifle scopes $15,000...

 

Good lord!  What the hell does any of that stuff have to do with investigating people breaking environmental laws?  I'm not sure, I can only imagine the justification for these purchases that the taxpayers are going to be offered by the MDPD.  Regardless though, according to Mr. DeFede's article, all purchases must be authorized by both a local EPA representative and the director of the MDPD, based on Mr. DeFede's examination of the documents authorizing these purchases, he suggests that someone else signed off on those purchases, someone familiar to our mortgage fraud stories...

In today's follow up column to first story from the CBS I-Team investigation, Mr. DeFede claims that these questionable purchases were authorized by none other than MDPD Chief legal counsel Mr. Glenn Theobald who also happens to be the head of the Miami Dade County Mortgage Fraud task force!  Mr. Defede states that Mr. Theobald approved those purchases back in February 2008 allowing hundreds of thousands of dollars to be diverted from this federal environmental fund to other parts of the MDPD.  YIKES!  Apparently Mr. DeFede's inquiry into this matter prompted Mr. Theobald to issue a memorandum stating the following on January 29, 2010...

"This memorandum rescinds the previous opinion regarding your memo to this writer...trust fund monies in the account can only be used to further environmental investigations...A direct nexus with the expenditure and the furtherance of environmental investigations is required...Any other interpretation was mistaken due to the information provided at the time the memorandum was presented."

That certainly sounds like a CYA move if I've ever seen one!  As our readers know, we hold Mr. Theobald in high regard, so hopefully there's a good explanation for what went on here.  Nice work Mr. DeFede, we're waiting with bated breath...