In the beginning... was a letter to our Governor

THE TRAP HAS SPRUNG

IN THE BEGINNING...

Letter sent to Governor Corbett on July 11, 2011

As a public servant and a representative to the people, I thought it is important to fill you in on some deeply disturbing events in Wilkes-Barre. It appears the Mayor (Leighton) and the city, along with the police chief (Dessoye) and force, have been engaging in a highly profitable corruption racket with a local towing company (L.A.G. Towing). It is also impossible to believe that the city solicitors aren't complicit in the scheme. They are either complicit or are as dumb as bricks.

The city is breaking its contract with L.A.G. by charging astronomical, predatory prices nowhere near the industry standard. Any curious mind would want to know why the contract is being broken in favor of a tower who just last September rammed someone’s car and head-butted a cop.

                  

I am so certain that corruption exists: I will prove it to you. Through public records, I have added the money going from LAG to both Leighton and the city to be minimally $262,000 (through contract fees and campaign donations). This of course doesn’t include any undocumented money. In return the Mayor, police chief, and city has illegally violated the city contract by allowing L.A.G. Towing to charge fixed, rigged, predatory prices and by willfully looking the other way as cars are stolen.

A KICKBACK   can be defined as a portion of income (in this case $262,000) given to a person in a position of power or influence (Leighton, the Chief, or a City representative) as payment for having made the income possible (through allowance of predatory pricing and auto thefts). This fits like a glove.

BRIBERY   can be defined as anyone who gives public servants money or other valuables in exchange for services in a specified way. This fits. The “specified way” is the allowance of L.A.G. to fix prices at predatory levels up to $250-$800 per tow. The “valuables” is the $260,000 already mentioned. Bribery also occurs when LAG allows cops to drive beautiful "LAG owned" cars in return for the cops looking the other way in regards to Glodzik's criminal activity (and through aggressive towing).

Based on the facts, we now know that kickbacks/bribes exist... we just don’t know the extent. We desperately need an audit and an investigation to follow the money trail on the thousands of tows of $200-$250 to $800 and higher. In my opinion, when one takes in all the facts and evidence - including the police behavior (see my report) – we are looking at huge, wide-scale corruption.

WHY SO NEFARIOUS? Profits are being made off the backs of the backs of the poorest, most vulnerable, and most defenseless citizens. Their cars are held at a “ransom” (storage fees of $50) and eventually are turned into money. If you are a poor female African-American you can kiss your car good bye because you likely don't have connections. 

A Police Captain (Hughes) had a yard (A1 Auto) on Blackman Street where some of the cars were sold (he was a lieutenant at the time). Can a scam get much bigger than citizen’s cars being seized and then sold?

As an independent outsider, can you help? How do I undo the log-jam between the DA, police, and FBI? Are you in a position to broker something so the investigation can move ahead? Any support would be appreciated. I am not running for any office and I don’t stand to make a dime (in fact I paid $650 for a polygraph to affirm that I was telling the truth about how I was treated when I was towed).