FBi press release February 13, 2015

Washington, D.C. — Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint against Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) with the Office of Congressional Ethics for violating House ethics rules by accepting more than $100,000 in stock from mortgage broker Lending Tree’s parent company, Tree.com.

Click here to read CREW\’s complaint to the OCE.

Tree.com put Rep. Sanford on its board of directors in 2012 before he was elected to Congress. He was partially paid with \”restricted stock units\” — stock awards that had no value until vested in June 2013 and June 2014. When Rep. Sanford won a seat in the House in May 2013, he resigned from the board, making his unvested shares worthless. On June 19, 2013, however, Tree.com’s board voted to retroactively vest Rep. Sanford’s shares, at a value of at least $108,539.

\”Rep. Sanford was already the world’s most famous trail guide, but now he’s found a way to make money grow on trees,\” said Anne Weismann, CREW’s Interim Executive Director. \”Taking $100,000 in stock he didn’t earn from Lending Tree, a corporation that could have business before Congress, is exactly the sort of impropriety the gift rules are designed to address.\”

TRENTON, NJ – Homes in high-risk flood areas are not the only ones who need flood insurance. Approximately one-in-four of all flood disasters occur in areas with low to moderate risk of flooding. Floods can happen anywhere, anytime—not just near the coast, lakes and rivers, warns the Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey.

When you think of flooding, you probably envision rivers bursting free of their banks or hurricane-spurred waves crashing well beyond the usual shoreline. But that’s simply not always true. 

Washington, D.C. — Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate whether Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) violated House rules by accepting free interior decoration services and improperly using campaign funds to pay for furniture in his congressional offices.

Click here to read the OCE complaint against Rep. Schock.

A story in the Washington Post revealed Rep. Schock recently redesigned his suite in the Rayburn House Office Building in an homage to the hit British period drama \”Downton Abbey.\” The redesign featured lavish accoutrements, including a crystal chandelier, a gold wall sconce, and arrangements of pheasant feathers. The redesign was provided by Anne Brahler, an interior decorator from Illinois, and her firm, Euro Trash. A member of Rep. Schock’s staff told the Post Ms. Brahler \”offered her services for free.\” Ms. Brahler also redesigned Rep. Schock’s previous congressional office.

TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced today that a Toms River investment advisor and his father were indicted for allegedly stealing $175,000 from a widow, who had entrusted the son with power of attorney.Andrew M. Lesnak, 54, and his father Andrew G. Lesnak, 84, of Hampton Bays, N.Y., were charged today by the state grand jury with second-degree conspiracy, second-degree theft by unlawful taking, second-degree theft by deception and three counts of second-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity.

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board today safeguarded 1,495 additional acres on 18 farms in 10 counties through the state’s nation-leading farmland preservation program.

Without wise leadership, a nation fails; with many counselors, there is safety.[i]

—Proverbs 11:14

2/10/2015

By Randall A. Liberty, M.A.

Sheriff Liberty serves with the Kennebec County, Maine, Sheriff’s Office and is president of the Maine Sheriffs Association.

Good morning. On behalf of all 16 sheriffs throughout the state of Maine, I would like to congratulate all graduating cadets. As we begin the Memorial Day weekend and pause to thank members of the military for their service, I think that it also is important that we remember the sacrifice of the law enforcement fallen.

Last week many of us attended the Maine Law Enforcement Memorial Service in Augusta. We paid tribute to all of Maine’s fallen law enforcement officers from many agencies. At the National Law Enforcement Memorial this year, 286 new names have been added to the number of fallen. Just 2 weeks ago, New Hampshire Police Officer Steve Arkell was fatally wounded by a firearm during a domestic dispute.

Yesterday many of us attended the memorial service for Washington County, Maine, Chief Deputy Shawn Donahue. For those of you unaware, Chief Donahue died at age 41 of heart failure this weekend.

by Mike Jordan Laskey 

For as long as I can remember, my mom has given up sweets for both Lent and Advent. As a kid, this struck me as bizarre, but I never asked her about it. I also never followed her example. Mom’s rigorous discipline seemed more than enough for one family. Plus, someone had to eat the leftover Halloween and Christmas candy.

