COOKIN' BOOKS! Virginia Governor's CHEF Is Renowned EMBEZZLER!

[Mozilla Firefox (Not Responding)]

Gov. Robert "Bible Bob" McDonnell sees another scandal threaten his
VEEP hopes.

From PERSONHOOD to VAGINAL PROBES to CROOKS-AS-CHEFS, one gotcha after
another dims his selfish hopes for higher office.


====================
"Virginia governor’s chef didn’t get criminal background check when
hired"

By Anita Kumar
March 27, 2012



RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s administration
acknowledged Tuesday that it did not know the chef at the Executive
Mansion had been convicted of embezzlement when he was hired to work
for the governor and his family two years ago.

McDonnell’s staff failed to conduct the required criminal background
check on Todd Schneider, who recently left his job amid a police
investigation after a tip about possible wrongdoing at the mansion.

Officials learned of Schneider’s conviction and his hundreds of
thousands of dollars of debts from an article in The Washington Post
on Sunday. A day later, administration officials determined that they
had not instructed Virginia State Police to conduct a check as is the
norm for political appointees.

The governor’s office blamed the mistake on a frantic first few months
in office and a desire to quickly hire an executive chef for McDonnell
(R) and Virginia’s first family after they moved into the mansion in
January 2010.

It’s unclear whether the state neglected to properly vet other
employees at the start of McDonnell’s four-year term, but the
governor’s office says it was not a pattern.

“The hiring process for positions within the administration, including
at the mansion, requires a full vetting of the applicant and a
criminal background check,” McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin said.
“There was a departure from this process in the case of Todd
Schneider, who was hired very early in the administration.”

Secretary of the Commonwealth Janet Polarek and her staff are charged
with vetting nearly 300 political appointees, including the chef and
thousands of people named to boards and commissions.

Bill Daddio, retired associate director for protection for the U.S.
Mint Police, said the state, like the federal government, should
conduct criminal background checks as a matter of procedure. And, he
said, it would be smart to do a financial check as well.

“Could the person have been violent? I’m sure they are aware of that
possibility,” Daddio said. “I suspect they are embarrassed.”

Schneider, 51, is a well-known caterer in Virginia political circles.
His Richmond catering business, Seasonings Fine Catering and Event
Planning, had done work over many years for national and state
politicians, including former governors Timothy M. Kaine (D) and
George Allen (R) as well as U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-
Va.), according to state and federal campaign records.

Schneider did not return calls seeking comment. Two people familiar
with the matter said Schneider has retained lawyer Steve Benjamin, who
declined to confirm whether he had been hired by Schneider.

Martin said Schneider did not disclose his criminal background when
asked during his interview whether anything in his past would
embarrass McDonnell or himself.

“No one currently involved in applicant vetting was aware of any
potentially disqualifying information on record about him, nor was it
disclosed during the interview process,” he said.

Martin said that if the administration had known of Schneider’s
background, which also includes civil judgments and tax liens, he
would not have been hired.

In 2000, Schneider was charged with three felonies — including
embezzlement, according to court records. He received a six-month
suspended sentence for misdemeanor petty larceny embezzlement, the
documents say. It is unclear whether he pleaded guilty or was
convicted in a trial.

State policy dictates that records for cases in general district
courts older than 10 years be destroyed. The Richmond police, Richmond
commonwealth’s attorney’s office and clerk of the court do not have
Schneider’s case file, according to spokesmen.

Schneider has been taken to court by various people alleging debts. He
has incurred more than $400,000 in debts over two decades, but much of
that was in the past 10 years and all before he was hired at the
mansion, according to court documents. He owed the Internal Revenue
Service $171,526 in 2009, the state nearly $200,000 in 2006 and 2007,
and thousands more to a variety of individuals and companies,
including food vendors, a lawyer and a dentist. Records and interviews
show some cases have been resolved, but the disposition of other cases
remains unclear.

During that time, Schneider’s company was hired by Virginia’s top
elected officials. Kaine hired his catering business for his
lieutenant governor and gubernatorial inaugurations. Allen paid him
$70,000 for a variety of events. The campaigns of Kaine and Allen,
both running for U.S. Senate, declined to comment.

The chef trained with Martha Stewart. He counts former president Bill
Clinton, former vice president Dick Cheney and movie director Steven
Spielberg as clients, as well as companies such as Capital One and
NBC, according to his Web site. He served as chef to former Florida
governor Bob Graham (D), catered an event for former president George
H.W. Bush in the Sunshine State and considers chef Paula Deen a
friend, according to friends and published reports.

Schneider turned over his catering business to staff when he took the
chef’s job at the mansion. Schneider, who was recommended for the job
by a former mansion director, spent the past two years catering
parties, first lady teas and family dinners for the McDonnells and
their five children. He helped the first lady plant a vegetable garden
behind the mansion and cater the wedding of the McDonnells’ daughter
Cailin at the home this past summer.

State police spokesman Corinne Geller said officials are investigating
allegations of “improprieties involving the kitchen operations at the
governor’s mansion.” She said that no charges have been filed and that
no arrests have been made.

The office of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R) is assisting in
the inquiry because it involves state resources. “Per office policy,
we can’t confirm or deny the existence of any investigation,”
Cuccinelli spokeswoman Caroline Gibson said.

Schneider is the only person under investigation, according to
officials with knowledge of the probe but who were not authorized to
speak about it. The investigation began several months ago when
someone called the state’s hotline for waste, fraud and abuse
allegations. The nature of the allegations is unclear, and
administration officials declined to comment.

John A. Spooner, the state’s internal auditor, said he gave the tip to
the state police. Spooner declined to comment on the specifics of the
tip.

Schneider was put on paid administrative leave Feb. 10 and left his
job March 5. The governor’s office announced last weekend that
Schneider no longer worked for the state. Officials said they were
prevented from saying whether Schneider, who made $60,000 a year as
the mansion’s chef, was fired or left on his own.

Martin said that since February the mansion has hired chefs as needed
for its events, particularly during the 60-day General Assembly
session, one of the busiest times of the year. The administration is
interviewing candidates for a permanent chef.

[Staff researcher Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report.]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/virginia-governors-chef-didnt-get-criminal-background-check-when-hired/2012/03/27/gIQARZ0CfS_story.html#weighIn

[drooling fuck wit]

Face it, Virginia and Virginians have never been truly happy since
LYNCHING was outlawed in the 1950s.