Spokane7
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February 24, 2010 in City
State probe targets city CFO
Web site listed Cooley incorrectly as CPA
The State Board of Accountancy is investigating Spokane’s chief financial officer, Gavin Cooley, because of a city Web site that listed him as a certified public accountant, his former designation.
Cooley let his CPA license expire in 2006, but until early this month a city Web site devoted to the city’s investment policy listed Cooley as a CPA.
Rick Sweeney, the board’s executive director, said he made the decision to open the investigation Tuesday based on a complaint filed by Ron Wright, a retired Riverside, Calif., detective who criticized the city’s handling of the development of Spokane’s downtown mall, River Park Square.
In his complaint, Wright argued that the Web site “misleads bond agents, bond investors, and bond raters alike.”
River Park Square is owned by the Cowles Company, which also owns The Spokesman-Review.
City Administrator Ted Danek said the listing on the Web site was an oversight and was removed once it was brought to the city’s attention.
Danek and finance division administrators said this week that they know of no instance in which Cooley or other city representatives purposely misrepresented Cooley’s status.
Cooley said in an e-mail responding to allegations made by Wright that he decided to let his CPA license lapse because “it is not a job requirement and my busy schedule made it difficult for me to meet” education requirements associated with maintaining it. He said he alerted his staff when the change occurred.
“Since then I have never used the CPA designation,” he wrote. “Also, whenever I knew I was listed as a CPA by someone else, I immediately corrected the situation.”
CPAs must fulfill 120 hours of continuing education every three years. The city’s accounting director, Pam Dolan, whom Cooley oversees, remains a CPA.
Sweeney said misuse of the CPA designation is a misdemeanor with a $750 fine. Cooley will have 20 days to respond to the investigation, which likely will last at least 40 days.
MAC faces angry crowd 
Ron_the_Cop on February 24 at 8:11 a.m.
Mr. Brunt,
Thx for covering this very important story. I see you have corrected the factual error in the previous feed on this story and in today’s print edition re it’s not 20 hours but in fact 120 hrs of CPEs that are required to renew a CPA license which has a three year term.
Readers can read what the State Board of Accountancy requires of continuing education to renew a CPA license here:
http://www.cpaboard.wa.gov/CertificateLicense/cpe.shtml
Readers should also read the important comments in the other thread of the earlier online post of this article:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/23/state-investigates-city-spokane-web-site/
Readers may view other important information and read the actual criminal complaint here:
Gavin Cooley CFO Spokane, WA - Misuse of CPA complaint filed
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/?p=225
This is a developing story and I’m sure Mr. Brunt was limited in what he could cover in this initial story. I will repost a few of the critical comments here to give context/background as I am the one who filed the criminal complaint.
Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
Professional Vitae
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/revised-resume-12-29-09.pdf
liarsinnews on February 24 at 8:18 a.m.
Brunt writes in the first paragraph, re CPA, “that mistakenly”, I would have added or accidentally on purpose. And of course, Ted Danek, City Administrator, says showing CPA was a oversight. Yeah, duh, Cooley stopped paying his dues in 2006.
For gosh sakes its been 4 years.
AND HOW ABOUT GAVIN COOLEY AT HIS BRAGGING SESSION AT THE SPOKANE CITY CLUB (just a few short weeks ago) RE THE CITY CREDIT RATING YARN. The document for that event showed GAVIN COOLEY, CPA. How about those apples, Mr. DANEK. Merely another oversight? Give me a break.
And remember, the Lilac City credit rating was helped immensely when Gavin Cooley, the main architect of the agreement between the city and the Cowles Dynasty where the city could show S&P it had a source of revenue to service the tens of millions of dollars for the parking garage. The taxpayers got screwed with the Cooley agreement for 30 or 35 years of debt. But the city credit rating improved. Thanks to the taxpayers!!
liarsinnews on February 24 at 8:58 a.m.
When the story regarding Cooley was published last night, the first paragraph read;
“The State Board of Accountancy is investigating a city Web site that mistakenly listed Spokane’s chief financial officer, Gavin Cooley, as a certified public accountant.”
The first paragraph has been changed and no longer shows the word “MISTAKENLY”
I STAND BY MY COMMENT POSTED LAST NIGHT, THAT SAYS I`D HAVE ADDED “OR ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE”!!
Ron_the_Cop on February 24 at 10:01 a.m.
Ooophs -
Your print edition is correct. I misread the “20” near the end of the article re Cooley has “20” days to respond to the complaint. You do correctly reflect the “120” hours that are required to renew a CPA license. I haven’t check your first online post again.
Sorry for the confusion.
Ron_the_Cop on February 24 at 4:12 p.m.
