Plea negotiations winding down in former St. Johns County contractor's bribery case/ Penn Credit Corporation, Donald Donagher accused of trying to bribe clerks of court in Florida. (SAR)

Uanswered questions about HUNTER SINCLAIR CONRAD, referred to as "Clerk E" in 2019 criminal indictment. When did Commissioners learn of it? 

Was that why they arranged for CONRAD to become County Administrator, avoiding questions to the St. Johns County Courthouse machine in the 2020 election? 

 Why didn't GANNETT's local newspaper here cover the story 2019-2020, which was reported in other GANNETT newspapers in 2019? 

As JFK said during the Cuban Missile Crisis, "there's always some poor SOB who doesn't get the word!" 

From the St. Augustine Record: 

Plea negotiations winding down in former St. Johns County contractor's bribery case Penn Credit Corporation, Donald Donagher accused of trying to bribe clerks of court in Florida 

Sheldon Gardner St. Augustine Record    

Donald Donagher, Penn Credit's founder and former president, was indicted in 2019 on federal corruption charges. The case involving a former St. Johns County contractor accused of violating anti-bribery statutes could be nearing its end. 

A 2019 indictment filed against Penn Credit Corporation and Donald Donagher Jr., who led the business during that time, alleges that Donagher and Penn Credit gave and offered to give gifts and services to several clerks of court, or people or groups affiliated with them, in an attempt to get "favorable treatment for Penn Credit in the award, allocation and retention of debt collection work." Some of the charges have been dismissed. 

According to a court document, "Between 2009 and 2016, the clerks of court of four counties — Cook County in Illinois and Brevard, Orange and St. Johns counties in Florida — paid Penn Credit to collect debts on their behalf. … At the same time, defendants provided the clerks with thousands of dollars’ worth of campaign contributions and other gifts, including sponsorship of meetings and events; payments for meals and entertainment; consulting contracts with individuals and entities associated with the clerks; donations to affiliated charities; and free robocall services for their campaigns. … Defendants did so, the government says, 'for the purpose of seeking favorable treatment . . . in the award, allocation, and retention of debt collection work.'" 

The document adds, "Specifically, according to the indictment, defendants sought to influence and reward the clerks in connection with (1) awarding debt collection contracts to Penn Credit; (2) increasing the share of such work allocated to Penn Credit; (3) increasing fees paid to Penn Credit; (4) refusing to institute a public bidding process for contracts to Penn Credit’s detriment; and (5) unilaterally extending the termination date for expiring contracts." 

The government charged Donagher and Penn credit with five counts of violating the federal programs anti-bribery statute and one count of conspiring to do so, according to a court document. Donagher and Penn Credit have denied wrongdoing. The indictment alleges that Donagher tried to influence former St. Johns County Clerk of Court Hunter Conrad, who is the current county government administrator, through contributions to his campaign account. 

Conrad, who was clerk from 2015 to 2019, has not been accused of wrongdoing. In 2016, Donagher arranged to donate $8,000 to Conrad's election campaign from himself, Penn Credit, Donagher entities and a Florida lobbyist, according to the indictment. U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee partially granted a motion to dismiss the charges, including the portions of Count I of the indictment related to campaign contributions; that includes allegations about contributions to Conrad's campaign account. Counts II, III and VI of the indictment, which focused on campaign contributions to a Cook County clerk, were dismissed. 

Among other things, the court found that the indictment did not "sufficiently allege an explicit quid pro quo" as is necessary when a violation of the bribery statute in question is based on campaign contributions, according to the judge's order. Counts IV and V, which focus on other types of payments made to allegedly benefit a Cook County clerk, remain in addition to other portions of Count I of the indictment. The St. Johns County Clerk of Court's office had a contract with Penn Credit until Oct. 1, 2018. In February, Conrad said, via a prepared statement, that "The St. Johns County Clerk of Courts Office canceled the contract with Penn Credit, which was one of its three collection companies, in 2018 after being made aware of the allegations and ongoing federal investigation. As a former prosecutor and elected official … I have devoted my career to upholding the public trust.” St. Johns County Clerk of Courts Hunter Conrad T

he case is in United States District Court in the Northern District of Illinois. Attorneys met via telephone conference with Lee on Tuesday morning for a status hearing. Attorneys said plea negotiations have entered the final stage and should come to a close within a few weeks. The next status hearing is set for 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 23. 

Comments Edward S. SUBSCRIBER 14 hours ago 

GANNETT reported on this case in other newspapers, but not in St. Augustine, until after I found and shared those stories earlier this year, and went on PACER to learn details from Federal Court. Journalistic malpractice. GANNETT needs to improve its coverage. We miss the Record that covered local news. May we have it back, please? 

Edward_S. SUBSCRIBER 14 hours ago In reply to Edward_S. 

1.Will plea bargain include DONALD DONAGHER, JR. cooperation and testimony against Clerks and former Clerks? 

2. Why quote only a February 2021 press release from County Administrator HUNTER SINCLAIR CONRAD, instead of an actual interview? 

3, Did CONRAD refuse an interview? 

4. CONRAD resigned as Clerk on or about November 19, 2019, same year as indictment, taking a newly created sinecure as County Administrator, after County Commission fired twelve-year veteran County Administrator MICHAEL DAVID WANCHICK. 

5. Did County Commissioners know of United States v. DONALD DONAGHER, JR. indictment when they gave him the job, first temporarily, and then permanently in January 2020? At least one County Commissioner said he did not know. 

6. Record once reported on money and politics. Now, not so much. 

7. We need new laws and new elected officials. 

8. Government contracts must never again be bought and sold. 

9. As Jefferson said, "A public office is a public trust." 

10. Chief Judge of the 7th Circuit appointed George Lareau, longtime career deputy, as Clerk of Courts and Comptroller, only to be reversed by appointment by Governor Richard Lynn Scott. 

11. DONAGHER's $8000 contribution was almost 8% of CONRAD's campaign budget. 

12. What do y'all reckon? https://cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com/2021/09/florida-clerk-corruption-united-states.html