The spiritual practice of fasting from food continued to befuddle me as I got older. Whether it’s a meal on Ash Wednesday, meat next Friday, or a certain favorite food throughout all of Lent, what’s the point? Wouldn’t God want us to use the energy and commitment fasting requires to do something positive for the world instead? Because you don’t have to look hard to see that in so many ways, the world is not how God wants it to be.

Louisa W. Llewellyn

AGE: 82 • Gloucester City

Louisa W. Llewellyn, 82, of Gloucester City, New Jersey, passed away peacefully in her sleep on December 26, 2014 in her daughter\’s home in Orem, Utah.

She was born to the late Walter and Louisa Finger on Nov. 18, 1932, in Camden, NJ. Louisa graduated from Gloucester High School in 1950 and received a BA in Education from the Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in 1954, qualifying to teach both elementary and secondary education. 

Following college graduation, Louisa worked for a brief time in Fairview, NJ, as an elementary school teacher until the opportunity came to teach at her high school alma mater, Gloucester City High School, where she was a teacher until she retired in 1989. Mrs. Llewellyn was passionate about making a difference in the lives of her students through education and was the advisor to many student clubs and organizations. She was always proud of the students she worked with on the school newspaper, yearbook, and other creative literary clubs. As a teacher she was known for being tough but supportive with the expectation for all of her students to work hard and learn to their full potential. Mrs. Llewellyn was particularly passionate about history and often included epic historical battle reenactments that took place on the practice fields outside her classroom. She was so interested in the history of her own home town that she became an author and editor of the book, First Settlement on the Delaware River: A History of Gloucester City, New Jersey, published by the Gloucester City American Revolution Bicentennial Committee 1976.

Louisa will be remembered in Gloucester City as a lifelong community servant. She attended City Council meetings on a routine basis, worked at the community food bank and thrift shop, sang with the Community Choir, was the treasurer for the Police Athletic League, supported the Girls Softball League as a Commissioner, was on the Mayor\’s Advisory Board, and actively supported many other city organizations. After she retired from teaching Louisa was elected to and worked tirelessly on the Gloucester City School Board where she served until she recently resigned due to declining health. She always placed the children of Gloucester City at the forefront of any Board of Education decision and relentlessly pushed for improving education opportunities which included the new middle school. Over the course of her life, Louisa was recognized on several occasions for her dedicated service to the community that she loved.

Louisa was an active member of Trinity Methodist Church of Gloucester City where she sang in the church choir, served as a Sunday School Teacher to children and adults along with being the Church Treasurer for many years. She was a dedicated servant of her faith and loved her church family as they loved her.

Louisa is survived by two sisters: Faith Piasecki, of Pompano Beach, FL and Sandra Juckett of Gloucester City, NJ; her two children: Glynneth Llewellyn Bockholt and husband Robert (Orem, UT) and Mark T. Llewellyn, Sr. and his wife Muriel (Tallahassee, FL). She was preceded in death by one granddaughter and one great grandson, and is survived by five grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be sent to the Gloucester City Board of Education, 1300 Market Street, Gloucester City, NJ 08030 with a notation \”in memory of Louisa Llewellyn\”. The donations will support the scholarship funds distributed to graduating students of Gloucester City High School.

A Memorial Service is being planned for early 2015 to be held at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Gloucester City. The date and time for the service will be announced at a later date.
– See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/courierpostonline/obituary.aspx?pid=173701955#sthash.ybtcZCkt.dpuf

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Washington, D.C. —Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) for violating House ethics rules by using campaign funds to pay for a trip to England last fall unrelated to any campaign activities.

Click here to read CREW\’s complaint against Rep. Gohmert.

In its most recent report to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Rep. Gohmert’s campaign committee listed expenses related to a trip the congressman took to England in November and December of 2014, including $5,451.39 to the five-star Andaz Liverpool Street hotel in London, $396.12 to the Old Bank Hotel in Oxford, and $234.54 for a taxi ride in Cambridgeshire. While in England, Rep. Gohmert held speaking engagements with groups including the Cambridge Union Society, the Rothermere American Institute, the Federalist and Henry Jackson Societies, and a joint group from the U.K. House of Lords and House of Commons.