To All,
Sorry for a duplicate post here but I thought this was useful to this important discussion taking place. I will post my reply to Larry Shook in another post.
Orange over in the other thread said this:
Orange on February 24 at 5:24 a.m.
Someone needs to move back to Riverside. Or retire somewhere else.
I replied:
Orange,
I moved to Spokane for its many fine attributes. The one thing that is lacking is a government that is uncorrupt and responsive to the people. Sorry I’m staying and prefer to fix this one item.
The Cowles Co criminal enterprise as defined in the Federal RICO Act has so thoroughly co-opted/corrupted the political/governmental structures in Spokane that they can no longer act to protect the citizens of Spokane from criminal victimization and from imminent public hazards. The citizens of Spokane and the family of Jo Savage have a fundamental right to ensure that justice is served when their political/ governmental law enforcement and decision making bodies can’t or won’t act because of their systemic co-option/ corruption. In our legal system – NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.
And added what investigative reporter Larry Shook of Camas Magazine had to say about my work:
Thanks for sharing this note about the departure of Breean Beggs’s departure from the Center for Justice, Ron. I have to say that, as powerful a contribution as Breean and the Center for Justice have made to Spokane, from my perspective the current efforts of you and retired Sheriff Tony Bamonte may prove the more historic in the end. Until you two arrived, took the mountainous evidence of criminality surrounding the RPS financial fraud, the gangrenous public corruption that fed it, and the death of Jo Ellen Savage in the RPS garage that these “crimes against property” caused, it was as though the law didn’t much matter to anyone in these parts. It was as though the social contract in Spokane had been voided. Your lonely, professional determination to demand justice may yet produce justice for the public as no other efforts have. Were I putting you in for a military commendation, I could without hesitation add the boilerplate about rising above and beyond the call of duty and conduct reflecting great credit upon yourselves and your community. In a setting in which government at every level, all the way to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, has disgraced itself and failed the very legacy of the American democracy, that’s saying a lot. I’ve said it before and I say it again: there’s nothing like good cops when you need them, even if they are retired.
Larry Shook
Ron_the_Cop on February 24 at 4:26 p.m.
I’m putting my money where my mouth is and signing my name in open for all to see. Here’s my professional background to have an opinion in this case. Feel free to view my professional vitae here for some of my more interesting case histories:
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/revised-resume-12-29-09.pdf
I am retired police officer from the State of California having served thirty-five years with the Riverside Police Department, CA. I was a police detective for approximately twenty years. I was assigned to our Economic Crimes Unit for approximately five years. In that capacity I had the responsibility of investigating complex frauds, conspiracies, check forgeries, credit card fraud, identity theft and embezzlements. I have conducted complex criminal investigations where business and clandestine records including those stored on computers or other electronic media were used to prove criminal offenses. I have written and served hundreds of search warrants including high tech and computer related crimes. I am a former member of the High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA). I have coordinated and managed many complex criminal investigations where charges were filed and successfully prosecuted.
I have received the following education and training, an AA Degree with distinction from Riverside Community College in Administration of Justice and Physical Science, a BA Degree in Political Science with honor from CA State University, Fullerton, and a Masters of Administration (Public administration) from the University of California, Riverside. In the course of study for my master’s degree, I took courses in government accounting and financing. I graduated number one academically from the Riverside Sheriff’s Police Academy. I have a California P.O.S.T. Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Certificates. I have a full-time California Community College Instructor’s Credential in the subject areas of Police Science and Public Services and Administration. I have taught “forensics and crime scene investigations” and “controversial issues in law enforcement” for ITT Technical Institute in its criminal justice bachelors degree program.
It’s about time that the citizens of Spokane woke up and smelled the coffee. Their elected/appointed officials and those who have aided and abetted them, swindled them of a cool $87M in RPS Bond Fraud I and RPS Bond Fraud II. See my table I just completed. I will link to a detailed financial summary/analysis shortly. Mr. Cooley in my opinion is a principal in the second RPS bond fraud:
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rps-fraud-loss-table-1.doc
Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
Ron_the_Cop on February 24 at 4:48 p.m.
Here’s my reply to Larry Shook that explains my purpose in pursuing the Cooley case and others. Please note the S-R is now covering this story which they had on 02-09-10. Sorry I had to post in two section:
Thanks Larry.
I really do appreciate your comments. I may be retired but I’m not dead yet and have some time on my hands:-) It’s in my blood to hunt crooks or those who would seek to harm the people for I am a sheepdog (See On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs). As you may have noticed I don’t really care what others may think about or have called me. Once I’m on the hunt I never let go (See my vitae below).
