Another One Bites the Dust from the "Culture of Corruption" Party

Another West Virginia Democrat pled guilty this past week and will face federal prison time:

Former Logan County West Virginia Democratic Mayor, Tom Esposito (1), faces up to three years of federal prison time!

Esposito has been quietly cooperating with the Logan County Democratic vote buying probe since 2003.

That investigation has led to the resignations of the county’s sheriff and the city’s police chief, as well as the indictment of the county clerk and others.

During Tuesday’s plea hearing before U.S. District Judge David Faber, it was revealed Esposito had a cozy relationship with former Logan County Magistrate Danny Ray Wells. Wells(2) is serving a seven-year federal prison sentence for racketeering, or taking bribes from defendants.

Esposito admitted he paid at least $6,500 worth of Wells’ bar tabs at a Logan country club. In return, Wells referred clients to Esposito.

After Wells was indicted in 2002, Esposito admitted he tried to ensure Wells would not spill the beans on their scheme. “I did pay the sum of $500 hoping he would not mention the country club bill,” the Logan lawyer told Faber.

Faber wanted to know if Esposito’s clients got favorable treatment in Wells’ court.

“That is not part of the charge, your honor,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin responded. “Mr. Esposito did have pretty good luck in Mr. Wells’ courtroom, but that is not part of the charge.”

The former four-term Logan mayor is the latest Logan County resident to enter a plea agreement. Former Sheriff John Mendez(3) and prominent Logan workers’ compensation attorney Mark Hrutkay(4) pleaded guilty to buying votes.

Hrutkay was jailed after admitting to paying money to get his former wife, Delegate Lidella Hrutkay, D-Logan, on the right political slates.

In addition, Logan Police Chief Alvin R. “Chipper” Porter(a), who had served at one time as Mendez’s chief law enforcement deputy, was charged with paying for votes in the 2002 primary election. He resigned a short time later.

Also under federal indictment in the Logan County case is Perry French Harvey(b), 53. Harvey is accused of taking money to buy votes for a Democratic candidate for the state House of Delegates running in the May 2004 primary election. Grand jurors alleged Harvey and another person(c) each took $2,000 from a House candidate “to pay others for voting in the May 2004 primary election.”

On Thursday September 29, 2005, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid at a news conference to discuss the projected “Culture of Corruption” of the Republican Party.

But as far as an “integrated pattern of knowledge, beliefs, and behavior” bordering on the “spoiled side”, Democrats cannot be touched. Voter fraud is a great example.

And, Democrats own voter fraud!

Just take a look at a partial list of West Virginia voting crimes from the past year:

* Logan County Clerk Glen D. Adkins was arrested in July on a federal charge of conspiring to buy votes.

* A dozen other people have been charged, including Lincoln County Circuit Clerk Greg Stowers, who has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to buy votes.

* Stowers drove to Kentucky and filled his pickup truck with booze for distribution to voters.

* Last year, the office racked up 4 convictions on charges related to vote-buying of Logan County Sheriff Johnny “Big John” Mendez; former Logan city police chief Alvin “Chipper” Porter; millionaire lawyer Mark Hrutkay of Logan; and Ernest J. Stapleton, former commander and president of VFW Post 4523 in Logan. These are supposed to be pillars of a community, but the evidence was so strong that all four pleaded guilty.

* Perry French Harvey Jr. was indicted for conspiring with another person to get a House of Delegates candidate elected. Harvey is accused of accepting $2,000 to pay for votes.

Previous Posts on West Virginia Voter Fraud:
West Virginia Democrats Charged with Vote Buying
Senator Byrd Loses Support

Still not convinced? The corruption and vote buying does not stop at the West Virginia border for the Democrats. This past year at least 16 Democrats were not only indicted but have been found guilty of voter fraud in Illinois and Missouri and much worse:

16 different Democrats have been convicted of election violations in the last 7 months in the St. Louis area from Illinois and Missouri!

That does not include all of the indictments.

And, one Democrat is still being held for attempted murder (trial scheduled for tomorrow, Oct. 17) of a government witness!

So, Nancy Pelosi, I beg to differ, but if you’re looking for a “Party of Corruption”, you can start by looking at the system of corruption and election fraud in your own backyard!

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Jim Hoft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016. In 2023, The Gateway Pundit received the Most Trusted Print Media Award at the American Liberty Awards.

You can email Jim Hoft here, and read more of Jim Hoft's articles here.

 

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