Department of Housing and Urban Development Grant Rigging
The HUD rigging scandal consisted of Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Samuel Pierce and his associates rigging low income housing bids to favor Republican contributors to Reagan's campaign as well as rewarding Republican lobbyists such as James G. Watt a former Secretary of the Interior. Sixteen convictions were eventually handed down, including the following:
- James Watt, Reagan's Secretary of the Interior was indicted on 24 felony counts and pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor. He was sentenced to five years probation, and ordered to pay a $5000 fine.
- Phillip D. Winn - Assistant HUD Secretary. Pleaded guilty to one count of scheming to give illegal gratuities.; pardoned by President Bill Clinton, Nov., 2000
- Thomas Demery - Assistant HUD Secretary - pleaded guilty to steering HUD subsidies to politically connected donors. Found guilty of bribery and obstruction of justice
- Deborah Gore Dean - executive assistant to Secretary Pierce - indicted on thirteen counts, three counts of conspiracy, one count of accepting an illegal gratuity, four counts of perjury, and five counts of concealing articles. She was convicted on twelve. She appealed and prevailed on several counts but the convictions for conspiracy remained.
- Joseph A. Strauss, (R) Special Assistant to the Secretary of HUD, convicted for accepting payments to favor Puerto Rican land developers in receiving HUD funding.
- Silvio D. DeBartolomeis convicted of perjury and bribery.
- Catalina Vasquez Villalpando, the Treasurer of the United States from 1989 to 1993
Pierce, the Secretary, though the "central person" in the scandal, was not charged because he made "full and public written acceptance of responsibility."
Retired Federal Judge Arlin M. Adams served as independent counsel in first five years of the prosecution, through 1995, and Larry Thompson completed the work 1995-98.
Read more about this topic: Reagan Administration Scandals
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