Michael Steele, Newly Appointed Republican National Committe Chairman, Mired in Campaign Funds Mishandling Scandal

What do you know? Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee is not so clean after all. Are you surprised? The Washington Post is reporting that Steele arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company, Brown Sugar Unlimited, run by his sister, Monica Turner, for services that were never performed. Wow. That’s low and dirty. Steele has been a pretty vocal critic against President Obama and attacked him relentlessly on his association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, his economic and foreign policies, including the stimulus plan. Funny, Barack Obama has never been accused of paying money to a defunct organization for services not rendered. There’s a word for that — theft.

The claim about the payment, one of several allegations by Alan B. Fabian, is outlined in a confidential court document. Fabian offered the information last March as he was seeking leniency for himself during plea negotiations on unrelated fraud charges. It is unclear how extensively his claims have been pursued. Prosecutors gave him no credit for cooperation when he was sentenced in October.

Steele spokesman Curt Anderson said he did not know what information the federal agents were seeking, but he dismissed Fabian’s allegations as patently false. “It’s from, what, a convicted felon? And it has no substantiation in fact,” he said. Source: Washington Post

Here’s the ironic part. Steele will be overseeing the raising and spending of millions in party money. Can you really trust him with this, since he has been fingered in funneling money to a defunct company? This begs the question of why he was elected as the chairman when he has faced allegations of mishandling of campaign money in prior elections and was twice fined for missing filing deadlines. They selected him because they wanted to make a statement — a black man is the chairman of the RNC to match President Obama’s historic ascent to the presidency. So what? This clearly isn’t the right person for the position and with that dark cloud over his head, he should be the last person to criticize President Obama.

The recent allegations outlined four specific transactions. In addition to the payment to Steele’s sister, Fabian said that the candidate used money from his state campaign improperly; that Steele paid $75,000 from the state campaign to a law firm for work that was never performed; and that he or an aide transferred more than $500,000 in campaign cash from one bank to another without authorization.

In one of his allegations, Fabian points to a February 2007 payment by Steele’s Senate campaign of more than $37,000 to Brown Sugar Unlimited, the company run by Steele’s sister, Monica Turner. Campaign finance records list the expense as having been for “catering/web services.” Turner filed papers to dissolve the company 11 months before the payment was received. Source: Washington Post

Here’s an interesting revelation — Monica Turner, a doctor, is the former wife of boxer Mike Tyson. Yes, she said that her brother is being sabotaged. Wait, he didn’t have a problem repeatedly denigrating President Obama. Imagine if this was revealed about President Obama or VP Joe Biden? The Republicans would have a field day. So now, Mr. Chairman, how does it feel when the shoe is on the other foot? Not comfy, I am sure.

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Filed under: Brown Sugar Unlimited, Defunct Company, Federal Agents, Michael S. Steele, Mike Tyson, Mishandling of Campaign Funds, Monica Turner, NY's Finest, Republican National Committe

Former Heavyweight Boxer Evander Holyfield Behind on Child Support, Having Financial Problems

Evander Holyfield, former heavyweight champion, is having some serious financial problems. This was a shock to me after reading it on the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s website. The news broke after Toi Irvin, the mother of his 10-year-old son, one of nine children he’s fathered, said that he had missed two child-support payments, and she filed a petition for contempt in the Fayette County Superior Court. Irvin, who lives in Clayton County, said she was told by Holyfield’s representatives not to expect the payments, $6,000 total, for May and June.

According to the AJC, the former heavyweight champion appears to be in serious financial trouble. His palatial estate in Fayette County is under foreclosure, according to a legal notice that appeared in a local newspaper, and is set to be auctioned by Washington Mutual Bank on July 1. The home is worth an estimated $10 million. Holyfield, 45, is also being sued by a Utah consulting company for failing to repay a $550,000 loan. The lawsuit, filed 15 days ago in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, said Holyfield borrowed the funds to pay for landscaping on his 235-acre estate.

The attorney for Irvin said his client also wants assurances that Holyfield has maintained a trust fund for Evan. Holyfield has been trying to secure another heavyweight championship, last fighting on Oct. 13, 2007. He was defeated by Sultan Ibragimov, though he made it to the 12th round, and said he plans to fight again.

It’s not known how much money Holyfield accrued over the years. though he received $34 million to fight Mike Tyson in the infamous ear-biting bout in 1997. In his book, “Becoming Holyfield: A Fighter’s Journey,” the ex-champ wrote, “I’d made over $90 million in the short time [of the marriage to Janice] and, as things too often do, it came down to money because we didn’t have a prenuptial agreement.” Yeah, I am sure this woman is laughing all the way to the bank because of his stupidity. I am sick and tired of hearing about all these rich people who end up broke. Ed McMahon is fighting foreclosure of his multimillion dollar mansion. He is in arrears for $644,000. It is a sad commentary when you live lavishly and act as though when you turn on the spigot money will continue to flow out for the rest of your life. You cannot live with the mentality of “one day feasting, the next day you go through a famine.” Why can’t these people get proper financial counsel and take some financial planning or money management classes. I am sure that Evander Holyfield’s promoter laughed all the way to the bank. The same thing happened to Mike Tyson, though we can understand why.

Evander Holyfield gave many the impression that he had his wits about him and knew how to run things. It is a shame that he is about to lose his home. I wonder if the money he gave Creflo Dollar to hold is gone too? You see, he played his wife dirty during the divorce, but it always catches up with you when you least expect it to. This should be a lesson to all the celebrities out there, stop showing off and do the right thing, practice financial responsibility and stop surrounding yourselves with a huge entourage of hangers-on who are in it just for the ride and the money. I take no joy in the financial hardships of anyone because we all go through such challenges at some point in our lives, but we must learn from our mistakes and learn from our past. Just my thoughts, you be the judge…..

Filed under: Evander Holyfield, Heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson