October (Suprise!), Reid Caught Redhande d

“AP Questions Dem Reid's Windfall Land Deal; Senate Minority Leader Hangs Up When Questioned

This is the same type of manipulation that got Randy Duke Cunningham on the radar and sent to prison. Dem Reid is in big trouble!

Payback, it is a b**ch

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!

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Reid got $1M in land sale

By JOHN SOLOMON and KATHLEEN HENNESSEY, Associated Press Writers
43 minutes ago


WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show.

In the process, Reid did not disclose to Congress an earlier sale in which he transferred his land to a company created by a friend and took a financial stake in that company, according to records and interviews.

The Nevada Democrat's deal was engineered by Jay Brown, a longtime friend and former casino lawyer whose name surfaced in a major political bribery trial this summer and in other prior organized crime investigations. He's never been charged with wrongdoing — except for a 1981 federal securities complaint that was settled out of court.

Land deeds obtained by The Associated Press during a review of Reid's business dealings show:

_The deal began in 1998 when Reid bought undeveloped residential property on Las Vegas' booming outskirts for about $400,000. Reid bought one lot outright, and a second parcel jointly with Brown. One of the sellers was a developer who was benefiting from a government land swap that Reid supported. The seller never talked to Reid.

_In 2001, Reid sold the land for the same price to a limited liability corporation created by Brown. The senator didn't disclose the sale on his annual public ethics report or tell Congress he had any stake in Brown's company. He continued to report to Congress that he personally owned the land.

_After getting local officials to rezone the property for a shopping center, Brown's company sold the land in 2004 to other developers and Reid took $1.1 million of the proceeds, nearly tripling the senator's investment. Reid reported it to Congress as a personal land sale.

The complex dealings allowed Reid to transfer ownership, legal liability and some tax consequences to Brown's company without public knowledge, but still collect a seven-figure payoff nearly three years later.

Reid hung up the phone when questioned about the deal during an AP interview last week.

The senator's aides said no money changed hands in 2001 and that Reid instead got an ownership stake in Brown's company equal to the value of his land. Reid continued to pay taxes on the land and didn't disclose the deal because he considered it a "technical transfer," they said.

They also said they have no documents proving Reid's stake in the company because it was an informal understanding between friends.

The 1998 purchase "was a normal business transaction at market prices," Reid spokesman Jim Manley said. "There were several legal steps associated with the investment during those years that did not alter Senator Reid's actual ownership interest in the land."

Senate ethics rules require lawmakers to disclose on their annual ethics report all transactions involving investment properties — regardless of profit or loss — and to report any ownership stake in companies.

Kent Cooper, who oversaw government disclosure reports for federal candidates for two decades in the Federal Election Commission, said Reid's failure to report the 2001 sale and his ties to Brown's company violated Senate rules.

"This is very, very clear," Cooper said. "Whether you make a profit or a loss you've got to put that transaction down so the public, voters, can see exactly what kind of money is moving to or from a member of Congress."

"It is especially disconcerting when you have a member of the leadership, of either party, not putting in the effort to make sure this is a complete and accurate report," said Cooper. "That says something to other members. It says something to the Ethics Committee."

Other parts of the deal — such as the informal handling of property taxes — raise questions about possible gifts or income reportable to Congress and the IRS, ethics experts said.

Stanley Brand, former Democratic chief counsel of the House, said Reid should have disclosed the 2001 sale and that his omission fits a larger culture in Congress where lawmakers aren't following or enforcing their own rules.

"It's like everything else we've seen in last two years. If it is not enforced, people think it's not enforced and they get lax and sloppy," Brand said.

SALE HIDDEN FROM CONGRESS

Reid and his wife, Landra, personally signed the deeds selling their full interest in the property to Brown's company, Patrick Lane LLC, for the same $400,000 they paid in 1998, records show.

Despite the sale, Reid continued to report on his public ethics reports that he personally owned the land until it was sold again in 2004. His disclosure forms to Congress do not mention an interest in Patrick Lane or the company's role in the 2004 sale.

AP first learned of the transaction from a former Reid aide who expressed concern the deal hadn't been properly reported.

Reid isn't listed anywhere on Patrick Lane's corporate filings with Nevada, even though the land he sold accounted for three-quarters of the company's assets. Brown is listed as the company's manager. Reid's office said Nevada law didn't require Reid to be mentioned in the filings.

"We have been friends for over 35 years. We didn't need a written agreement between us," Brown said.

The informalities didn't stop there.

PROPERTY TAXES LOOSELY HANDLED

Brown sometimes paid a share of the local property taxes on the lot Reid owned outright between 1998 and 2001, while Reid sometimes paid more than his share of taxes on the second parcel they co-owned.

And the two men continued to pay the property taxes from their personal checking accounts even after the land was sold to Patrick Lane in 2001, records show.

