yea. but who is going to go after the corrupt federal employees and federal elected officals???? Original Article Feds clamp down on corruption in Arizona Public servants under scrutiny Dennis Wagner The Arizona Republic Dec. 28, 2005 12:00 AM In southern Arizona, more than 40 soldiers, airmen, border guards and correctional officers took bribes from FBI agents posing as cocaine smugglers. In Maricopa County, dozens of workers at the state Motor Vehicle Division conducted side businesses selling fraudulent driver's licenses on the black market. In Marana, the mayor was indicted on a charge of attempted extortion. Pat Schneider, the top federal criminal prosecutor in Arizona, said he doesn't know whether government corruption is getting worse or it just seems that way because more public servants are getting caught. Either way, he added, the U.S. Attorney's Office is determined to expose and convict officials who use their positions to break the law. And one year after the creation of an Arizona Public Corruption Task Force, results are starting to show. While the federal record-keeping system has some flaws, Schneider said, available data suggest a dramatic rise in corruption arrests: In 2003, there were nine in the state; last year there were 66; so far this year there have been 76. "Bad public officials give us all a bad name," Schneider said. "If we're going to have systems in which people have trust, then there's got to be integrity." Jana D. Monroe, the FBI's special agent in charge for Arizona, noted last week that the agency reassigned most of its agents to the war on terrorism after Sept. 11, 2001. However, she added, "combating public corruption on all levels is one of the bureau's top priorities."' The most recent example: Last Wednesday, a federal grand jury in Phoenix indicted Sadie Thomas-Burnette, former director of child-care programs for the White Mountain Apache Tribe, on a charge of embezzling nearly $142,000 in federal money meant for children. The Corruption Task Force, which involves most of the law enforcement agencies in Arizona, provides training and a communications network to identify suspected lawbreakers within government. Schneider said that includes any form of corruption but that smuggling-related crime seems to be the biggest problem. Schneider said corruption has not permeated Arizona but criminal syndicates are constantly looking to prey on vulnerable public servants. Nationally, corruption or allegations of corruption among officials has made headlines this past year: Consider: I. Lewis "Scooter"' Libby was forced to resign as chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney after his indictment on perjury charges in connection with an FBI probe of security leaks. Indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, accused of bribery and influence-peddling, is expected to become a government witness against a circle of Washington, D.C., figures, including members of Congress. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, was forced to step down as House majority leader after his indictment for laundering political campaign contributions. Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., resigned after admitting he accepted $2.4 million in payoffs from defense contractors. In a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll, nearly 9 out of 10 Americans identified government corruption as a serious problem in the United States. In Arizona, Schneider said he is at a loss to explain the widespread corruption encountered by FBI agents in Operation Lively Green, a 3-year narcotics sting. During that probe, soldiers and law officers lined up to accept bribes from what they believed were representatives of Mexican cocaine cartels. The defendants, most of whom already have pleaded guilty, included Army National Guard soldiers, airmen from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Nogales police officers and federal port inspectors. The military personnel wore uniforms and used National Guard vehicles to haul supposed loads of cocaine to Las Vegas. In return, investigators said participants collected an estimated $800,000 in bribes, some of that for recruiting colleagues to join in the corruption. Schneider said Arizona's status as a border state and a smuggling conduit, presents extra temptation for government officials who work at demanding, low-paying jobs. Because of that, he added, it is vital to catch and punish those who abuse public positions so the thousands of honest government servants see justice at work. "How do you continue to do your job and feel good about it? That's got to be demoralizing," Schneider said. "The problem is these cases affect the integrity of our whole justice system and our sense of justice." Reach the reporter at dennis.wagner@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8874.