Levy/Dixie County
I had a request to please post information regarding the political escapades that happened or is happening in Levy County. Since it was quite a bit of information and it was not directly Taylor County issues, I posted it on a sister site. If you want to discuss it after you read it, you can do so here.
I think you ae talking about Dixie Couny. This has been quite a political scandal. You would hope our local charlatans (BOCC and TCDA) would learn from this fiasco. County Commissioners charged and County Attorney in jail. Someone will certainly "sing" about the other. What amazes me is that this was going on for so long and everyone knew about, even some in the Taylor County legal community, and no one was alerting the authorities! The related trial for the county attorney is scheduled for next month. I guess thos ten commandments at the Dixie County Courthouse were for looks only. LOL!
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Could be, I just posted exactly what was emailed to me by the person requesting the post. I am sure they are learning...learning what not to do to avoid getting caught.
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Like me as well! LOL!
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This info is Tied to both Dixie and Levy, what it gets down to is big money from big town waving in front of small town folks to help get away with a land deal. They was wrong they got busted and I got five bucks says the big guys walk away hands free. heres the posting from a Cross City paper about the lawyer. Former Dixie County Attorney Joseph T. (Joey) Lander, was arrested on federal charges stemming from his alleged connection in two schemes garnering over one million dollars.
The charges accuse Lander of fraudulent billing of developers, and the indictment also states Lander founded and operated a vitamin business known as GenSpec and set up a fraudulent checking account into which he deposited the funds he obtained from investors.
Following a court appearance at Gainesville’s federal courthouse on Wednesday, December 3, Lander entered a not guilty plea, and was held at the Alachua County Jail pending a detention hearing.
According to an affidavit obtained from the Alachua County Clerk of Court’s office, Lander faces eight counts of mail fraud that he committed while serving as Dixie County Attorney in 2005.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Allan Kornblum denied Lander bond during a detention hearing on Monday, December 8, as he considered Lander a potential flight risk.
In addition to Lander’s former positions as Dixie County Attorney and Dixie County School Board Attorney, he also operated a private law practice in Cross City, and is part owner of the Dixie County Advocate. On Tuesday, December 9th, Lander was transported to the Levy County Jail, where he currently remains.
This is info on the other Dixiw folks
Thomas F. Kirwin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced today the indictment of three former Dixie County officials, Willie Dewey Keen, Jr. (59), John Lee Driggers (60), and Alton James Land (67). The men are charged with solicitation of bribes in connection with business pending before the Dixie County Board of County Commissioners, for conspiracy to commit that offense, and for making false statements during the course of a federal investigation, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371, 666(a)(1)(
The indictment alleges that in 2006, while Keen was serving as the Building and Zoning Inspector for Dixie County, and Driggers and Land were serving as County Commissioners, the three men conspired to accept things of value with the intent to be influenced and rewarded in connection with transactions before the Dixie County Board of County Commissioners. Specifically, the indictment alleges that the conspirators offered their approval for developments within Dixie County in exchange for money and other inducements, and attempted to influence members of the Board of County Commissioners to obtain their approval for these developments.
Driggers and Land are also charged with one count of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
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Good post and summary of what is going on. Lander is the likely the only individual in the history of Dixie County to drive around in Cross City / Horseshoe Beach a Maserati! LOL! Now that is a lot of vitamins!
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http://www.gainesvi lle.com/article/ 20091009/ ARTICLES/ 910099892/ 1002?Title= Jury-convicts- ex-Dixie- official- Joey-Lander
Jury convicts ex-Dixie official Joey Lander By Megan Rolland Staff writer
Friday, October 9, 2009
Joey Lander, the 40-year-old former county attorney in Dixie County, was found guilty Friday on 11 felony counts of money laundering and six felony counts of mail fraud in a case involving a start-up vitamin company and two land developments.
The 12-person jury found Lander guilty after seven hours of deliberation, ordering Lander to forfeit his co-ownership of the Dixie County Advocate, a weekly newspaper, to the federal government.
Jurors found that Lander's family home in Old Town could not be directly linked to the money involved int he fraud case, thus the government cannot seize that property.
Throughout the past week, victims testified to how Lander defrauded them of hundreds of thousands of dollars through various schemes. The crimes occurred in 2005 and 2006 while Lander was in the official position as Dixie County attorney.
One scheme involved the alleged fraudulent billing of developers, and the other involved persuading people to invest in a vitamin business he claimed he was starting.
Lander was released Friday on the same bail that had been required during the trial until the judge can pass down a sentence for the crimes in January.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg McMahon argued that Lander should be detained while awaiting sentencing, pointing out that during a civil trial regarding the schemes, Lander moved to Carlsbad, Calif., a city only 50 miles from the Mexico border.
"If he would run from a civil suit, facing a criminal charge is something that would motivate him even more," McMahon said.
Lander's defense attorney, Clifford Davis, said Lander moved his family to Carlsbad and that there was nothing preventing people from moving anywhere they chose.
Davis said Lander's father's home had been put up as security to cover Lander's bond and that Lander would not flee.
The maximum sentence for each money-laundering conviction is 20 years in prison and the maximum sentence for mail fraud is 30 years in prison.
McMahon said that the Dixie County Advocate shares will likely be auctioned off by the government.
McMahon described the lavish lifestyle lived by Lander before the jury deliberated on what the government could seize.
"You have to decide whether those monies went to living that lifestyle," McMahon said.
Lander's defense attorney said it was "vicious and vindictive" for the prosecution to bring up Lander's possessions, which include a BMW, Maserati, Hummer, boat and airplane.
On Tuesday, a woman had testified that she sent Joey Lander $281,000 for stock in a vitaminowned in Dixie County.
Another witness testified that he lost $340,000 that he gave to Lander to hold in escrow for a proposed residential development called Rivershores at Jena.
Kimberly Lander, Joey Lander's wife, said...
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What is a shame is that members of the circuit's legal community all knew what Lander was up to, including judges, and they did nothing. So much for honesty and high standards for the third judicial circuit bar.
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Yeah, this issue wa a bit wierd. Nice blog I love your commentry.
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