Brown said Reid first approached him in 1997 about land purchases and the two men considered the two lots a single investment.

"During the years of ownership, there may have been occasions that he advanced the property taxes, or that I advanced the property taxes," Brown said. "The bottom line is that between ourselves we always settled up and each of us paid our respective percentages."

Ultimately, Reid paid about 74 percent of the property taxes, slightly less than his actual 75.1 ownership stake, according to canceled checks kept at the local assessor's office. One year, the property tax payments were delinquent and resulted in a small penalty, the records show.

Ethics experts said such informality raises questions about whether any of Brown's tax payments amounted to a benefit for Reid. "It might be a gift," Cooper said.

Brand said the IRS might view the handling of the land taxes as undisclosed income to Reid but it was unlikely to prompt an investigation. "If someone is paying a liability you owe, there may be some income imputed. But at that level, it's pretty small dollars," he said.

FEDERAL LAND SWAPS

Nevada land deeds show Reid and his wife first bought the property in January 1998 in a proposed subdivision created partly with federal lands transferred by the Interior Department to private developers.

Reid's two lots were never owned by the government, but the piece of land joining Reid's property to the street corner — a key to the shopping center deal — came from the government in 1994.

One of the sellers was Fred Lessman, a vice president of land acquisition at Perma-Bilt Homes.

Around the time of the 1998 sale, Lessman and his company were completing a complicated federal land transfer that also involved an Arizona-based developer named Del Webb Corp.

In the deal, Del Webb and Perma-Bilt purchased environmentally sensitive lands in the Lake Tahoe area, transferred them to the government and then got in exchange several pieces of valuable Las Vegas land.

Lessman was personally involved, writing a March 1997 letter to Interior lobbying for the deal. "This exchange has been through many trials and tribulations ... we do not need to create any more stumbling blocks," Lessman wrote.

For years, Reid also had been encouraging Interior to make land swaps on behalf of Del Webb, where one of his former aides worked.

In 1994, Reid wrote a letter with other Nevada lawmakers on behalf of Del Webb, and then met personally with a top federal land official in Nevada. That official claimed in media reports he felt pressured by the senator. Reid denied any pressure.

The next year, Reid collected $18,000 in political donations from Del Webb's political action committee and employees. Del Webb's efforts to get federal land dragged on.

In December 1996, Reid wrote a second letter on behalf of Del Webb, urging Interior to answer the company's concerns. The deal came together in summer and fall 1997, with Perma-Bilt joining in.

In January 1998 — just days before he bought his land — Reid applauded the Lake Tahoe land transfers, saying they would create the "gateway to paradise."

None of Reid's letters mentioned Perma-Bilt. Reid's office said the senator never met Lessman nor discussed the Lake Tahoe land transfer or his personal land purchase. A real estate attorney handled the 1998 sale at arms-length, aides said.

"This land investment was completely unrelated to federal land swaps that took place in the mid-1990's," Manley said.

Lessman said he never talked to Reid or asked for his help before the 1998 land sale, and only met the senator years later at a public event. "Any suggestion that the land sale between Senator Reid and myself is somehow tied in with the Perma-Bilt exchange is completely absurd," Lessman said.

THE REZONING

Clark County intended for the property Reid owned to be used solely for new housing, records show. Just days before Reid sold the parcels to Brown's company, Brown sought permission in May 2001 to rezone the properties so a shopping center could be built.

Career zoning officials objected, saying the request was "inconsistent" with Clark County's master development plan. The town board in Spring Valley, where Reid's property was located, also voted 4-1 to reject the rezoning.

Brown persisted. The Clark County zoning board followed by the Clark County Commission voted to overrule the recommendation and approve commercial zoning. Such votes were common at the time.

Before the approval in September 2001, Brown's consultant told commissioners that Reid was involved. "Mr. Brown's partner is Harry Reid, so I think we have people in this community who you can trust to go forward and put a quality project before you," the consultant testified.

With the rezoning granted, Patrick Lane pursued the shopping center deal. On Jan. 20, 2004, the company sold the property to developers for $1.6 million. Today, a multimillion dollar retail complex sits on the land.

On Jan. 21, 2004, Reid received more than $1.1 million of the sale proceeds. Reid disclosed the money the following year on his Senate ethics report as a personal sale of land, not mentioning Patrick Lane.

A BUSINESS PARTNER'S PAST

Brown has been a behind-the-scenes power broker in Nevada for years, donating to Democrats, Republicans and charities. He represented a major casino in legal cases and dabbled in Nevada's booming real estate market.

Brown befriended Reid four decades ago, even before Reid served as chairman of the Nevada gaming commission and decided cases involving Brown's clients.

Brown's name has surfaced in federal investigations involving organized crime, casinos and political bribery since the 1980s.

