Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Wednesday, March 18 Ashland Kiwanis recognizes Samara Diab Best-selling author Jance to visit Ashland City seeks comment on possible pot growing rules Hands-On work with robots at ScienceWorks Education Ashland Kiwanis recognizes Samara Diab Hands-On work with robots at ScienceWorks Breaking ground on organic vineyard practices Students share debt frustrations at summit meeting Southern Oregon University: Recent and pending projects at SOU total about $132 million Environment Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Legislature might be divided on clean fuels bill, but these Ashlanders weren't Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up Business Breaking ground on organic vineyard practices Southern Oregon University: Recent and pending projects at SOU total about $132 million Test Drive: 2015 Subaru Outback Limited Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep Ride & Drive: 2015 Hyundai Genesis Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out today Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Death Notices Shiela R. Ettlich Karen June Shaw Death Notices Death Notices Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society Sports Latest Stories Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Thompson, Weber to play in all-star game Beavers get No. 3 seed, host NCAA games Fantasy Sports: Mike Trout clear star of young outfield crop Ashland footgolf event gives players a new way to get around the links High school Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Grizz alpine skiers finish strong at state Ashland High's Honsinger tops field in final nordic ski meet Grizz snowboard team heads to state with repeat potential Grizzlies let second-half lead slip away in season-ending loss to CV Southern Oregon University Thompson, Weber to play in all-star game Beavers get No. 3 seed, host NCAA games Young shoots Ducks into Pac-12 title game Raider softball team opens league play with split at Northwest West's 32 powers No. 21 Southern Oregon into Elite Eight Voices Latest Stories Landgren cartoon: Boston gets a ‘Frozen’ sequel Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Landgren cartoon: Sunshine Week Editorial Our View: SOU's economic clout Our view: Keep it simple in developing marijuana rules Our View: Ashland is at risk as a bad fire season looms Our View: Ashland backs residents over visitors in lodging decision Our View: No need for blame in Hannah Thomas-Garner case Letters Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Letters to the Editor, March 14 Letters to the Editor, March 12 Letters to the Editor, March 11 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Council Corner: City considers the sharing economy Herb Rothschild Jr.: Demonizing Putin makes case for war Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Jeffrey Gillespie: The opaqueness of Hillary Clinton Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Herzog scholarship for young writers Movie listings: March 13-18 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' Community blog: Take a peek at poet Scott Wozniak Theater Theater review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' in Ashland Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Ticket availability Music The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Another career highlight for Kelly Clarkson Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies 8 must-see spring films Movie review: ‘Wrecking Crew’ is a look at the people who really put the bomp Movie review: ‘Cinderella’ is an instant classic Shailene Woodley returns as Tris in ‘Insurgent’ Movie listings: March 13-18 Food and Drink Sammich does it Chicago-style Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Page H. Onorato: How food names came into being Tammy Kelly: Healthy leftover ham Lost in Suburbia: Top 10 reasons I like my dog better than my kids Dear Monty: Tips for checking out an existing septic system 5 Things to Do This Weekend (March 20-22) Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: SOU's economic clout ... City seeks comment on possible pot growing rules ... Daily Tidings Haiku Corner: Week of March 16-21 ... Our View: SOU's economic clout ... City seeks comment on possible pot growing rules ... Daily Tidings Haiku Corner: Week of March 16-21 ... KITZHABER RESIGNATION Federal investigation of Kitzhaber to focus on potential financial crimes U.S. Attorney's Office looking at extent of Hayes' influence on governor Comment By Martha Bellisle The Associated Press DailyTidings.com By Martha Bellisle The Associated Press Posted Feb. 16, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Martha Bellisle The Associated Press Posted Feb. 16, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News PORTLAND — Legal experts say a subpoena used in a federal grand jury investigation into Oregon's fallen governor and his fiancée indicates that authorities are investigating possible violations of public corruption laws and financial crimes including wire or mail fraud, bribery and tax evasion. The subpoena was sent to the state's administrative