More News

It seemed that former Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson's guilty plea Tuesday would be the final word in the shameful pay-to-play rumors in county government. Unfortunately, it appears to be the tip of the iceberg.

According to Johnson's plea, he was part of a conspiracy with developer Patrick Q. Ricker and physician and longtime supporter Mirza H. Baig in which gifts were provided to "state and local officials" in exchange for favorable treatment. In a 2009 plea agreement made by Ricker that had been kept sealed until Tuesday, Ricker claimed to be part of a conspiracy that occurred from 1997 until 2008. Johnson claims his part in the conspiracy occurred from 2006 to 2010; he served from 2002 to 2010 as county executive.

Former housing director James Johnson, no relation to Jack Johnson, pleaded guilty Jan. 28 to conspiracy to commit extortion. According to the plea agreements, Baig paid Jack Johnson and James Johnson up to $1 million in bribes.

When you add in that U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein released a statement saying the corruption investigation is ongoing, residents cannot help but wonder which other officials past and present may have been involved in the conspiracy — especially since state officials are named in the agreements even though only one state leader representing Prince George's, state Sen. Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25), has been charged with a crime in recent memory. And Currie's charges, which are still pending, have not been linked with?Johson's.

Kudos to federal investigators for digging deep into corrupt practices and not failing to stop after capturing one or two big players. Not only should the government officials who betrayed the trust of residents be brought to justice, but so too should supporters and businesses who knowingly took part in the illegal transactions.

The county had only recently rebounded from former Prince George's schools superintendent Andre Hornsby's sentencing in 2008 to six years in federal prison for wire fraud and evidence tampering related to alleged kickbacks he received. And Hornsby wasn't the first local leader to serve time; former state Sen. Tommie Broadwater and former County Councilman Anthony Cicoria have also done jail time, although Cicoria was later pardoned.

Many will criticize the arrests in Prince George's, claiming politicians worldwide abuse their powers without retribution, but the same "courtesy" is not extended to local leaders. Two wrongs — or, in this case, millions of dollars of wrongs — do not equal a right.

Prince George's residents deserve honest, transparent representation. It would be ridiculous to turn a blind eye to leaders pocketing cash illegally in any case, but it's even worse when it is occurring while students struggle in poorly resourced schools and public-safety agencies suffer from staffing shortages.

In Johnson's plea agreement, he also admits to conversations telling a "co-conspirator" to destroy a $100,000 check and "hide cash in her underwear." His wife, County Councilwoman Leslie Johnson (D-Dist. 6) of Mitchellville, who is also facing witness and evidence tampering charges — and who federal agents say was found with money concealed in her bra before she was arrested — has yet to enter a plea on her charges.

Being a co-conspirator in hiding money is enough. Short of her stating her husband is lying or that another woman conspired with her husband to hide $79,600 in undergarments, it's time for her to step down from office.