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DEL.ICIO.USFacility Group CEO pleads guilty to conspiracy to corrupt a public official
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The head of one of Georgia’s most politically plugged-in companies on Monday pleaded guilty to conspiracy to “corrupt” a public official in Mississippi.
Reverberations are likely both there and here. Click here to read the guilty plea.
This is from the Jackson, Miss., Clarion-Ledger:
Robert Moultrie, chairman and chief executive of The Facility Group of Smyrna, Ga., admitted he gave $45,000 in contributions to the re-election campaign of then-Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, who is now running for the Senate.
Moultrie, 67, is the latest to plead guilty in the scandal that already has resulted in convictions for three other people, including former beef plant owner Richard Hall Jr. 
U.S. District Judge Mike Mills is set to sentence Moultrie in 45 to 60 days.
As part of the plea agreement U.S. attorneys, Mills and Moultrie agreed to a 34-month sentencing cap. The charge carries a maximum 10 years in prison, $250,000 fine or both and three years of supervised release.
Today’s Marietta Daily Journal has this:
The Facility Group was hired by the state of Mississippi to manage the beef plant. According to the indictment, Moultrie sent out invitations for a July 23, 2003, fundraiser at his Smyrna residence for “a public official.”
Then-Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove had a fundraiser at Moultrie’s house on July 23, 2003, a spokeswoman for Musgrove’s Senate campaign confirmed. Musgrove, a Democrat, is currently running for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by former Republican Sen. Trent Lott.
The indictment does not charge Musgrove and Musgrove’s campaign staff have maintained he is innocent of any wrongdoing.
Two other Facility Group executives, chief operating officer Nixon Cawood and executive vice president Charles Morehead, are also under indictment.
Lawyers for Moultrie — as well as Musgrove staffers — are bristling at any use of the word “bribery,” which they say is legally reserved for quid-pro-quo transactions. This money for that action.
Tom Freeland, attorney for Moultrie, put out this statement:
“Robert Moultrie has pleaded guilty to a charge in a one-count information that he paid an illegal gratuity to a state official by a campaign contribution to the official.
“This is a charge that he made the contribution intending to influence and reward the official for the performance of official duties should the public official’s assistance be needed on any potential problems on the Mississippi beef project.”
In other words, according to the attorney, this wasn’t bribery because Moultrie didn’t know what specific deed he might require a governor to perform. This was more like a purchase on the futures market.
Photo credit: The Facility Group
Comments
By Chris
August 12, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
How about the fact that Rep. Earl Ehrhart, one of the top Republican legislative leaders in the state was a senior vice president at this firm while all of this was going on?
By ex employee
August 12, 2008 10:16 AM | Link to this
My prayers are with TFG, Mr Moultrie and his family.
By Jake
August 12, 2008 10:26 AM | Link to this
It makes you wonder what else is gong on. The Facility Group holds a number of construction management and facility managment contracts that are funded by taxpayer dollars. For example, they manage all Cobb County school construction.
By Ollie Poole
August 12, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this
Sounds like another political witch-hunt to me. The US Attorneys Office, drowning in scandal itself, going after the contributor to a Democratic governor who has a chance to take back one of Mississippie’s US Senate seats? The horror. I hope they plan to investigate every single PAC that contributed to his opponent…but that would require some sense of…justice.
By Ollie Poole
August 12, 2008 11:32 AM | Link to this
Sounds like another political witch-hunt to me. The US Attorneys Office, drowning in scandal itself, going after the contributor to a Democratic governor who has a chance to take back one of Mississippi’s US Senate seats? The horror. I hope they plan to investigate every single PAC that contributed to his opponent…but that would require some sense of…justice.
By Jake
August 12, 2008 11:37 AM | Link to this
Did anyone else notice how quickly the AJC removed the comment section from this story. The AJC must be in TFG’s pocket too.
