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Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace

Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace: Theft
Stealing the property of another

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in chronological order

	Eugene F. Vacheron — of Ozone Park, Queens, Queens County, N.Y. Lawyer; member of New York state assembly, 1894-95, 1901 (Queens County 3rd District 1894-95, Queens County 2nd District 1901); resigned 1895; charged with bribery in 1895; tried and acquitted, but resigned from the Assembly; convicted of grand larceny, February 28, 1912. Burial location unknown.
	Miles R. Frisbie — of Schenectady, Schenectady County, N.Y. Member of New York state assembly from Schenectady County, 1907-08; charged with grand larceny and forgery, for obtaining $2,500 on fraudulent bonds and mortgages; tried on one charge of obtaining $1,000 from a woman in exchange for a fraudulent mortgage; pleaded insanity; convicted on June 12, 1914; sentenced to 5-10 years in prison. Burial location unknown.
	John Looney (1865-1947) — also known as Patrick John Looney — of Rock Island, Rock Island County, Ill. Born in Ottawa, La Salle County, Ill., October 5, 1865. Son of Patrick Looney and Margaret Looney. Lawyer; newspaper publisher; indicted with others in 1897 over a scheme to defraud the city of Rock Island in connection with a storm drain construction project; convicted, but the verdict was overturned on appeal; candidate for Illinois state house of representatives, 1900; created and led a crime syndicate in northwest Illinois, with interests in gambling, prostitution, extortion, and eventually bootlegging and automobile theft; indicted in 1907 on 37 counts of bribery, extortion, and libel, but acquitted; shot and wounded by hidden snipers on two occasions in 1908; on February 22, 1909, he was shot and wounded in a gunfight with business rival W. W. Wilmerton; on March 22, 1912, after publishing personal attacks on Rock Island Mayor Henry M. Schriver, he was arrested, brought to the police station, and severely beaten by the mayor himself; subsequent rioting killed two men and injured nine others; resumed control of the Rock Island rackets in 1921; in 1922, he was indicted for the murder of saloon keeper William Gabel, who had provided evidence against Looney to federal agents; arrested in Belen, N.M., in 1924, and later convicted of conspiracy and murder; sentenced to 5 years in prison for conspiracy and 14 years for murder; served 8 1/2 years. Irish ancestry. Died, of tuberculosis, in a sanitarium at El Paso, El Paso County, Tex., 1947 (age about 81 years). Burial location unknown.   Relatives: Son of Patrick Looney and Margaret Looney; nephew of Maurice T. Maloney; married 1892 to Nora O'Connor (died 1903).   See also Wikipedia article
	Jacob P. Nathanson (1901-1986) — of Brooklyn, Kings County, N.Y.; Lake Worth, Palm Beach County, Fla. Born in Russia, February 21, 1901. Democrat. Lawyer; member of New York state assembly from Kings County 14th District, 1927-33; defeated in primary, 1933. Jewish. Charged in 1930 with professional misconduct by the Brooklyn Bar Association, over his handling of a client's $500 bail payment; suspended from the practice of law in 1931, and ordered to pay restitution. Indicted in October and November 1938 on charges of forgery, grand larceny, and subornation of perjury, over his involvement in fraudulent bail bonds; pleaded guilty to subornation of perjury, and testified against other conspirators; disbarred in 1939. Died in Palm Beach County, Fla., March 2, 1986 (age 85 years, 9 days). Interment somewhere in Palm Beach County, Fla.
	Daniel W. West — of Detroit, Wayne County, Mich. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1960, 1964 (alternate); member of Michigan state house of representatives, 1963-65 (Wayne County 6th District 1963-64, 24th District 1965); defeated in primary, 1954 (Wayne County 6th District), 1956 (Wayne County 6th District), 1958 (Wayne County 6th District), 1960 (Wayne County 6th District), 1965 (24th District). Convicted of various crimes, including burglary, larceny, and forgery, in Minnesota, Iowa, and Washington, D.C., and was sentenced to prison in those places; came to Michigan and assumed the identity of a deceased New York attorney of the same name; indicted in late 1964 on state charges of voter registration fraud and federal charges of income tax fraud and forgery; in January 1965, his seat in the Michigan House was declared vacant. Still living as of 1965.
