Governor Rick Snyder’s economic “team” was one of several contractors who pumped millions into ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s alleged criminal enterprise. Although the government hid the companies’ identities in the indictment, public records and interviews helped put names to aliases. The list of companies includes deep-pocketed donors and powerful executives. Hmmm… maybe that’s why the governor chose to abolish the “Nerd Fund” rather than to expose his donors?
The companies involved are going to be needed by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to help prosecute the case. “It’s always hard to say whether the payer of a bribe is culpable or a victim of the crime,” said Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University and former federal prosecutor.
“Sometimes that’s hard to distinguish.” So far, most executives linked to the corruption probe have escaped indictment. Some witnesses were granted immunity and others are victims, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said.
Among the contractors who were allegedly extorted to retain Bobby Ferguson as a subcontractor include Walbridge, a general contractor headed by John Rakolta Jr., a longtime area powerbroker who was recently named to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) by Snyder. Wayne County and its Building Authority has filed a law suit seeking to recover $154 million from 3 jail contractors including John Rakolta’s Walbridge.
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