City Mayor Faces Charges over Concealed Relationship with Security Detail
The female city mayor, who has made history in a city with a 300-year existence, is currently facing multiple charges. The allegations against her include a clandestine romantic relationship with her bodyguard. The bodyguard, it is claimed, received payment as if he was on duty even when he was spending personal time with the mayor, including private meetings in apartments and wine tasting trips.
This is the first time in the city's history that a seated mayor has been charged. She has already served two terms and is approaching the end of her tenure due to term restrictions. The charges leveled against her include conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction.
A History of Public Corruption
The accusations add another chapter to the city's notorious history of public corruption. "Public corruption has been our Achilles heel for years," says an official closely involved in the case. "This case is of immense significance."
The mayor's bodyguard was already facing charges of wire fraud and making false statements. He has denied these charges. The mayor has now been added to the case, based on an 18-count indictment.
The Use of Encrypted Messages
Both the mayor and her bodyguard are accused of exchanging encrypted messages through a popular messaging app in order to avoid detection. They later deleted these conversations. They both maintain that their relationship was strictly professional, despite the indictment suggesting a "personal and intimate" relationship.
The mayor has not made a public comment on the charges, and there has been no activity on her official social media feed since mid-July, when she posted about a significant reduction in crime rates in the city.
The indictment highlights an exchange between the mayor and her bodyguard, where he reminisces about a trip they took to Scotland, referring to it as the beginning of their relationship.
Alleged Misconduct and Deception
The pair are accused of exchanging more than 15,000 messages on the messaging app, including plans to harass a citizen, delete evidence, make false statements to federal agents and "commit perjury before a federal grand jury."
The indictment alleges that the mayor arranged for her bodyguard to join her on 14 trips while he claimed to be on duty. These trips have been described as times when they were truly alone. The city's taxpayers footed the bill for these trips, which totaled over $70,000.
They are also accused of taking a trip to a popular vacation spot, which was paid for by the city. This trip was chosen instead of attending a conference in Miami.
The mayor is accused of lying in an affidavit, stating that she had enabled a feature on her phone that automatically deleted messages in 2021, when it was not activated until a month after speculation about their conduct began.
When photos of the pair dining together surfaced, the mayor filed a police report and sought a restraining order against the person who took the photos. The bodyguard has since retired from the police department.
Controversies and Allegations of Unfair Treatment
The mayor and her supporters claim that she has been unfairly targeted as a Black woman and held to a higher standard than her male counterparts. They argue that her executive powers have been undermined. However, officials involved in the investigation dismiss these claims, stating that the nature of the allegations is irrelevant, and emphasize that the case represents a significant betrayal of public trust.
The mayor, who has had a turbulent second term and survived a recall effort, has seen her support base and influence dwindle. Her early accomplishments have been overshadowed by self-inflicted controversies and bitter disputes with an antagonistic city council. Changes to the city's charter, approved by voters, have further curtailed her authority.
The mayor has previously spoken about facing disrespectful and insulting treatment. She was recently widowed when her attorney husband passed away.
As the city digests the news of the indictment, a spokesperson for the City Council President described it as a "sad day for the people of the city."
This is not the first time a city mayor has faced legal trouble. A former mayor was sentenced to a decade in prison for bribery, money laundering, fraud, and tax crimes during his tenure. He was released from prison on supervised release during the pandemic.