Corruption US – old style
Every few weeks we see simple corruption, which in this case included kickbacks as well as hiding the money using family members. What is frustrating is not that it exists but that simple systems, which I and other colleagues worldwide advocate for, do not exist in many US county governments to catch these activities before they get to the point where we have to use enforcement after the fact. The American University and School reported that the superintendent Mr. Devon Horton of the DeKalb County Schools, in the US state of Georgia, has been indicted on federal charges related to his previous job in the Evanston-Skokie, state of Illinois. “Horton allegedly steered contracts to companies owned by his associates that were created for the purpose of getting contracts with District 65. Those companies allegedly put money into a sibling’s bank account, which was then funneled to Horton.”
Why should we care and what should we do? This case reminds us that even in environments where we believe that corruption should be minimal, we should still be vigilant. It is not that we assume that everyone is a criminal, but we should have systems that provide oversight over governmental monies. Additionally, the fact that Mr. Horton was making $360,000 and we would not think that he would want kickbacks, but, as in the case in many other countries, we would have noticed that he had received some additional monies if he had to submit a yearly asset declaration. In this instance, the fact that the kickback was $85,000 out of contracts of $280,000, approximately 35% of the contracts, should also have been a very clear warning sign. Obviously, hindsight is always much clearer, but this article is also reminder that if numbers look odd, that should be a signal, and that yearly asset declarations can catch or stop corruption. Fundamentally, simple systems are not just for developing countries, but are there for all us.
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