Former Democratic State Representative Sue Schmitz, a beloved teacher, was targeted by Republican U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin during the 2008 election cycle. In September 2008, Schmitz won: she was not convicted. This year, she had her second trial.
Schmitz crime was she had set up a job as a community relations person for a social service entity. She earned a total of over $50,000 a year for a three year period. She was accused of doing little if no work while being paid excessively. (Don't we all know people who are overpaid?)
The money used to fund the entity (and Schmitz's position) was federal money so she was happily targeted for fraud by the Rove Racket.
Unfortunately, Schmitz took a gamble and was convicted by a jury in February. Martin was quoted in the media:
Maybe Martin meant to say the Rove Motto: "Instead of serving the interests of Rove's Republican Party, you will be held accountable."After the verdict, ...a statement from Alice Martin, U.S. attorney for the northern district of Alabama. "This guilty verdict should send a strong message to public officials in Alabama. If you choose to violate your oath and serve your own interest, instead of serving the interest of the citizens, you will be held accountable," Martin said in the statement.
Here's a wonderful background article from 2008:
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/02/hbc-90002293
