Organized Crime. Kamikaze Cowboy. Elected Officials Paid To Work Polls. Lobbyists. Registered Agent BBPA. GrayHatz Hackers. Election History. Inability To Read A Simple Form. Structure History. Biz Donor SOS Status Intrigue.

Feb. 7th, Committee to Elect Antonio French accepted $1000 from St. Louis Supermarket, 4331 Natural Bridge. Owner Bassam Hamed, his two brothers, and eleven others were indicted last Oct. on federal racketeering charges. St. Louis Supermarket was among the businesses serving the alleged criminal conspiracy. The rest of the story may seem dull compared to that bombshell.

In his 8 Days Before Primary Report, 21st Ward alderman candidate Antonio French showed $9880 in monetary receipts, $550 in-kind received, $7189.05 in expenses paid, $4,551.47 expenses not paid yet, $2,690.95 on-hand, $4,551.47 debt.

Electeds and former elected giving were $1500 from 15th Ward Committeeman Gregg Christian; $500 monetary and $550 in-kind from 5th Ward Committeeman, former 58th Dist. State Rep. Rodney Hubbard; $500 from 60th Dist. State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed. From PACs, he reported $250 from a committee named MO Plan. No such committee exists in the MEC database. The address, P.O. Box 1865, Jeff City, belongs to longtime super lobbyist Bill Gamble and second generation lobbyist Jorgen Schlemeier, who delivered to French $150 from MO Physician Assistant PAC and $100 from Fire Service Alliance PAC.

He received $1500 from AJ's Kids, aka Mary Margaret's Day Care & Learning Center and Auntie Margaret's Day Care, eight locations. Day care isn't Daly's only business interest. He owns MAC Construction LLC and with Anthony Trupiano owns Mark Anthony Construction LLC. French's most distant donor is $250 from fellow Auburn grad, Goldman Sachs VP Gizman Abbas, sent from the Jay Condo building, Gumbo neighborhood, Brooklyn.

There were 24 contribs from 18 individual donors, including himself, on 14 French failed provide employer/occupation information, including for himself. He listed a $200 payment by 25th Ward alderman candidate Travis Reems for campaign website work as a contribution.

French failed to itemize $1465 in six payments to campaign workers. The form he used to generically list payments for workers (CD3 Section A) clearly states to itemized campaign workers on _Form CD3 Section B or Form CD3 Supplemental.

Itemized expenses included $3,780.05 for printing by Ink Spot in 23rd Ward/Tilles, of which most is debt; $708.05 to the SEIU Local 1 Call Center in Clifton Hts/24th Ward; $2,581.42 for signs by O.R. Pechman in 20th Ward/Benton Park West, of which nearly $1000 is debt; $1,210 for other outdoor advertising by Original Graffiti Graphics in St. Peters. He sent $1332 to Hermann for printing. French paid a total of $400 for photography by Bob Reuter, aka Kamikaze Cowboy, noting "Info Requested" for address. He failed to show the in-kind from Hubbard listed in Summary Receipts Line 6 being used in Summary Expenditures Line 12.

French's filing address, 4524 Athlone, a two-family built 1910, is still titled to his deceased grandmother and in arrears for three years taxes. Jasenka Benac, his wife, has owned a condo in UCity since 2006 and 4529 Athlone, a two-family built 1909, since 2007.

In addition to his candidate committee, French also has his own ward PAC, The Myrtle L French 21st Ward Democratic Organization. It has yet to make any reports to MEC this year. Previous story 21st Ward: French's Money Problems here.

This election isn't the first time French has campaigned against Alderwoman Bennice Jones-King, just the first time with him as the candidate. March 2001 Primary, Melinda Long (52.93% 1637 votes) beat Jones-King (47.07% 1637 votes). March 2003 Primary, there was a recall vote against Alderwoman Melinda Long (62.65% Yes, 37.35% No) led by Jones-King. In the April 8 Special Election to fill the vacancy, Fernandel French, uncle of Antonio French and brother of then 21st Ward Committeewoman Myrtle French, was the Democratic Party’s nominee.

Fernando French came in a distant second (25% 465 votes) to Jones-King (39% 712 votes), Independent; with Long third (19% 353 votes), Independent; and L.L. Primer fourth, (16% 295 votes), Independent. March 2005 Primary, Jones-King defeated (56.82% 950 votes) three challengers, Laura M. Keyes (19.86% 332 votes), Phil Berry (12.62% 211 votes), and former Alderwoman Long (10.71% 179 votes) .

Committee to Elect Bennice Jones-King reported a $2,845 beginning balance, $9680 in monetary receipts, $2,000 in-kind received, $7,535 spent, $4990 on-hand, $0 debt. Political money received included $250 monetary and $1000 in-kind from political consultant Tim Person; $1000 from former Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr; $350 from Treasurer Larry Williams; $100 from 27th Ward Committeewoman Pam Boyd, executive director for St. Louis Connecting & Assisting Neighborhoods. Known as St. Louis CAN, Boyd's organization was part of a recent political-connections funding controversy, which the Board of Aldermen has resolved.