agency on the same day Gov. John Kitzhaber announced his resignation. "Typically you don't see this extensive of a subpoena unless it's a top-priority investigation," said Laurie Levenson, a former assistant U.S. attorney who teaches at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. "It's a pretty extensive investigation. Given that this involves a governor, I would expect this is being supervised at the highest level" and includes the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Public Integrity, the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI. It may be that the grand jury reviews the material and finds no reason to bring charges, Levenson said. She noted that the authorities used a subpoena to collect records, not a search warrant that would have required a showing of probable cause. But Levenson added: "It's too early to say whether there will be charges, but none of this is good news for the governor." Tung Yin, a professor at Lewis and Clark Law School in Oregon, said a state official, employee or representative is in violation of the federal theft or bribery law if he or she "embezzles, steals, obtains by fraud" government property or corruptly offers anything "with intent to influence or reward" someone in connection with business or government transactions. Mail or wire fraud would kick in if prosecutors could show the crime was played out through email or the postal service. "The theory is that a public official owes the rights of honest service to the public," Yin said. The official breaches that duty if he or she gets a kickback or a bribe. If the governor was to be considered a conspirator, it would require an agreement to commit fraud, he said. "The essence is, the governor would have to know what was going on," Yin said. Kitzhaber, newly elected to an unprecedented fourth term as Oregon's governor, announced on Friday that his last day in office will be Wednesday, at which point Secretary of State Kate Brown will take over and assign her replacement. Kitzhaber's resignation came amid a deepening scandal over allegations that fiancée Cylvia Hayes used the power of his office to land contracts for her green-energy consulting firm. It started with a probe by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, followed by one by the state attorney general and peaked with a federal government subpoena served the same day Kitzhaber announced he was resigning. The U.S. Congress' Committee on Oversight and Government Reform joined in on Friday with a letter to Kitzhaber demanding that he preserve all documents and communications related to the broken Cover Oregon program. Kitzhaber and Hayes, as well as their lawyers, have not responded to numerous requests for comment. Kitzhaber's only response to the scandal was a lengthy resignation letter in which he emphatically stated that he did not break any laws or do anything "dishonest or dishonorable." The federal investigation is being handled by Oregon Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford, who began his career with the Justice Department's tax division where he prosecuted tax, white-collar and money-laundering crimes. In recent years, he has secured convictions in cases ranging from embezzlement to tax, investment and wire fraud. Both his office and the FBI declined comment on the investigation, saying it's important to conduct them "out of the public eye to ensure a fair process." Rick Drooyan, a former assistant U.S. attorney who specialized in white-collar crime and now is a criminal defense lawyer, said the three-page subpoena reveals the focus of the investigation. "They're looking into whether she used her relationship to cause him to take actions that would benefit her private consulting clients," Drooyan said. The subpoena demands records relating to contracts proposed and bids awarded to Hayes and her company, 3E Strategies, as well as records related to a list of 15 projects, initiatives and action plans that focus on climate and clean energy. It demands travel records, documents showing Hayes' use of state credit cards and the tax returns for Hayes and her company. The subpoena also wants visitor logs to the governor's office and Mahonia Hall, the governor's mansion in Salem. Hayes' biographical information for the National Governors Association describes her as "a policy adviser to Gov. John Kitzhaber on the issues of clean energy and economic development." "The state has a lot of green-energy initiatives, and she's in a position to influence how the government views them — and that could benefit the private clients who are paying her," Drooyan said. The question is, Levenson said, "did he use his influence to help get her these deals? They're inextricably linked. That's what the subpoena suggests." It's possible that Kitzhaber's defense could be he didn't have any personal involvement in Hayes' dealings, Levenson said. In any event, it will likely be months before it is known whether Kitzhaber or Hayes will face charges. By Martha Bellisle The Associated Press DailyTidings.com By Martha Bellisle The Associated Press Posted Feb. 16, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501