Let's Review

Back in 2001 an audit was being done on the Juvenile Court Clerk's office. The prosecutions that resulted from that audit are still in court today, and nowhere near trial.

In the course of that audit, irregularities in other parts of County government came to light. The County launched a private audit (not State or County) that turned up a lot of abuse of county credit cards. Several individuals were implicated, including then Mayor Jim Rout, but only Tom Jones, long time executive assistant to several mayors, was focused on.

I distinctly remember, but cannot find in the Commercial Appeal's archives, a story from 2002 that mentioned the results of an audit had been known around County Hall since at least April but didn't become public into late summer, election season. In fact, if memory serves, it didn't come to light until after the election. I don't remember any election discussion or debate on this. (If I'm wrong, please let me know. If you can find the story, drop a link in comments.)

Anyway, incoming Mayor AC Wharton, facing his first scandal, declined to reappoint Jones to his position. Jones was never fired, as many still believe. The results of the private audit were turned over to Federal authorities who eventually prosecuted the case (not the State or County). Jones was found guilty, sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to make restitution on $65,000.

While awaiting going to jail, Jones began to name names. Especially his former boss Jim Rout. He threatened to write a tell-all book. To me, this sounded like he was trying to force old "friends" to intervene for him and minimise his jail problems.

It didn't work. He went.

But before he went, he approached old colleagues County Bobby Lanier and Susan Adler Thorp about his pension. Seems that all that credit card unpleasantness had screwed up his retirement. By leaving his position when he did, he missed getting an upgrade to his retirement that nearly doubled his pension payments. Jones, who worked for the County for decades, didn't go to the Retirement Board -- as is standard procedure -- but privately approached Lanier and Thorp to intercede.

Jones was put back on the payroll on a Friday. He wasn't assigned a job and didn't report to County Hall. He was taken off on the following Monday, a County and Federal holiday. But by dint of this, he effectively "retired" on a date that made for a much more generous retirement for him.

The incident became public. Lanier and Thorp insisted that nothing was amiss in the way they handled the situation -- bypassing the Board and not informing Mayor Wharton -- but the smell of "old boys network" was all over it. Lanier and Thorp were pressured to resign; they were not fired, either.

A couple of months later, the Retirement Board met again and Jones' pension adjustment came up. By a unanimous vote, Jones' adjustment was allowed to stand. They ruled that since Jones hadn't done anything wrong, it was all on Lanier and Thorp, the action was justified.

So, where are they now?

Jones is out of jail after six months. He's in a halfway house here in Memphis, being helped to adjust to post-jail employment after incarceration. This for a man who has been working for more than three decades and never spent a day in jail otherwise.

Lanier, who wasn't honest enough to work for Wharton in government, is now Wharton's re-election campaign finance director.

Thorp is now a "consultant" for WMC Channel 5 news. She doesn't appear on air or give advice for broadcasts, but serves to "open doors" to people who might otherwise not be inclined to talk with reporters. A greaser, you might say.

Yeah, reviewing all this just inspires real confidence in local government, doesn't it?