By Republicans = Corruption
August 12, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this
Mukasey: No prosecutions in Justice hiring scandal
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer 16 minutes ago
NEW YORK - Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Tuesday said former Justice Department officials will not face prosecution for letting improper political considerations drive hirings of prosecutors, immigration judges and other career government lawyers. ADVERTISEMENT
Mukasey used his sharpest words yet to criticize the senior leaders who took part in or failed to stop illegal hiring practices during the tenure of his predecessor, Alberto Gonzales.
But, he told delegates to the American Bar Association annual meeting, “not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime. In this instance, the two joint reports found only violations of the civil service laws.”
For nearly two years, top advisers to Gonzales discriminated against applicants for career jobs who weren’t Republican or conservative loyalists, an internal investigation concluded last month.
The federal government makes a distinction between “career” and “political” appointees, and it’s a violation of civil service laws and Justice Department policy to hire career employees on the basis of political affiliation or allegiance.
Yet Monica Goodling, who served as Gonzales’ counselor and White House liaison, routinely asked career job applicants about politics, the report concluded.
Mukasey, who once served as a federal judge in New York, said the Justice Department has taken steps under his leadership to prevent a recurrence of the hiring scandal.
“I have made repeatedly clear…that it is neither permissible nor acceptable to consider political affiliations in the hiring of career department employees,” Mukasey said.
If the problems were to recur, Mukasey said he is confident department employees would speak up.
That did not happen during Gonzales’ tenure, he said. Gonzales appeared unaware of the political hiring process outlined by Goodling and his then-chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, the report said.
“There was a failure of supervision by senior officials in the department. And there was a failure on the part of some employees to cry foul when they were aware, or should have been aware, of problems,” Mukasey said.
Other internal investigations are examining the firing of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 and the hiring practices in the department’s civil rights division.
Mukasey said these reports typically are painful, but important.
“Professionalism is alive and well at the Justice Department,” he said.
Some candidates for career Justice Department jobs who were excluded because of politics could be invited to apply for new positions, Mukasey said.
He also ruled out firing or reassigning those who were hired under the now-discarded evaluation process.
“Two wrongs do not make a right,” he said. “People who were hired in an improper way didn’t themselves do anything wrong.”
A vote for McCain is a vote to let the Resucklycans walk.
Resucklicans only care about letting Resucklycans walk.
By three jack
August 12, 2008 12:12 PM | Link to this
Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison returned campaign contributions from FG. But he failed to register his charity group while receiving who knows how much from FG over the years ($275,000 reportedly contributed to the illegal charity according to FOX5 Iteam report). Oh yeah, FG built the county jail run by the sheriff and is setup to get a big new contract for an addition only a couple of years after completing the new jail.
By Watcher
August 12, 2008 12:31 PM | Link to this
Before he was hired by TFG, did Cobb County Sheriff Bill Hutson offer any favors? Would his cattle expertise be offered for the Mississippi facility construction, as well as his “jail experience” for the other contracts?
By atlanta architect
August 12, 2008 12:31 PM | Link to this
to Three Jack,
you are right on, and to the earlier message, why has our AG Baker not conducted an investigation into State Rep Erhart - Marietta and Speaker Glen Richardson - Paulding County?
Both Erhart and Richardson had to have know what was going on.
Check out who is paying Paulding County? Donya Elder, Robert Moultrie, Sr., Moultrie Jr and Friends of Earl Erhart
The tajmaha Paulding County Courthouse, $55 million
By dunwoody211
August 12, 2008 12:34 PM | Link to this
why is everyone afraid of going after State Rep Erhart and Glen Richardson?