This past summer, federal prosecutors introduced testimony at the bribery trial of former Clark County Commission chairman Dario Herrara that Brown had taken money from a Las Vegas strip club owner to influence the commission. Herrara was convicted of taking kickbacks. Brown was never called as a witness.

Brown declined to discuss past cases where his name surfaced, including Herrara. "The federal government investigated this whole matter thoroughly, and there was never any implication of impropriety on my part," he said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061011/ap_on_go_co/reid_land_windfall”

“what took you so long, xl posted this an hour ago. waaaaah, the republicans knew about this a year ago but waited for the electon to publish it, waaaah, it was a practical joke, waaaa”

“LOL I beat you to it (LOL)....stomp I put the connection on the democrat thread”

“BoyHiker, why did the media sit on these for so long? is the better question.”

“".....why did the media sit on these for so long? is the better question."


"...the republicans knew about this a year ago but waited for the electon to publish it..."

Maybe that is why.
The G.O.P. is the Dirty Trick Party, afterall.”

“LOL....RIIIGHT.....”

“MarkO is such a clown. LOL”

“Maybe I shoudl go to MarkO's level....I'm rubber you're glue”

“We've heard from The Cult Of W boys.....


”

“I demand Nancy's resignation!!!!!

When did she know of this?!?!
Why didn't she protect America from this thief?!?!”

“Took MarkO how many posts to go NAZI threat.

Better yet, when did Nancy Pelosi know about this and why didn't she intervene. I am calling on her to resign. Additionally I want an investigation into this......
last edited: 10/11/06 3:41:37 PM”

“It sure looks like he broke the law.

I say throw him in right next to Delay and Foley!”

“Violin sure has been quiet about this.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!”

“GUYS Guys...Gals...we are missing a great possibility here...we find a way to blame all the representatives and Senators...for crimes...then we finally get the replacements we have needed. (LOL)”

“tiltypoo sure has been quiet about this.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!”

“LOL...I will not be satisfied till I see him perp walked out of the Congress...or something like that.”

“LMAO
The best thing will be when they tie Abramoff in with Reid.
Violin will have a hissy fit.
He still claims Reid got NO Abramoff money, LOL.”

“You know we need to push for a Federal law that will bar a public official who is convited of a felony from any further service for life. They can get their civil rights restored, they can get bonds to run a limo service, they can even vote, but they are barred from involvement either elected or employment with a government agency. This should include lobbying.

I am sorry but I have seen too dang many politicians roll the dice until they are caught. Then they do a short stint in minimum security, get out, their buddies restore their civil rights and they are off and running again.”

“They don't call Reid Dirty Harry for nothing, LOL.”

“Oh yeah??

Do you have knowledge of Harry?”

“Maybe he will share a cell with Denny!”

“Silly wingers. My guys a bigger crock than your guy. Little people with little thoughts.”

“HMM...lets see only one still has a REAL KILL on their record...and the Dems cracked down on him..he is ..oh still a Senator.

Hey guys, if Sandy Berger is found to have destroyed evidence will you be screaming for the Dems heads too? Or will this be a "crime to do with sex".”

“GOOG 449.28 +0.23”

“Mox Nix=Rat's Ass”

“Hey guys, if Sandy Berger is found to have destroyed evidence will you be screaming for the Dems heads too? Or will this be a "crime to do with sex".”
XL400236
8:32:05 AM

Well, he did stuff the docs in his pants to steal them.
[VBG]”

“Stovey -

I've worked for over 20 years in the commercial real estate industry. I know a little about it.

I don't know the full details of the Reid transfer, but I can tell you it is exceedingly common to put ownership of investment real estate under the cover of an LLC. That's not a sale, it's a transfer of convenience. The story says that Reid and Brown purchased the land in 1998 and then put the land under LLC ownership in 2001 – an LLC controlled by Brown and Reid.

I can tell you that I have seen thousands of similar transfers in the recent past - most real estate attorneys are advising their clients to do exactly that.

If Reid purchased land in 1998 for $400,000 and sold it in 2004 for $1,100,000 how does that add up to a "$1.1 million windfall"? Solomon seems to be as clueless about basic arithmetic as he is in his knowledge of real estate investment practices.

My guess is that this is another hit piece by AP’s Solomon that has about as much factual basis as his previous stories about Reid’s boxing tickets or ties to Abramoff. Those two didn’t go very far… did they?”

“... not if Katie Couric can help it.”

“The big problem is Reid hid his involvment in this and also hid the fact he was dealing with a known Mobster.”

“Not that there's anything wrong with that.”

“i've got a hairy reed, too”

“"The big problem is Reid hid his involvment in this"
Reid continued to report on his public ethics reports that he personally owned the land until it was sold again in 2004.