As I’ve said all along re the Savage Murder case our law enforcement community have all turned a blind eye to her death. This is what galls me the most and not the robbery of some $100M (See my just completed table of the losses) of the public treasury in the RPS bond frauds (RPS Bonds I & II) carried out by Spokane’s power elite. For an in depth analysis of these robberies see my criminal complaint I filed with the WA State Board of Accountancy re Gavin Cooley’s misuse of the term CPA after his name on the City’s website:
Gavin Cooley CFO Spokane, WA - Misuse of CPA complaint filed
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/?p=225
Mind you the S-R has still not written word one on this breaking story even though they have had knowledge of it the day after I filed this complaint. Why?
The Savage death was directly related to decisions made by the perps in committing these frauds. Yes, at first I can understand why our law enforcement agencies may have missed the significance of the RPS parking barriers failing. After Sheriff Bamonte filed his criminal complaint with the supporting evidence with Chief Kirkpatrick, however there is no excuse for their failure to do their duty that they are sworn to do on behalf of the people.
While the feds are complicit, they really had no jurisdiction in the Savage death as Sheriff Bamonte has said. Unless the feds took the RPS fraud cases using RICO and used the Savage death as an unindicted state offense as one of the predicate offenses to establish the pattern and practice to establish that the Cowles Co et al is a criminal enterprise under RICO, this was not their case. As you know it is my professional opinion the the Cowles Co is a criminal enterprise et al as defined in RICO. If the feds had investigated the Savage death as one of the two predicate offenses required to invoke RICO, once their investigation was completed that could have turned it back over to the state to prosecute. But as we all know everyone just ran time down on the game clock on the Savage case under WA’s statute of limitations and turned it back over to County Prosecutor Steve Tucker to investigate the evidence that they uncovered and didn’t have the stomach to sweep under the rug. CYA comes to mind.
The most blatant complicit official in my opinion is Steve Tucker for deciding that there was “insufficient evident” to file a criminal complaint without first compelling a complete and thorough criminal investigation was done that would have followed the evidence given him by the feds wherever it would lead. Tucker didn’t compel further interviews of witnesses with potential incriminating evidence that were identified by the feds.
[Cont]
Ron_the_Cop on February 24 at 4:50 p.m.
[Cont]
Sorry for the long post with this background information. This is info that Mr. Brunt can’t cover in the amount of space given or perhaps because the S-R editors can’t or won’t allow this.
*****
While some my say the Savage case was reviewed by three different governmental entities, I will call foul on this. I’m a consummate law enforcement insider having manage many hundreds of complex criminal cases and know there was never an investigation done that asked the probative questions necessary. I am currently teaching, “Controversial Issues in Law Enforcement,” and just taught, “Forensics and Crime Scene Investigations,” in a BA program in criminal justice at a local college. This was a cover up ala, “Don’t ask - Don’t Tell.” And lastly as Sheriff Bamonte, you and I know the WA AG’s Office let itself be used by Tucker to give political cover for his decision not to file.
This criminal enterprise has so thoroughly co-opted/corrupted the political/governmental structures in Spokane that they can no longer act to protect the citizens of Spokane from criminal victimization and from imminent public hazards. The citizens of Spokane and the family of Jo Savage have a fundamental right to ensure that justice is served when their political/ governmental law enforcement and decision making bodies can’t or won’t act because of their systemic co-option/ corruption. In our legal system – NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.
Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
Truthhurts on February 25 at 5:45 p.m.
What was so surprising is how the newspaper buried the story when I read my hard copy. Far back in the paper.
The need to fire Cooley is overwhelming. Council people are manipulated by him. The Mayor is manipulated by him.
Democracy cannot function the way Cooley manipulates the information flow to Council and to the Mayor.
Truthhurts on February 25 at 5:46 p.m.
It is sad to see Danek discrediting himself by essentially lying on Cooley’s behalf.
Cooley is a cancer.
Ron_the_Cop on February 25 at 10:32 p.m.
Truthhurts,
Agreed re Cooley that’s what I’m hearing from my sources as well as Cooley keeps the Mayor and Council buffaloed most of the time. This is why they need to hire someone to fill the City Auditor’s position with all due haste to keep an eye on Cooley.
I took several hits in the other threads re my financial acumen and the table I linked to. This was partly my fault as I posted the table without the accompanying analysis. I’ve now completed my report and readers are free to read both the report and table here. At a minimum this was a loss of $87M. See caveats in my report/analysis re a forensic audit needs to be done to confirm the actual losses.
RPS Fraud Losses Sustained by the Taxpayers of Spokane
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rps-bond-frauds-summary-and-analysis-1.doc
I have some other related breaking news that I will post tomorrow. I just got in the door from teaching my criminal justice class.