This is a Breaking News Story. If you are in the Sacramento Area, you want to be tuning into KCRA Channel 3 News at 10PM and 11PM. Here is a taste of what you’ll find….
http://www.kcra.com/video/28590693/detail.html
And the rest of the story….
http://www.kcra.com/video/28592019/detail.html
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Uzoma Okoro (Spelling is challenging – and corrected here and for our other posters) was a Sacramento based facilities management administrator for the Office of Court Construction & Management’s Facilities Management Unit. This is the same AOC outfit that employed unlicensed contractors statewide from the Oregon border to the Mexican border. This is the same outfit that on December 9th 2009 had a unit-wide conference call in which they were instructed by Jerry Pfab and other FM managers to not use the name “Team Jacobs” anymore. “Just call them Jacobs.”
Many understand that the AOC does not get enough money from the counties to actually maintain court buildings and that the money needs to be supplemented to get the work done. However the FMU’s way of getting that work done has always been questionable and expensive. Bundling projects together to hide those costs does not help their case. If anything it makes the case against them more condemning.
Given the opportunity, JCW will be more than happy to publish ALL of Mr. Okoro’s information (including audio recordings of meetings and any and all documents) here on JCW.
If you can supplement that information or you know more about the information surrounding Mr. Okoro’s termination, we want to hear from you. Please avail yourself of our private message window to tell us what you know.
NOTE: To facilitate the transfer of large documents (anything over 500,000 bytes in size) Judicial Council Watcher now maintains a GMail account (judicialcouncilwatcher@gmail.com)
Under the advice of our security consultants, we will not respond to email sent to that account with that account. We also do not regularly check that account so if someone sends information to our gmail account, please notify us via the confidential contact form or via our hushmail account that information has been sent to the GMail account.
Wendy Darling
July 18, 2011
The more the merrier.
And more actual transparency.
And more actual accountability.
And more and more inescapable and undeniable.
Long live the ACJ.
Michael Paul
July 18, 2011
I worked with Uzoma Okoro and while this is just a tickler for a news report I cannot view because I’m not in the Sacramento Area, Mr. Okoro’s integrity and credibility is beyond reproach. When I was working at the AOC, he was one of the few that was truly bothered by what was going on.
Ron Overholt is a lying sack of crap that should be forced out, indicted and imprisoned.
Wendy Darling
July 18, 2011
Question:
How many whistleblower lawsuits against the AOC does it take before an outside law enforcement agency conducts an investigation?
Long live the ACJ.
sharonkramer
July 19, 2011
I could be wrong, but this is how I understand it works to get from point A to point Z. When the state is feigning deafness to whistles being blown, that is called “deliberate indifference”. An example of damages from deliberate indifference is the Jaycee Dugard case. The state settled for $20M with her because of acknowledgment of deliberate indifference among state employees who were at the Girarde house several times over the years, yet did not bother to see he was keeping her in his backyard. Prisioners frequently make demands for harm from deliberate indifference.
I think you have to identify the person, persons or agency in the state whose job description is to act to stop the corruption in the judicial branch. Then when they don’t act, sue the state in Federal court for deliberate indifference. Before you can sue the state, you have to make a demand to the Bureau of State Audits for damages from deliberate indifference among the state agencies that they oversee, is how I understand it.
If its a bar matter, you must make your demand to the bar governors. A DA matter, to the state Atty Gen. When its collusion among all, you have to do all three. The Regents of the UC are the only state entities that can be sued without first making a demand for damages for deliberate indifference.
The CJP is the “independent state agency” whose sole function is to oversee integrity in the judicial branch. None of the AOC fraud would be occurring if those judiciaries on the JC were doing their jobs of properly overseeing court administration. (Examples, RB2 and the destruction of family court records in Marin County; CCP425.19 in San Diego; unlicensed contractors of the AOC; pensions to non state employees, etc) So…I think if one first complains about the fraud of the AOC because of the JC to the CJP; and then the CJP being incompetent and deliberately indifferent to the BSA…you could take out alot of bad actors across the board if and when the BSA fails to take action, when provided evidence that the CJP was deliberately indifferent and did not do their jobs to oversee the JC who oversees the AOC.
I could be wrong, but that is how I understand it works to get from A to Z.
Michael Paul
July 18, 2011
Somehow, our legislature, in response to AB314 being submitted by Assemblymember Gorrell managed to blow through public contract code and obligate the AOC to it without considering public contract code for court construction funds. In that same piece of legislation, they subjected the AOC to audits starting in two years and would “revisit” applying public contract code only after a legislative analysis between public contract code and the AOC’s policies and procedures. Hello? The building is on fire. The courts are broke and we’re going to continue to let the AOC take a bunch of really expensive, small jobs and bundle them together as a massive, expensive project just so they can use new construction funds?
