Three Month NBC 6 investigation of Wackenhut Over-billing County (aired May 23, 2007)It is old news -- it was reported in May 2007 that Eric Rowe, a former supervisor at Wackenhut for 10 years, said it was common for the company to bill Miami Dade County for “Ghost Posts”. Other employees say “There was fraud across the board.”
However, this scandal did not end with the Channel 6 investigation. It is still going on.
There is still a lawsuit pending, which was filed August 4, 2005, that claims $17.5. to $22.5 million worth of over-billing on guarding our transit, rails and other stuff by the Wackenhut Security Company. So we knew as early as August 2005 and it was brought to light again in May 2007 in the embarrassing exposé on Channel 6.
It is almost a year since the Channel 6 report. What has happened since? Where is the final County Audit? Sources tell me that the County is letting Wackenhut supply the information for their audit. That makes sense: handing the investigation into the fraud over to Wackenhut and accepting their documentation. The final audit should have been out ages ago and Wackenhut's alleged greedy fingers should not have a hand in the audit or anything else with regard to this investigation. Let's get to the bottom of this Mayor Carlos Alvarez. Kick your Manager Burgess in the butt on this one and ask Cathy Jackson for the final INDEPENDENT audit now almost a year and 9 months over-due. Let's put an end to this scandal and get our hard-earned tax dollars back from Wackenhut.
Boondoggle? I think so, and maybe a lot worse if it is true that County Staff is dragging their feet and botching up the audit. P.S. Just found CARRIE MEEK is one of Wackenhut's lobbyists and look at this article in New Times, there is way more to this than meets the eye:
Wackenhut gets whacked - Published: March 29, 2007
"In January County Manager George Burgess miraculously recommended that the security firm Wackenhut receive a general service contract worth $4.9 million a year, for the next seven years, to guard several government sites. The deal seemed set to pass, in spite of Miami-Dade County's pending lawsuit alleging fraud by the company, and a county audit of Wackenhut that has been promised, and delayed, for nine months.
But at a recent Budget and Finance Committeee hearing, County Commissioner Rebecca Sosa spoke up, asking why any company under investigation would be awarded such a meaty contract.
"Any time that I see a message from the inspector general, I try to pay attention," she told New Times. With Sosa's prodding the commission awarded contracts to Alanis Security and Delad — two companies that are not being investigated for fraud.
Cathy Jackson, the head of the county's Audit and Management Department, did not return two phone calls for comment. The release date for the audit remains a mystery." — Calvin Godfrey
Note the date this was published!!! Also note Lobbyists for Wackenhut:
CHRISTINE L WELSTEAD
REPRESENTING WACKENHUT IN LITIGATION 1/18/2006
CARRIE P. MEEK
CONTRACT SECURITY WORK IN MIAMI DADE COUNTY 5/22/2007 (STILL OPEN)
ELIJAH PENDLETON
NONE 6/14/2007
ARMANDO GUTIERREZ
NONE 1/28/2008
SERGIO PEREIRA
NONE 1/28/2008
ANGELA C DE CESPEDES WENKE
REPRESENTING WACKENHUT IN LITIGATION 3/3/2008
Now that I see the Lobbyists I understand a lot more.
Carrie Meek: Remember my advice for the sake of your son: STAY HOME!
11 comments:
I rememeber hearing about this. I can't believe it is still going on.
It was in New Times in 2006
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2006-09-07/news/a-cool-20-million/
Alvarez is the worst strong mayor in the Country. He takes no responsiblity for the day to day operations, as he should as a result of the vote for strong mayor, because he has the incompentent County Manager (a position that was officially eliminated by the same strong mayor vote) who is being paid $500K a year in salary and benefits to essentially act as a buffer for the Mayor.
It is time for the community to stand up and call for the Manager's firing!
Burgess must be getting something from Wackenhut, or somebody else is. How could this go on so long.
Burgess wanted to award another 35 million dollar contract to Wackenhut? You are right, this is a scandal of epic proportions. Good work Rebecca Sosa!
Too bad the State Attorney is too busy investigating petition circulators to actually look at public corruption; more protection of the county by the State Attorney.
Burgess is not doing a good job; he appears to be in bed with the bad guys. He never even fired the Planning and Zoning Administrator (Ms. Marco) who used her office for love trists and hired her lover, on our dime. Miami New Times did some great stories a couple of months ago. Burgess, a personal friend, quietly shifted her to another department; this is not Manager material. Come on Mayor, protect the people from scum.
Maybe Burgess is planning to go to work for wackenhut, or maybe he is just using Wackenhut to show future prospective clients or employers that he knows how to make government work for corporations. How sad that Carrie Meek shows up again on the wrong side of taxpayers. Where is Kathy Rundle? I guess it just shows, it takes big corruption to go unnoticed by the law, but if you are a little guy-- you are just chum.
It looks like Mayor Alvarez doesn't know who's on first base.
The bigger the criminal, the bigger the lobbyist team.
http://www.miamidade.gov/govaction/lbRegByPrinc.asp
Word around County Hall is that Burgess is going to make his escape to Major League Baseball after the Marlins deal is done. I don't know why everyone thinks this is a done deal by the way. There are several votes that need to happen in the next few months in order for the process to move forward, and, by the way, there is no simple majority, they require a vote of 2/3 of the BCC. That means if Katy is able to come back in time, you may be one vote away from killing the deal. Souto is not moving, neither is Gimenez nor Heyman... That is 4... One more, and its dead.. If the police/fire service issue is not worked out, Joe Martinez will be #5...
The lobbyists Wackenhut has are the rain-makers.
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