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Another Former Dearborn Building & Safety Employee Charged With Bribery

Building-and-Safety-webA former Dearborn employee from the city’s Building and Safety Department has been charged with bribery in connection with allegations that she illegally issued work permits for money payments, according to the Detroit Free Press.

This is the second employee this year from the Building and Safety Department to be charged with issuing work permits for payments.

According to the paper, Wanda J. Smith, 42, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 if convicted on the charge. While acting as an agent in the city’s permit section, U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg said that Smith received $5,000 or more during various bribes between 2006 and 2008. She allegedly took the money in return for issuing permits on residential properties, the Free Press says.

The Building and Safety Department has been under investigation by the FBI Detroit office for some time now.

In July 2009, Leticia Bosemon, 38, of Inkster pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in return for issuing temporary certificates of occupancy for residential property in Dearborn.

Bosemon admitted in court that from the fall of 2006 until June, 2008 she accepted in excess of $63,000 from many individuals in return for preparing fraudulent performance bonds and issuing temporary certificates of occupancy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of the agreement, Bosemon faces a maximum penalty of 37 months and a $250,000 fine.  Her sentencing date has been set for Dec. 3, 2009.

The recent charges against Smtih are yet another black eye for a city department that has long been a lightning rod for criticism. In February, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly announced that the department would undergo a major reorganization to better serve the needs of residential and business customers. You can see that earlier story by clicking HERE.

The issues in the Building and Safety Department didn’t happen overnight and fixing it will take time. The changes by O’Reilly earlier this year were a step in the right direction but, unfortunately, theses types of stories further hurt the credibility of this department

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 9:46 pm and is filed under City Hall. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • TJ

    The damage in B&S didn’t happen overnight nor will the cleanup. I give the O’Reilly adminsitration credit for opening the door to the feds to investigate what the former administration ignored. There no doubt will be more but these first arrests would never have happened without the mayor we have in office today.

  • Dearbornette

    No offense, TJ, but the FBI would have gotten this info regardless of the mayor’s “cooperation” because people dealing with the building department provided the info to the feds. The way I heard it, the FBI conducted raids, there was no ‘cooperation.’ O’Reilly is just more of the same…and maybe worse; his creating a new high-paying job for Norwood only proves that. Why reward Norwood after all that corruption was going on literally right next to his desk? Could it be because he has some damaging information to share about the administration? Hmmmm…

  • Shady

    Do not believe all the employees of building and safety are bad! The department was crooked for years by the supervisors, one remains and 2 have since left. The ex mayor knew it, the council knew it, the directors knew it, civil service knew it, and all the people willing to pay knew it. The current mayor did not invite the F.B.I. in willingly he had to have them in because how could he answer the question “Why has this gone on so long and not been dealt with” he knows the players. The good people in that dept. are not listened to by anyone and work in an oppressive and hostle enviornment. The ladies who are being charged deserve what they get, however the source has not been dealt with and they probably learned from the best in cheating!

  • Favors

    Another reason to get rid of O’Reilley. This crap went on under his nose for YEARS. Norwood’s punishment from O was yet another high paying job. Big O did not have the backbone to dismiss. I want someone willing to clean house. Corruption at City Hall should not be tolerated. If all City Council was aware of this too, then they ALL need to go too.

  • allen

    When do the building inspectors get indicted — like pizzino and the crew?

  • emanon

    Allen–one can only hope it’s just around the corner…not to put too fine a point on it, but they are the root of this…
    Why haven’t any of the bribe payers been charged with anything?
    Is it because they cooperated with the feds?
    (No, I don’t believe for a second the angry bigot on topix.com who thinks the feds are sheilding Arab Americans from prosecution.)
    Big O really needs to be called out for his handling of Norwood. Obviously, Norwood is either totally inept, a crook or both. There are literally hundreds of folks around town who could do his new job better. O is a real disappointment.

  • rick

    Norwood is protected by Big Jack, because he has some nasty info. regarding the building dept. on him, and he wants it kept quiet . Jack you are a total disappointment — The BP boys are spilling their guts on you however — rest assured to save their fannies.

  • Shady

    Not all the inspectors are bad or on the take! Allen is correct pizzino is/has/been the problem from the begining. Between him and yousef beydoun (the vice-mayor of dearborn as he called himself) people only needed to provide favors or $$$ to recieve a favorable approval with out them even having to leave the office. You can’t have honest inspectors doing there job while other people in power are undermining the laws and ordiances, this is where the unfair, inconsistant and reputation comes from. Dearborn is a little Payton Place where everyone knows someone and wants a favor from them for being a friend or relative. That’s kinda like entitlement. This has gone on for years and now is the time to hopefully have everyone treated equally. Fresh blood…….VOTE THEM ALL OUT! We are all better off with a novice in any office, at least it should take them 4 yrs. to learn how to cheat! And really what do we have to lose.

  • Lillian

    Let’s hope the new mayor, whoever it is, does some housecleaning. There has to be some pretty inept people working for the city if no one even noticed that this was going on for such a long time. Where are the internal watchdogs?

  • Shady

    Who’s the BP boy’s? Norwood is not really protected. The problem is the leadership is corrupt and can’t react in a professional manner because of fear of retaliation. In there minds it would be unfair for norwood to be unemployed dispite him destroying a entire department. They all keep expecting someone else to pull the trigger so they don’t have to do the dirty part of there job. In the real world (private sector) norwood would have been fired by the owner, C.E.O. board of Dir. instead Big O and 5 members of the council voted to shuffle him over! Will you all be so lucky at your jobs if that happened? If you know a Dbn cop ask them about all the interferance with ticket writing it’s not just B&S. VOTE THEM OUT!

  • rami

    The Big Boys wants to get rid of some people, but he doesn’t have the balls to do so, because he is afraid, they will spill the beans on him. Don’t worry the BP boys from Armada will flip over, unfortunately it will be too late for the upcoming election.

  • Milwood Fordson

    DT was a thorn to Jack Sr.’s and Guido’s side, Jack Jr. has’nt forgot. DT tried to oust Orville after he had his stroke and even pushed to eliminate his pension.

    DT has been more than a watchdog over the years, he has been a attack dog. Big O is barking back at the old dog now that he is Mayor. The Thomas/administration feud is close to 40 years old now. When will it stop?

  • LovedDearborn

    “Diversity” at it’s best.

  • emanon

    Milwood–buddy, you’re on the wrong thread…

    LovedDearborn–how far we’ve come since Orvie’s day…used to be only white males had the privledge of scamming from city hall…

  • Milwood Fordson

    Sorry No Name, oops dyslexia again, back to topic, how did RC build a new home in Belleville on a city inspectors pay. Can we say favors from contractors. Is the FBI looking at him too?

  • LovedDearborn

    To think that I actually paid taxes to this city and tried to help the honest, law abiding former residents get out via this “department” is a travesty. FBI in Dearborn City Hall? Need I say more?

  • pc

    Maybe people should actually look into things before they let their mouths go on and on… RC did not build a NEW home in Belleville… It was a repo… Yes Dearborn is a payton place, but that is because busy body’s make it that way… RC is the most honest person that I know. And a buit of an FYI, when the feds look into things, nobody is looked over… Everyone is looked into and no rock is left unturned…