Now you know why some courthouses cost $1,900.00 per square foot, because the AOC is robbing that money for other projects.
How far does it go? We might just begin to learn some time after December 2013 when the legislature revisits AB314 and the AOC is eligible for it’s first audit.Meanwhile, all the trial courts will have laid everyone off to pay for this fraud.
The recording was of Jerry Pfab, Senior Manager of the Facilities Management Unit.
Judicial Council Watcher
July 19, 2011
Generally, we have placed people in digital purgatory in part or entirely because they are not credible. We’re not sure the circumstances surrounding Mr.Okoro’s termination. While we received no pre-notification of the discrepancies prior to Mr. Okoro’s termination, we have noticed quite a bit of traffic as of late taking advantage of our whistle blower advice page.
What we are sure about is Jerry Pfab and Ronald Overholt are in digital purgatory in part because they are not credible and we have shown how these two people have violated the public trust.
Being upset about being caught changing platinum priced light bulbs (by both Michael Paul and numerous media organizations) and choosing to re-write work orders than encompass an array of work to cover the price of the platinum priced lightblubs was the wrong direction for the AOC to undertake. That makes them less transparent and not at all accountable.
If the money was being siphoned off the new Stockton Courthouse to pay for projects elsewhere as appears to be the allegation, then management heads need to roll in the office of court construction and management. We also believe that heads need to roll over bundling projects as to hide their true costs.
Michael Paul
July 19, 2011
DGS hires building engineers to support their buildings. Much like a temp, DGS pays a fixed fee for these people to integrate into DGS’s staff. The Office of Court Construction and Management does not employ this service delivery method. Instead, they use this work order system called SWO’s. A second classification is called FM’s or Facility Modifications for costly projects. (as I recall, jobs over 15K are considered facility modifications.)
In chaos lies opportunity. Chaos is what the AOC has perpetuated in their facilities maintenance / mods program and it’s about time someone stepped in and audited them and all of their contractors.
Wendy Darling
July 19, 2011
In chaos lies the makings of fraud, corruption, malfeasance, and misconduct.
Long live the ACJ.
sharonkramer
July 19, 2011
Here is the main Gov Code that applies to destruction of court records, Marin County, Kim Turner, Cantil-Sukyane, the JC while they were investigating themselves and destroying the records that implicated them. (This code is applicable for my matter, too. Will blog later)
6200. Every officer having the custody of any record, map, or book, or of any paper or proceeding of any court, filed or deposited in any public office, or placed in his or her hands for any purpose, is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or
four years if, as to the whole or any part of the record, map, book,
paper, or proceeding, the officer willfully does or permits any other
person to do any of the following:
(a) Steal, remove, or secrete.
(b) Destroy, mutilate, or deface.
(c) Alter or falsify.
6201. Every person not an officer referred to in Section 6200, who is guilty of any of the acts specified in that section, is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison, or in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both such fine and imprisonment.
The CJP has the authority and duty to act on RB2 and the other judges of JC violating Canons of Judicial Ethics, by rewarding the destruction of incriminating documents when investigating themselves. The CJP claims they can’t oversee actual cases, but the JC was not acting in the capacity of from the bench when they did this little trick in deliberate indifference to the damages of families. They were acting in an administrative capacity. And that’s just ONE of many areas the justices of the JC have violated Canons of Judicial Ethics in administrative capacity.
I think the key is to hold the CJP accountable for not holding the JC accountable while a whole lot of criminal activity is occurring – by those who are to stop crime in the state. If that’s not deliberate indifference, what is?
Michael Paul
July 19, 2011
How is this working for you so far?
sharonkramer
July 19, 2011
Everytime I get close to filing with the BSA, they give me more ammo which causes me to need to wait. They are still piling on the damage in new ways even as late as of last week. I am still compiling more evidence, even as late as yesterday. So how is it working? We shall see, all in due time. I need to blog about this on Katy’s so you can you can see what I am talking about. Its bad. So bad, its good.
sharonkramer
July 19, 2011
Interesting when one gets a thumbs down – but no comment. If someone knows something I don’t know that would cause them to disagree with what I have posted, a comment rather than a thumbs down would be greatly appreciated to help me understand what someone feels is incorrect with the logic. I don’t learn from people who think just like I do. I already know what they think. I can’t learn from differing opinions if I don’t know what those differing opinions are. Whoever is thumb downing on going to the BSA via the CJP via the JC to stop the fraud of the AOC, thank you in advance for the clarification.
antonatrail
July 19, 2011
I assume the thumbs down means your post is off topic. I didn’t do it so I can’t be sure. I got a thumbs down too, which I assumed was because I veered off topic. Let it roll off. JCW has the ability to censor in extreme cases, I believe.
sharonkramer
July 19, 2011
Antonatrail. Thank you for the response. I sometimes post of related, yet tangental matters that could be perceived as off topic when trying to keep one’s eye on the prize. JCW and I have an agreement that when it is felt that has happened, JCW is the decision maker. No questions asked. I don’t think this one is off topic, and apparently neither does JCW because it is still up.
