“Ex-Detroit Library Official Timothy Cromer Charged With Taking $1.4 Million in Bribes”
From MLive.com:
U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade on Tuesday charged Cromer, the Detroit Public Library chief administrative and technology officer, with taking more than $1.4 million in bribes and kickbacks from library contractors.
Cromer, 46, who had earned an annual salary of $145,323, is charged in a 21-count indictment along with contractors James Henley and Ricardo Hearn.
McQuade’s office claims that Cromer “helped” Henley create a business, Core Consulting & Professional Services, in 2007 which then bid on information technology services contracts at the library.
Read the Complete Article
Former top Detroit library official charged with taking $1.4M in bribe (via Detroit News)
A former top official of the Detroit Public Library was indicted Tuesday on allegations he took bribes and kickbacks totaling $1.4 million — money that could have saved branches closed by the struggling system.
[Clip]
The 21-count indictment of former chief administrative officer Tim Cromer and two contractors followed a November raid by the FBI of library offices and his home. The charges didn’t shock library officials and users — but the size of the alleged bribes did.
[Clip]
The system closed two branches, Mark Twain and Richard, in 2011 to save about $1 million a year and reduced the hours of other branches. Cromer helped make recommendations to close the branches.
“The employees and the public appear to be the victims of a conspiracy whose scope was larger than anyone ever speculated,” said Russ Bellant, president of the library board.
Read the Complete Article
USA v. Cromer, Hearn, Henley–Indictment
Filed under: Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.