Brett J. Blackledge and Joseph D. Bryant, writing for The Birmingham News:
A charity Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford created more than seven years ago to give every child a computer faces scrutiny from a donor and federal prosecutors over its use of more than $1 million in taxpayer money, including payments on personal credit card bills, expenses for "elaborate" trips and checks written to a star of gay-porn films.
The questions about Computer Help for Kids, created in 2000 to carry out Langford's first computer-for-every-child promise as Fairfield mayor, come as the Birmingham City Council considers an agreement allowing a new charity backed by Langford to distribute computers to students. John Katopodis, a close friend of Langford who is organizing the mayor's initiative, faces questions in a civil lawsuit and in federal subpoenas about how he managed Langford's first computer charity.
The civil lawsuit filed by HealthSouth Corp., which donated money and computers, questions why the first computer charity gave Langford money, paid for casino trips and handed out donated computers to friends and politicians.
It's for the children.
Documents filed in the Jefferson County lawsuit against Katopodis show nonprofit programs managing Langford's first computer charity paid:
$30,000 to Marc Anthony Donais, also known as Ryan Idol, a star in gay adult films.
$28,000 in cash to Katopodis through checks and automatic teller withdrawals, including withdrawals at casinos.
$12,000 a year in rent for office space to a group run by Katopodis, even though Katopodis was not charged rent for the building.
As much as $10,000 to Langford, which he said went to a private charity he controlled.
Thousands of dollars to pay personal credit cards, phone bills and expenses, including Jim Burke Auto, Triumph Auto, Highlands restaurant, and airfare and hotels "to various places such as British Columbia" - all expenses that the lawsuit states "likely did not benefit" the computer charity.
There seems to be a pattern here. Fairfield Mayor Langford sets up a charity with John Katopodis, Birmingham Mayor Langford sets up a charity with John Katopodis. And a funny thing happened in between, when Langford was on the Jefferson County Commission:
Langford's first computer charity received more than $1 million from Jefferson County and Birmingham since it was created in 2000, county and city finance records show. The county funding increased significantly after Langford was elected to the commission in 2002, more than doubling its share to $100,000 that year and later giving at least $150,000 annually until last year. Langford sent $80,000 from his county discretionary fund as commissioner, county records show.
Why do you need a charity to give computers to school children? Can't the Board of Education do that? Maybe Langford could explain why he felt the need to use a charity to distribute computers to city schools. Then again maybe we already know the answer.
Is Langford the best we could do also? This is so embarrassing.
Posted by: Scott Allan | February 21, 2008 at 10:10 AM
Apparently he is. The voters in Birmingham need to start thinking seriously about a recall. Langford is bad news. He was on Herb Winches' new radio show Monday, of course none of this was mentioned that I recall, and Herb was fawning all over him. Disgusting.
Posted by: mad_cow | February 21, 2008 at 10:51 AM
El Stinko! This will be interesting to see what happens--if anything al all! Neither of them is married, maybe they're more than friends, heh. Is it me or do people in politics seem to develop a need for more money, any way they can get their hands on it?!
Posted by: linda | February 21, 2008 at 09:51 PM
The voters of Birmingham will never do a recall. People that pay taxes in Birmingham are not the same ones that are allowed to vote. I pay taxes in Birmingham, but am a resident of an adjoining suburb and have no voting privileges.
Langford, just like someone else I know, ran on a message of change. His tag line was "Let's do something". Well, he did something all right. Starting pilfering the cash and funneling it to his cronies just like he did in Fairfield.
Posted by: Dot Quantum | February 23, 2008 at 05:30 PM
Did you see the Fri paper where there was an article about John Rogers having a pending bill to increase Lankford's salary to more than $133,000? Oh, there's more! Who's watching the hen house? (In this case, the checkbook!)
Posted by: linda | February 24, 2008 at 01:42 AM
No I didn't! Thanks for the head's up, I found it online. More cronyism at work, the same Birmingham voters keep sending Rogers back to Montgomery.
"A public servant still has expenses," Rogers said. "You've got the same expenses you had before you got elected."
"Public servant". Now that's funny.
Posted by: mad_cow | February 24, 2008 at 05:14 AM