The question was asked how does all this corruption continue and what can be done to stop it. I think challenging the CJP for not stopping JC judicial members for ethics violations in administrative duties, and then turning the deliberAte indifference of the CJP to stop it over to the BSA, could be the key. Apparently, someone thinks that is not correct.
I would love to know why that is. Maybe this person has a valid point that could save me a ton of time and work. Or maybe there is an objection I need to address and overcome. But I can’t address an objection or possibly change direction without knowing what that objection is. My goal is the same as everyone else’s on this board. Stop fraud, waste and abuse in the CA judicial system at it’s highest levels. I have been studying who does what, and who is suppose to do what when others have not done what they are suppose to. This is the path I see available. Maybe I am wrong.
I don’t blog just to blog. I do it to learn by the feedback received and reading what others know on similar matters. You all have been a treasure trove of valuable information for me. When this concept comes up, I have gotten a thumbs down a couple of times. It would help me greatly if I knew why. Thumbs down are not informative. Comments are.
Judicial Council Watcher
July 19, 2011
You’ve posted off topic wobblers. While we may not delete wobblers because they block the remainder of your posts, don’t be surprised if they are critiqued by others. Even I get multiple thumbs down sometimes. It goes with the territory of post ratings in a public forum.
SF Whistle
July 19, 2011
Mrs Kramer–
I share your thought that BSA action at the CJP is perhaps the only vehicle to bring about change…
I appreciate your view that there is unity in a fervent wish to see an end to fraud, waste and abuse in the branch.
The abuse of the branch will not stop however, without new accountability and transparancy—We would not be having this conversation IF the CJP was a real functioning agency rather than a silly exercise in eyewash…
Don’t be dismayed with a thumbs-down…bear in mind that there are disillusioned kool-aid drinkers that have also likely recently discovered JCW as they now confront the reality that their role in the kingdom as loyalists has not served them well…there are many new names on the board—and hopefully we will be joined by many more as a response takes shape.
sharonkramer
July 19, 2011
Thanks, Justice California. I am not discouraged by thumbs down. I love to hear when someone thinks differently than I do. But it only helps when I know why they think that.
These are just a snippet of Judicial Canon of Ethics Violations that if the “independent state agency” CJP wasn’t part of the problem, they would be a valuable agency to restore integrity to the leadership of our courts by stopping these violations. Instead, they buffer for the JC which allows the fraud by the AOC to continue.
http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/ca_code_judicial_ethics.pdf
1. Calling judges “clowns” while serving in an adminstrative capacity.
2. Ignoring records were destroyed during an investigation of the administration, when
serving in an administrative capacity.
3. Using the media to feign offense the eve before a key bill was to be heard.
4. Using the letter head of a judicial non-profit in violation of their by-laws.
5. Hiring those who hire unlicensed contractors.
6. Moving money to hide funds available.
7. Ignoring the laws that govern public access to committee meetings.
8. Giving awards to each other when awards are not due.
9. Making statements to the media about not knowing of which way the funding is going,
while already hiring temps for CCMS.
If someone could tell me why they think this is wrong thinking, it would help me much.
courtflea
July 19, 2011
Ron O is such a skank. If I hear someone from the AOC talk about “transparency” one more time I may puke. Was it just me or did his comments explain nothing?
Jon Wintermeyer
July 19, 2011
Gerry Pfab, the same AOC manager that chose to take me off the list of Court representatives that went to 6 month evaluation and review metings that rated both the AOC FMU staff and their third party unlicensed maintenance contractor. Then my CEO Kiri Torre would bow to their wish and forbid me from representing the CC Court with my long lists of botched projects and complaints from the Judges and staff.
That’s what happens when you out perform Team Jacobs with projects com pleted in less time and at 25% of the cost per square foot that the FMU projects were costing.
I was the last person they wanted in those meetings telling the other trial courts what I was getting done with a MOU and their projects were still buried or lost in the AOC’s office of Waste and Fraud.
Michael Paul
July 19, 2011
The voice in the recording is unmistakably Jerry Pfab. The instructions he is giving is to conduct contracting fraud. It is a creative way to bury your real maintenance costs (Isn’t it Mr. Lee Willoughby) so that you can misrepresent your true costs of maintenance and operations to the world and get AOC awards and recognition.
So when will the FBI be having a discussion with Mr. Pfab and Mr. Willoughby?