Allegations of impropriety involving finances and development deals have marked much of Jack Johnson's tenure as county executive of Prince George's.
Created by rosiakl on Apr 14, 2010
Last updated: 02/17/11 at 09:44 AM
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The charges now include conspiracy to commit extortion and conspiracy to distribute cocaine. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $3.5 million, 25 properties, 13 vehicles and 84 bank accounts.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/maryland/-three-prince-georges-county.html
The FBI arrested three Prince Georges County police officers Monday morning in connection with a corruption investigation that led to the arrests of P.G. County executive Jack Johnson and his wife. One of the officers moonlighted as a security guard at Tick Tock Liquors in Hyattsville, Md.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/maryland/-three-prince-georges-county.html
Johnson and his wife were charged in federal court with trying to hide or destroy the proceeds from a bribe from a local developer and released. Officials said multiple investigations were ongoing.
Federal agents found $76,000 in Leslie Johnson's underwear, according to an affidavit in support of the criminal charges.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/12/AR2010111204001.html?hpid=dynamiclead
County executive Jack Johnson and his wife, Leslie E. Johnson, were taken away in handcuffs shortly before 1 p.m. Johnson, wearing a camel-colored suit and white shirt, did not address reporters' questions.
Johnson, who is coming to the end of his term next month, is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. It is not known yet what they have been charged with.
Leslie Johnson recently was elected to the County Council from District 6. It is not clear whether she was charged.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2010/11/12/ST2010111204006.html?hpid=dynamiclead
Court filings in a lawsuit over stalled plans to build a mixed-used development in Greenbelt reveal that the FBI might at one time have considered moving to Prince George's County.
In papers filed by Greenbelt Ventures in its lawsuit against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the development company says that Garth Beall, the managing member of Metroland Developers, had been "secretly meeting with WMATA and the FBI analyzing a potential use of the WMATA property for the FBI's relocation."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/15/AR2010051503230.html
Greenbelt Ventures sues WMATA for $160 million, seeking to force it to approve the deal that would give it control of the property. WMATA, a quasi-governmental agency, said it enjoyed protections that government agencies receive against being sued, and asks for the suit to be dismissed.
The board cancels a scheduled vote to approve the switch from Metroland to Greenbelt Ventures, fearful of calling attention to the politically-radioactive development. The agreed-upon date for potential sale later passes without action.
The FBI searches the offices of former county officials seeking information on the Greenbelt development and the activities of Danny Colton.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/15/AR2008091502908.html
The Sept. 13 searches of several homes and offices brought to light an investigation that appears to be examining a massive development project in Greenbelt and its ties to a former County Council member and two of his golfing buddies.
A FBI investigation into Prince George's County development has cast a broad net in search of evidence, and one place federal agents are looking is on the golf course.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/01/AR2008100103139.html
Prince George's County officials have transferred millions of dollars worth of surplus land to developers without proper records or oversight, often failing to require competitive bids, good-faith deposits or accurate land appraisals, according to a report by the county auditor.
The county's Redevelopment Authority also has lost or failed to deposit some checks from developers, County Auditor David Van Dyke said in his report. "Breakdowns in key internal control activities can leave the authority vulnerable to fraudulent, abusive or questionable real estate activity," he wrote.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/29/AR2008082903145.html?nav=emailpage
Prince George's County development deals worth millions of dollars have gone to people with ties to County Executive Jack B. Johnson, several of whom received the land at cut-rate prices, had little or no development experience or were given no-bid contracts, according to government records and interviews.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/05/AR2008070501393.html
In addition to the planned closure of an army base and the consolidation of homeland security agencies, some sensitive agencies with downtown offices consider moving outside of a potential "blast zone."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR2007102302621.html
Federal authorities have launched an investigation into the use by Prince George's officials of county-issued credit cards to charge personal expenses totaling thousands of dollars, according to a law enforcement official and another source with knowledge of the probe.
According to the sources, the investigation began after The Washington Post reported in November that some members of the County Council and County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) had used the credit cards for a wide range of personal expenses, including gym memberships and a haircut, in apparent violation of county policy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/18/AR2007051801860.html
Prince George's officials, including County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), have used county-issued credit cards to pay for personal expenses totaling thousands of dollars, violating county policy, the Washington Post revealed. Johnson, for example, charged taxpayers for a $236 stay at the Courtyard by Marriott in Jamaica, N.Y., when he was attending his father-in-law's funeral in 2004, records show.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/19/AR2006111901228.html
The Prince George's County Council voted yesterday to give itself oversight of certain contracts, acting just days after revelations about contracts awarded by County Executive Jack B. Johnson to friends and supporters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/10/AR2006081001618.html
Since Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) took office four years ago, 15 of his friends and political supporters have been awarded 51 county contracts totaling nearly $3.3 million, according to records and interviews.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/05/AR2006080501042.html
Metroland enters an agreement with another company, in which Greenbelt Ventures LLC, the developer behind a project at the Silver Spring Metro, would buy out Metroland's option to develop the property. The swap is contingent upon WMATA approval. Greenbelt Ventures begins taking steps to begin development, drawing site plans and pursuing zoning changes and tax deals.
WMATA partners with a developer named Metroland, which had already had plans for a similar project on the opposite side of the station. Plans for the new project called for 270 housing units, 1,800,000 square feet of office and retail, and a hotel. The agreement they sign says WMATA will sell the property to Metroland once several milestones have been cleared. Greenbelt Metroland LLC is financially controlled mainly by the estate of A.H. Smith, whose family had owned businesses on the southern property since the early 1900s, and Danny Colton, an area developer who spent time in prison for bank fraud.
WMATA decides to sell 78 acres of land surrounding the Greenbelt station to a developer, envisioning a dense, walkable cluster of mixed-use buildings springing up around the eastern terminus of the Green line, not unlike the mass-transit-oriented mini-cities that officials have since deliberately cultivated around stations in Rockville, Silver Spring and other suburbs.
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