Donors Person and Bosley incorporated Metro Properties Group. Person and Walle Amusa incorporated Metro Development Group LLC. Person incorporated Blair Development. Other development/construction related contributors to Jones-King's campaign were $2000 from Kwame Building Group; $2000 total relating to R.G. Ross Construction; $500 from Karl Grice, Grice Group Architects; $100 from R & C Ventures LLC, P. Daniel Billington, Leslie MO; $100 from Springdale Ventures LLC, David L. Baylard, Union MO. Baylord and Billington are also Baylord, Billington, Dempsey & Jensen, Union, the law firm appearing as the BBPA Inc registered agent for hundreds of companies in the SOS online database.

Leata Price Land, Jones-King's spokesperson, gave $1000 through her company, The Platinum Group. In researching donors yesterday, it was discovered that GrayHatz Group hackers had taken over her site (platinumgrouponline.com). Last year, Land got into trouble for putting up a fence without a permit.

21st Ward businesses contributing included $350 from Sky Link Wireless, aka Mohsen Inc, on Natural Bridge, across the street from French donor Hamed's business; $250 from Amal Inc., aka M & A Market, next block to M & A Market; $250 from nonprofit GSL Developmental Center.

Jones-King received $300 from Freddy J. Clark, Florissant, pastor; $100 from former St. Louis First Lady Darlynn Cunningham Bosley; $100 from Dana Scott-Person, executive director for North Newstead Association. Donors R.G. Ross Construction and Grice Group Architects have worked as their contractors.

Love's Window Creations Inc, Florissant, donated $100. SOS records say it no longer exists. Gerry's Automotive Services & Sales, 4459 W. Florissant donated $125 but SOS says it doesn't exist. Fictitious name registrations D & B Auto Radiator and D & B Radiator Svc. match the address.

Her report showed 27 donors and she failed to provide addresses on five. She provided employer/occupation information on only 8 of 14 individual donors, not counting Bosley, listed as self employed, which doesn't meet the employer/occupation requirement.

In expenses, she paid $1805 to seven campaign workers and failed to provide an address other than "St. Louis, MO" for all but one. Her largest
expenditures were $2,998 to O.R. Pechman for signs; $863 to the U.S. Post Office; $908 to MPrints Creative Services, no address other St. Louis, MO (not found in SOS database); $484 to Hi-Tec Copy Center, UCity. She failed to show the in-kind from Tim Person listed in Summary Receipts Line 6 being used in Summary Expenditures Line 12.

Jones-King's filing address, 4435 Holly, built 1908, is owned by her. She lives about a block and a half away from the filing address of French. The candidate address on her campaign committee filing, 4485 Penrose, built 1917, is owned by Cizerine Jones, aka Cizerine Ford, the candidate's mother. Taxes are owed on the property for 2007 and 2008.

Her mother is also her committee treasurer. The treasurer address listed with MEC is 1547 McClaren (sic). There is no McClaren Street in the City. There is a McClaran but no 1547 McClaran. The closest address is two-family 1545 McClaran. It seems more likely that the wrong address has been given to MEC and Ford's address is actually 1537 McClaran, 2nd Ward, built 1941, owned by Cizerine Ford, taxes owed for 2008. In the same City Block 4320.06 lives 2nd Ward Alderwoman Dionne Flowers, 1526 Grape, built 1936, and her parents own the commercial property at 8701-8717 Riverview, Eddie Flowers being the former 2nd Ward Committeeman.

There were no lobbyists expenditures in 2007-2008 attributed to Jones-King.

Jones-King also controls a ward committee. The Original Twenty First Ward Democratic Organization made a 2009 Jan Quarter report, covering 2008 Oct 1 to Dec 31- showing $0 beginning balance, $5175 in monetary receipts, $5037 in expenses ($2800 by cash), $501 on-hand, $0 debt.

The big contributions were $2000 from 2nd Congressional District Democrats, $1375 from Missouri Votes, $600 from St. Louis 7th Ward Democrats. Jones-King donors also giving to the ward organization included $350 from Sky Link, $50 from Amal Inc/M & A Market, $200 from Gerry's Automotive.

The committee paid 27 campaigns workers $100 apiece and, as with Jones-King's candidate committee, failed to provide worker addresses. Among the workers receiving payments were Jones-King, 21st Ward Committeewoman Anna Tyler, former 21st Ward Committeeman Chink Washington. Expenses noted as "constituent services" were $450 total for holiday baskets and $173 for flowers. The committee paid $617 to Pelican Printing, $510 to AT&T Wireless (noted as the quarterly bill).

Both French and Jones-King, and a lot of other elected officials, are in violation of Missouri law, Section 130.011(10), prohibiting a candidate from forming, controlling or directing a continuing committee/PAC.