"and also hid the fact he was dealing with a known Mobster."
Jay Brown, a longtime friend and former casino lawyer whose name surfaced in a major political bribery trial this summer and in other prior organized crime investigations. He's never been charged with wrongdoing...


Now you're flailing about and risking libel charges to boot.”

“Not that there's anything wrong with that.”

““i've got a hairy reed, too”

I heard that if you shave around your reed it'll look bigger.”

“I think Stovey should stick to grunts and short insults. He comes off looking pretty bad when he gets into the details.”

“LOL
Leave it to the NJ guy to poo poo Mob ties.
LMAO!

This story has legs, and we'll just have to see how it shakes out.

'Duke' Cunnngham is in a jail cell for doing the same type thing. Maybe Reid can join him in a couple of years?
[VBG]”

“See? There you go again...

Your hero Cunningham pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion.

Reid formed a Limited Liability Company and made a $700,000 profit on land that he held for six years in a market that saw huge appreciation.

No wonder so many Republicans are in trouble. They have no idea what the difference between right and wrong is.”

“What's wrong with mobsters, I'm one and I'm also the nicest guy in the world.”

“im scared becus nigal wants to shave me!!”

“LOL
Let's see who has the last laugh.

Like the Plame mess.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!”

“You know, if Abramoff and Foley had a strategy to get us out of Iraq without 500,000 people dying, I'd elect both of them to Congress.

And I'm sure you've all seen the polls that say that the Foley scandal has had very little impact on people's voting intentions.

All of these scandals are just window dressing on a failed policy. They don't really matter at all.”

“"Let's see who has the last laugh."

I'd much rather simply set fire to your pubes. LOL!”

“http://reid.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=250468&&year=2006&

Press Release of Senator Reid

REID: REPUBLICANS CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO END THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Washington, DC – While Republicans try to provide cover from their culture of corruption, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid released the following report and statement on Republicans' abuse of power:

“The idea of Republicans reforming themselves is like asking John Gotti to clean up organized crime. I thought I’d seen the last of corruption when I helped clean up Las Vegas thirty years ago. But, while its not quite the mafia of Las Vegas in the 1970s, what is happening today in Washington is every bit as corrupt and the consequences for our country have been just as severe.


“Some problems have no legislative fix, and the Republican culture of corruption is one of them. Today’s announcements by House and Senate Republicans should be taken at face value – minor wrist slapping and good public relation stunts by the same people responsible for this mess. Democrats will lead the tough reforms, because we owe it to the American people to stand up for their interests over special interests. Are we really going to believe that Republicans will stop answering the calls from their friends on K Street? Are they really going to put seniors ahead of drug companies when it comes reforming Medicare? Are they really going to help families over oil companies when it comes to gas prices? The answer to these questions is no, and that’s why the American people trust Democrats to clean up Washington and put their interests first.”

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"The idea of Republicans reforming themselves is like asking John Gotti to clean up organized crime."

Dirty Harry Reid, best friends of Oscar Goodman and partner Jay Brown, both mafia lawyers of the worst kind.
[VBG]”

“Is it a good idea to call someone a "mafia lawyer" in written form, on a public forum, without proof?
last edited: 10/12/06 7:50:24 PM”

“What's the matter, Jersey Boy? You gonna send Tony and the Boys to visit me?
LMAO!”

“You know, violin, one would think you would get tired of me making you look like a complete idiot, and liar, all the time, but I guess someone has to do it.
[VBG]

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Lawyer for Mafia Leads in Las Vegas Vote

Published: May 6, 1999
Oscar B. Goodman, a criminal defense lawyer for mob figures, won 49 percent of the vote in the Las Vegas mayoral race on Tuesday, just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

Mr. Goodman, who became famous, and wealthy, defending people like Anthony Spilotro and Meyer Lansky, will face Councilman Arnie Adamsen in the June 8 runoff.

Mr. Adamsen won 29 percent of the vote in a field of nine. Mark Fine, a developer, had 18 percent.

Mr. Goodman, who has been criticized for building his reputation on representing mobsters, said he kept ''the system honest.''

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E2DC103CF935A35756C0A96F958260”

““Is it a good idea to call someone a "mafia lawyer" in written form, on a public forum, without proof?"

Dang Violink, as inflamitory as you are you'd think you wouldn't be such a pussie. How many damn times a week do you run around threatening to sue someone on here for flaming you?

Cowboy the hell up Poindexter.”

“NIGAL!@!!!! did you get the I WILL SUE YOU e-mail?? Cool

AS for the mafia lawyer line...Stoveie, where do you want the horse head delivered?

http://www.kropserkel.com/horse_head_pillow.htm

LOL”

““Is it a good idea to call someone a "mafia lawyer" in written form, on a public forum, without proof?"

All the things V has called people and he says something like this? Talk about a double standard. Typical democratic crap, again.

30”