By The Snark
August 12, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this
Rep. Ehrhart is a self-professed Christian conservative who delights in hatemongering against his political enemies, who all deserve it because they are Godless liberals. I can’t believe you think that such a man would be mixed up in any form of corruption. You’re just prejudiced because he called that awful Republican representative a b*h in the halls of the Capitol. Well, she had it coming, I’m sure. I suppose you’ll be attacking that nice Senator from Idaho next, or the one from Alaska, or that nice man from California who knew all the defense contractors, or …
By honest architect
August 12, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this
Snark, are you being funny or serious?
you can think paying politicians in Paulding County is right, i.e. Chairman Jerry Shearin
By The Snark
August 12, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this
Honest architect:
Be assured that the Snark always writes with tongue firmly in cheek. Though the Snark has trouble keeping her breakfast down when writing about Earl Ehrhart, a thuggish bully who scares everyone that’s ever dealt with him.
By God Never Misleads
August 12, 2008 4:23 PM | Link to this
I had the misfortune of working the temp assignment from hell when I worked with Jeanne and Trina (I was their fourth assistant). I initially thought it would be awesome to work with so many women in positions of power and I wanted to use them as mentors. I gave my all, in hopes of transitioning to full-time. They were the most arrogant, obnoxious, egotistical, self-righteous people I’ve ever worked with. NOTHING was good enough for them! Even Moultrie Jr. was arrogant. They had entirely unreasonable expectations, and even shorter tempers. They totally stressed me out! To make matters worse, they didn’t even like each other. There was always a tug-of-war with their assistant (in this case me) about whose work was to take priority. I found Donya to be a wicked witch from the west as well. I kept calling my agency to ask for reassignment. They kept putting me off. One day, after a few months of being stressed WAY past my limit, I called my agency and told them that if they didn’t take me off of the assignment, I was going to walk out on the job that day! I was so stressed and frustrated and I couldn’t understand why God wasn’t giving me the opportunity to work there, as I wanted desperately to work in a real estate/construction environment. I had asked for his direction in my job search and felt Facility Group was the answer. Although I was offer and accepted a full-time opportunity 3 weeks after I quit the little assignment from hell, I continued to wonder why I couldn’t make it work. Today (2 yrs later) I read my answer…When we ask for Gods direction, we may never know what he is sheltering us from; then again, sometimes he lets us in on the big picture….Thank you father!
By Assistant # 5
August 12, 2008 4:42 PM | Link to this
God Never Misleads - I was assistant #5 so I feel your pain!!
By Wondering?
August 12, 2008 4:49 PM | Link to this
I wonder if Nick and CK are going to plead out too? what’s going to happen to Facility Group?
By dunwoody211
August 12, 2008 4:54 PM | Link to this
Let’s take a look at who is “buying into” Paulding County Government.
I know The Facility Group is building our new county couthouse and administration complex. I believe they did the BOE building and some of the schools the past couple of years. And I know there are relationships between Earl Earnhardt a State Senator from Cobb County and The Facility Group, He works there.
When I read the article about the 3 guys from The Facility Group who were indicted in Mississippi yesterday, one of the names, Robert Moultrie, rang a bell. So I pulled out my copy of Jerry Shearin’s December 31, 2007 campaign contributions.
Sure enough: Robert Moultrie, Owner of the Facility Group, $2000
Donya Green Edier, Exec. VP of the Facility Group, $2000
Neighbors for Earl Earnhardt, Sales Rep for the Facility Group, $2000
Facility Group Political Action Committee, $2000
Facility Holding Corp, The Facility Group, $2000
The Facility Group obtained the contract for the design and construction of our new Paulding County Courthouse and Administration Complex for $65 million dollars without having to do go through a competitive bid process. I wonder if there are some disgruntled architechtural firms out there who did not even get to discuss their bids with the county ?
Wonder if the FBI would be interested in investigation these contributions? Sounds awfully similar to the campaign contribution indictments in Mississippi.
