Former Florida GOP chairman pleads guilty in fraud case
(CNN) - A trial expected to last two weeks was suddenly shortened to 10 minutes Monday when former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer made a surprise guilty plea to five criminal charges.
Greer was facing a possible 75 years in prison for fraud, money laundering and theft, but now has a possible maximum sentence of 35 years.
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A hearing in late March will decide whether the sentence will include a combination of prison time and probation, according to the newspaper.
A longtime ally of former Gov. Charlie Crist, Greer was charged in 2010 with funneling state party funds into his private consulting company. He had left the chairmanship earlier that year after state Republican leaders and donors raised questions about his leadership and management of party funds.
Greer, however, was closely tied to Crist during the then-governor's Senate run against Marco Rubio. Crist first ran as a Republican before switching to run as an independent. He has now joined the Democratic Party and could potentially be considering a run for governor in 2014 when Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, is up for re-election.
Crist was among those expected to testify in the trial during the next couple of weeks, along with other high profile Florida political figures, such as former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, former U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney and former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
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Florida repubs., like the gov. and this guy have proven their worths by contrubuting to frauds and malfunctions so much, that even a gutter stinks better.
No surprise there.
A goper and election fraud seems to go handin hand. YIU d have to give it them because they are still trying to suppress the vote Nd making sure NO Democrat ever wins again in a swing state.
Too many indiduals get involved in politics for their own personal gain. Since we seem unable to get money out of politics, convictions and harsh punishment might be the only answer.
Just imagine what they get away with.
The GOP leader jim is under fire an plea guilty, how long the people going to talk about jim, hes white jessie jackson jr is black the people is rubbing it in with him an also talking about his dad jessie jackson, well now we will keep our eyes an ears open.
Don't just allow them to secede.... insist!
"Clowns to the left of me jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you"....
(Yes, they actually wrote a song about it).
I wonder since he is taking the fall all by himself. You can't do this by yourself. Makes you wonder who he is covering for?
I'd really like to see an investigation of the 2012 Presidential election. With all of the changing of voting hours and all the other madness the GOP were perpetuating. Think back to the final debate. Willard kept saying, "When I'm president", how the right wing was sure he would win, their attempts to change voting laws, Willard only writing an acceptance speech and Karl Roves' epic meltdown. That needs investigating.
another republican shows their junk.
The bid-ness-man's party knows criminal.
First Presidential cabinet member convicted of a felony: republican
First Speaker of House to resign or be kicked out: republican
Second Speaker of the House to resign and the first to convicted of a felony: republican
Being republican means practicing or abstaining criminals, in the blood.
Let the republicans count the money and do the planning like Bush's Brownie at FEMA.