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National
Legal
and
Policy
Centerffif
"promoting
ethics
in
publiclife"
Board
of
Directors
KenBoehm,ChairmanPeterFlaherty,PresidentMichaelFalcone
Kurt
Christensen
David
Wilkinson
Founded
1991
March 19,2010
The HonorableZoe
Lofgren,
ChairTheHonorable
Jo
Bonner,
Ranking
Republican
Member
Committeeon
Standards
of
Official
Conduct
HT-2,
The
Capitol
Washington,
DC
20515
VIA
FAX:
202-225-7392
VIA
CERTIFIED
MAIL:
#7005
1160
0004 8557 8584
Re:
Request
for
an
Investigationinto
Activities
of
Rep.Gregory MeeksDear
Chair Lofgren
and
Ranking
MemberBonner:The
National Legal
and
Policy
Center
(NLPC)respectfully
requests
that
the
Committee
on
Standards
of
Official
Conductinvestigate theconduct
of
Rep,GregoryMeeks, Representative
for New
York's
Sixth
Congressional
District,
to
determine
if
hehas
violated
theCode
of
Official
Conduct oranylaw,
regulationor
standard
of
conductapplicable
to
a
Member
of
Congress.
Our
request
is
based
on
an
investigation
overthe
last
two
months whose
findings
raiseserious
legal
and
ethical
questions
as
to
whether Rep. Meeks
has misused
his
officefor
personal
gain.
Virtually
all
of
the
information
suggesting
improperbehavior
comes
from
materials
in
the
public
domain
including
news articles,Federal
Election
Commissionreports
and
audits, real
estate
records,legaldocuments,
Financial
Disclosure Reports,
and
other
public
records.
Such
records
are
citedand/orincluded
as
exhibits
accompanyingthis letter.
107
Park
WashingtonCourl
.
Falls
Church,
VA
.
22046703-237-1970
.
fax 703-237-2090
.
www.nlpc.org
 
Rep. Meeks and
Alleged
Special
Favors
for
AccusedPonzi
Scheme
Operator
R.
Allen
Stanford
On December
27
,2009,
the
Miami
Herald
ran
two
articlesregarding
the ties
financier
R.
Allen
Stanford,
accused
by the federalgovernment
of
cheating investorsout
of
$7
billion,
had
with
specific
Congressrrr..r.tThe front-page
article,
"Feds
Probe
Banker
Allen
Stanford's
Ties
to
Congress."disclosedthat the JusticeDepartmentwas
"investigating
millions
of
dollars that Stanford
and
his
staffcontributed
to
lawmakersover
thepastdecade
to
determine
if
the bankerreceived special
favors from
politicians."
The
articlewent
on
to
describethe
millions
ofdollars
spent
by
the offshore
financiertolobby
against
tighterfinancial
oversighton
offShore
banking
and
strictercontrols
against
money
laundering.
At
the
same
time
he
was
cultivating
Congress,
he
was
paying
$200,000
in
bribes
to
an
Antiguan
bankingregulator, according
to
court
documents.
Stanford'seffortto buyfriendsin
Congress
involved
support
to both
Senators
and
Congressmen
of
bothparties.
In
2003, Stanford
began
hosting
trips
for
selectedCongressmen
to
the
Caribbean
island nation
of Antigua,
wherehis
financial
operationswere
based.
In
2003, Stanford
hosted
a
trip
toAntigua costing
$39,500
for
RepresentativesPete Sessions,
Bob Ney,
John Sweeney,
Gregory
Meeks,
Donald
Payne,
Max
Sandlin
and
Phil
Crane.
The
trip
included
a stay at
luxury
hotels
and
the
use
of
two
Stanford
jetsfor
transportation.The
tripsto
the CaribbeanatStanford's
expense
ledto the
founding of
the
Caribbean
Caucus,
a
group
closelylinkedtoStanford'sinterests.
Rep.Meeks
became
a
member
of
the Caribbean
Caucus.