By Skeptic
August 12, 2008 8:49 PM | Link to this
Where to begin with all of these misguided comments? When you look at what Moultrie pled to, I suspect that every union and industry PAC that contributes to political campaigns is “guilty” of what some consider Moultrie “guilty” of—hoping that a politician will view things their way. There is no evidence or allegation that there was a bribe or that the government official aided Facility Group. Every major construction firm in Atlanta has executives who make contributions. The AGC, ABC, and ASA are politically active. So, Honest Architect, are these folks guilty too? God Never Misleads, I suspect that your comments say more about you and your abilities than about the folks at Facility Group. Oh, and I assure that God has more important things to do than worry about where you are employed. Your insinuation that He “saved” you from Facility Group is unbelievably presumptuous and personally insulting to good employees at Facility Group. I guess that God chose not to “save” these folks, huh? Finally, Ollie Poole and Republicans = Corruption: Right on! Isn’t it amazing that the Bush Department of Justice chose to prosecute this case, but is turning a blind eye to the undisputed violations of law by Justice Department lawyers? We all should view the case against Moultrie and Facility Group with a healthy dose of skepticism.
By dunwoody211
August 13, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this
I am sorry for the good people who lost their jobs in this bad economy.
Why didnt Moultrie, Cawood think about this. Sad ending to a mega million dollar design and construction company
By honest architect
August 13, 2008 3:39 PM | Link to this
Is Ennis and Bud Mattinlgly still hanging in there?
By youbloggersarelame
August 13, 2008 3:44 PM | Link to this
to dunwoody and all you other expert critics - the fat lady hasn’t even tuned up yet? Why be so negative? Do you hope and pray that the company goes down the tube to give you a thrill or something? and to Honest Architect - I can’t help but notice that you’ve been plugged into this blog site since the beginning. You must really have an ax to grind! And I would certainly question your “honesty” —-whoever’s payroll you’re on is certainly not getting their money’s worth cause you’re so plugged into putting down a company that you obviously either have a gigantic jealous streak for or you just plain hate —which speaks volumes about your own character. keep it up —-you’re a hoot!
By southgeorgia
August 13, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this
www.coastalviewpoint.com
By atlanta architect
August 13, 2008 6:52 PM | Link to this
to youbloggersarelame,
Yes I am a honest person. There are firms in Atlanta that have been undercut by such dealings as the FG.
By Someone Who Cares
August 14, 2008 8:45 AM | Link to this
I’m sure this has taken a toll on the Moultrie Family. Robert is a regular guy just like the rest of us, not a criminal. He is a great guy… Robert, remember… The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us. I know alot of people that support you 100%. We are behind you all the way!
By WhereTheresSmoke
August 14, 2008 8:33 PM | Link to this
Usually people get caught doing something they have done regularly. What about making a $100,000 donation to a local Marietta college and receiving a contract with the state to handle their planning for maybe THE SAME PRICE in the next fiscal year? Can you say money laundering or pay for performance or smelly something another. Well the president of that technical college might re-think that decision now. Well they have done it before… I wonder who designed and built their new 20 million dollar campus. They look great and they should for that price. Oops me chased a wabbit. Remember where-theres-smoke….
By dunwoody211
August 18, 2008 1:15 PM | Link to this
What about Chattahoochee Technical College, where Ms. Moultrie sits on the Foundation?
The BOR and DTAE continued to give them work even after the indictment was unsealed.
Also, the City of Douglasville (even after the indictment) continued their contract with FG to design and build their new $23 million Police Facility
By dunwoody211
August 18, 2008 1:18 PM | Link to this
What about Chattahoochee Technical College, where Ms. Moultrie sits on the Foundation?
The BOR and DTAE continued to give them work even after the indictment was unsealed.
Also, the City of Douglasville (even after the indictment) continued their contract with FG to design and build their new $23 million Police Facility
By dunwoody211
August 18, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
What about Chattahoochee Technical College, where Ms. Moultrie sits on the Foundation?
The BOR and DTAE continued to give them work even after the indictment was unsealed.
Also, the City of Douglasville (even after the indictment) continued their contract with FG to design and build their new $23 million Police Facility
By GM
September 22, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this
Maybe someone should be asking how his firm went from not being in the public school construction business to winning hundreds of millions in contracts in just a few years.Or how he did the same thing in the prison business.