	Major B. Coxson (c.1929-1973) — of Camden, Camden County, N.J. Born about 1929. Convicted 10 times on fraud and larceny charges, most related to automobile theft; served 22 months in federal prison; candidate for mayor of Camden, N.J., 1973. African ancestry. Admitted four men to his house, who bound and gagged him and his family, and shot each one, killing him and wounding the others, in Cherry Hill, Camden County, N.J., June 9, 1973 (age about 44 years). Burial location unknown.
	John Logan Cashin, Jr. (1928-2011) — also known as John L. Cashin, Jr. — of Huntsville, Madison County, Ala.; Washington, D.C. Born in Huntsville, Madison County, Ala., April 16, 1928. Dentist; candidate for mayor of Huntsville, Ala., 1964; National Democratic candidate for Governor of Alabama, 1970. African ancestry. Convicted of theft and perjury in 1982; served 17 months in federal prison. Died, of renal failure and pneumonia, in Specialty Hospital of Washington-Hadley, Washington, D.C., March 21, 2011 (age 82 years, 339 days). Burial location unknown.   Relatives: Grandson of Herschel Cashin; married 1958 to John Carpenter (died 1997); married 1998 to Louise White.   See also Wikipedia article
	Ernest Page — of Orlando, Orange County, Fla. Orlando City Commissioner, 1980-83, 1996-2005; in 1983, he was indicted and convicted of grand theft involving stolen equipment, and served eight months in jail; mayor of Orlando, Fla., 2005. African ancestry. Still living as of 2005.
	Lafayette Christopher Thomas (1926-2000) — also known as Fate C. Thomas — of Nashville, Davidson County, Tenn. Born in Nashville, Davidson County, Tenn., September 23, 1926. Democrat. Candidate for Tennessee state house of representatives, 1954; Davidson County Sheriff, 1972-90. Catholic. Indicted in federal court in 1990 on 54 counts of abusing his power as sheriff; pleaded guilty to theft and mail fraud; sentenced to five years in prison; released in 1994. Died, following heart bypass surgery, in Nashville, Davidson County, Tenn., July 25, 2000 (age 73 years, 306 days). Interment at Calvary Cemetery, Nashville, Tenn.
	Thomas H. Bates (b. 1938) — also known as Tom Bates — of Oakland, Alameda County, Calif.; Berkeley, Alameda County, Calif. Born in San Diego, San Diego County, Calif., February 9, 1938. Democrat. Member of California state assembly, 1977-96 (12th District 1977-93, 14th District 1993-96); delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1980, 1984, 1988; mayor of Berkeley, Calif., 2002-; charged in 2002 with petty theft in connection with his destruction of 1,000 copies of a student newspaper that had endorsed his opponent; pleaded guilty, was fined, and paid restitution. Still living as of 2012.   Relatives: Married to Loni Hancock (daughter of Donald S. Harrington). See Bates-Hancock-Harrington family of California.   See also Wikipedia article
	Sheila Ann Dixon (b. 1953) — also known as Sheila Dixon; Sheila Dixon-Smith — of Baltimore, Md. Born in Baltimore, Md., December 27, 1953. Daughter of Philip Dixon, Sr. and Winona Dixon. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1988, 2004, 2008 (member, Credentials Committee); mayor of Baltimore, Md., 2007-10; resigned 2010. Female. African Methodist Episcopal. African ancestry. Indicted in January 2009, on perjury theft, and misconduct charges, over secretly accepting more than $20,000 worth of gifts from developers doing business with the city, and for using gift cards intended for needy families to buy furs and other expensive items for herself; the charges were dismissed in May, but she was reindicted in July; tried in fall 2009; convicted on one count of embezzlement, and acquitted on other charges; pleaded guilty to perjury, and resigned as mayor, as part as part of a plea agreement. Still living as of 2010.   See also Wikipedia article

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