Monica Conyers convicted of bribery, sentenced to 3 years, but claims her taped cry of "you'd better get my loot" was taken out of context

Marathon Pundit reports that John Conyers' wife was sentenced to three years and one month in a federal prison for her role in a bribery scandal. The former Detroit city councilwoman had admitted taking cash from a company interested in doing business with the city.

She is the wife of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee... There was some drama in the courtroom, as Conyers tried to withdraw her guilty plea, "If I have to I'll go to jail for what I've done, but I won't go for what I didn't do."

The longtime Detroit congressman has not been implicated in his wife's crimes, but I find it odd that the national media has not picked up on this story. After all, federal penitentiaries are under the purview of Conyers' committee.

The 45-year old Conyers is the biggest name to have been caught in the FBI's wide-ranging investigation into Detroit corruption.

Nine people have pleaded guilty, including two former directors of the downtown convention center, and prosecutors have promised more charges are coming... Conyers' plea deal was limited to taking bribes to support a contract with Synagro worth $47 million a year. But the recent trial of her former aide, Sam Riddle, exposed a series of alleged schemes involving others making payoffs to do business at city hall.

...Earlier this year, jurors at the Riddle trial heard secretly taped phone calls in which he and Conyers discussed money, bank deposits and how to split cash.

In a November 2007 call, Conyers told Riddle, "You'd better get my loot." On another call, businessman Rayford Jackson, who passed bribes to Conyers for her sludge vote, said, "You're my girl. Don't forget that."

Conyers told the judge some taped conversations would exonerate her... "They have taken tapes and used them out of context," she said of the U.S. attorney's office...

Before the hearing, Conyers moved around the courtroom like a playful host, blowing kisses to supporters while wearing dark sunglasses. Her husband, who has an office in the federal courthouse, was not in the courtroom. Spokesman Jonathan Godfrey said he didn't know his whereabouts.

Perhaps Andi Sullivan could pull a few of his house dicks off the Trig Palin investigation to rustle up Johnnie Conyers.


Photo credit: Marathon Pundit.