His
committee
assignments,
House Committee
on
Financial
Services
and
HouseForeign
Affairs
Committee,Subcommittee
on
the WesternHemisphere,
meshed
nicely
with
Stanford'slegislative
interests.
WhenStanfordwas
arrestedand charged
in
connection
with
a$7
billion
Ponzi
scheme
to
defraudinvestors,manylawmakers
who
received
contributions from
Stanfordturned the moneyover
to
the court-appointedreceiver
to
help
compensate
peoplewhowere
cheated.
Meeks was
listed
as
one
of
the
Congressmen
who
instead
turned"some
of
the
money"
over
to
charities.The
article
concluded
by
stating
that the
State
Departmenthad
specifically
mentioned Stanford
in a
1999
report
for
using hisinfluence
to
weaken the
Antiguan
banking laws,creating
"oneof
themost attractive
financial
centers
in
the Caribbean
for
moneylaunderers."
'
"Fedsprobe banker
Allen
Stanford's
ties
to
Congress,"by
Michael
Sallahand Rob
Barry,
MiamiHerald,Dec.2l,2009,
page
l;
"GregoryMeeks'
trip
to
Venezuelaon
behalf
of
Stanford's
bank
raises
ethics
questions," by RobBarry,
Michael
Sallahand Gerardo
Reyes,
MiamiHerald,
Dec.
27
,20O9
-
 
The companion
MiamiHerald
articletothe story about the federal investigation
of
Stanford's ties
to
Congress,
"Gregory
Meeks
trip
to
Venezuelaon behalf
of
Stanford'sbank
raises
ethics
problems,"
singled out
Rep.
Meeks
for
an
apparent special
favor
he
performed
for
his benefactor
and
major
donor.
The
article
described
how
Stanford
was enraged
with
thepresident
of
his bankingoperations
in
Venezuela
for
publicly
questioningwhether Stanford
was
perpetuating
a
fraudafter Stanford had
accused
the executive
of
stealing
from
the company.The
article
continued:
"Enraged
at his
former
executive,
Stanford
placed
a
call
inMarch
2006
to Democratic
House member
Gregory
Meeks
with
a
rare
request:
Go
to
President
Hugo
Chavez
and
seek a
criminal
investigation of
Gonzalo
Tirado.
Meeks,
a
member
of the
House
Committee
on
Foreign
Affairs,
agreed
to
carry
the
message,
according to
two
former
U.S.
federal
agents
working
for
Stanford
whowere
listening
to the
call
on
a
speakerphone.The
politicianwould
travel
toVenezuela
a
month later
for
a
series
of
meetings
with
Hugo
Chavez
and
other
leaders.
Ayear
after
that visit,
Venezuelanprosecutors
indicted
Tirado
on
charges
of
swindling
and
tax
evasion.
Meeks'
trip
to Venezuela
was
billed
as
a
mission
to
express
gratitude
to
Chavez
and
other
leaders
for
a
program
that
providedheatingoil
to
Americans
in
the
Northeast,
press
reports
said.
There was no
mention
of anydiscussion
about Stanford,
whose
Venezuelan
bank
was
one
of themost
successful
in
his
business
network.
Meeks
did
not
return
repeatedphonecallsande-mails asking
for
more
information
about
the
trip."2
The
Miami Herald
went
on
to
document
how
following
the
Venezuelan
trip,
Meeks went
on
to
take
five
more
trips,including
several
with
his
wife,
to luxury
resorts
in
theCaribbeanpaid
for
by
a
non-profit
funded
by
Stanford.
And
it
disclosed that
the
Meeks campaignreceived
some
$12,100
incontributions
from
Stanford
and
hisemployees
in
2008.
'
"GregoryMeeks'
trip
to
Venezuelaon
behalf
of
Stanford's
bankraisesethics
questions,"by
Rob Barry,
Michael
Sallah and GerardoReyes,
Miami Herald, Dec.2'7,2009.
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