Belize is like the rest of the world!!!!

I heard a couple posters mention that belize is no different than the rest of the world when it comes to convicting rich people and politicians.

Here is a short list of politicians convicted of crimes, limited to politicians in the U.S. and Australia, we are not even taking powerful sports figures etc... into consideration because the list would be even longer.

• Brian Austin - Qld National Party minister sentenced to 15 months' jail on misappropriation charges arising from Fitzgerald inquiry.[1]
• Brian Burke- Former West Australian Labor premier, sentenced to two years' jail for falsely obtaining money from a parliamentary travel account.[2]
• Michael Cobb - NSW federal National Party MP fined $14,000 and given a two-year suspended jail term after being found guilty of rorting travel expenses.[3]
• Noel Crichton-Browne - Former WA Liberal senator fined $8,000 after pleading guilty to travel rorts charges.
• Bill D'Arcy - Qld state Labor MP jailed for 10 years over 18 child sex charges committed while he was a teacher.[4]
• Karen Ehrmann - Former Queensland Labor candidate jailed for nine months for electoral fraud.
• Pauline Hanson - One Nation co-founder sentenced to three years' jail for electoral fraud.[5]
• Leisha Harvey - Qld National Party minister sentenced to 12 months' jail on misappropriation charges arising from Fitzgerald.[6]
• Rex "Buckets" Jackson - NSW Labor minister jailed for 10 years for accepting bribes to arrange early release for prisoners.[7]
• Don Lane - Qld National Party minister convicted of misappropriating public money after Fitzgerald inquiry. Sentenced to 12 months' jail.[8]
• Thomas John Ley - 1920s former NSW justice minister and federal MP where witness against Ley in a bribery case vanished without trace, as did an estranged business partner, while another was found dead at the foot of cliffs near Sydney.
• Barry Morris - NSW Liberal MP jailed for 12 months for making death threats in fake Italian and Chinese accents to a local councillor.
• Geoff Muntz- Qld state National Party minister jailed for 12 months on 19 charges of misusing ministerial expenses arising from Fitzgerald inquiry.
• Lionel Murphy - Former judge and Labor Party parliamentarian was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice (and later exonerated).
• Raymond O'Connor - Former Liberal premier of Western Australia sentenced to 18 months' jail in 1995 for stealing a $25,000 Bond Corporation cheque.
• Merri Rose - Former QLD State MP & Minister, convicted of blackmail.
• Wayde Smith - West Australian state Liberal MP who was sentenced to 18 months jail for perjuring himself at an official inquiry into a local council.
• Andrew Theophanous - Federal Labor MP jailed for three-and-a-half years for fraud and bribery. His sentence was cut to 21 months on appeal.
• Bob Woods - Former NSW Liberal senator given an 18-month suspended jail term after pleading guilty to travel rorts.
• Keith Wright - Qld federal Labor MP convicted of raping an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to nine years' jail.
• Alabama Governor Harold Guy Hunt convicted of improperly using campaign money and removed from office (1993)
• Arizona Governor John Fife Symington III convicted of fraud (1997)
• Arkansas Governor James Guy Tucker, Jr., convicted of fraud conspiracy (1996); See related Whitewater scandal, under Federal-Level Scandals
• Arkansas Governor William Jefferson Clinton: See Federal-level scandals, which dogged President Clinton
• California State Senator and Senate Insurance Committee Chairman Alan Robbins resigned on November 21, 1991, in advance of pleading guilty to federal racketeering charges in connection with insurance-industry bribes.
• Florida Katherine Harris is elected to the State Senate in 1994 after receiving at least $20,000 in donations from key Riscorp employees who had been given bonuses specifically to enable their donations. Several other prominent Florida politicians were accused of writing preferential legislation that benefited Riscorp. Mr. Griffin pleaded guilty to felony counts involving illegal campaign donations and conspiracy and served prison time(amid rumors that had he not, he would have been indicted for insurance fraud). No other indictments were made-despite protests. Ms. Harris eventually certified the 2000 Florida election results and was elected to the US House of Representatives after launching one of the best funded house campaigns in Florida history.
• Illinois state senator Bruce A. Farley sentenced to 18 months in prison for mail fraud. 1999.
• Illinois state senator John A. D’Arco Jr. served about 3 years in prison for bribery and extortion. 1995.
• Illinois Chicago alderman Larence S. Bloom sentenced to 6 months in 1999 for filing a false tax return.
• Illinois Chicago alderman Jesse J. Evans sentenced to 41 months in prison in 1997 for racketeering, extortion, conspiracy, attempted extortion, mail fraud, influence peddling, filing false tax returns, and obstruction of justice.
• Illinois Chicago alderman Virgil E. Jones Jr. in 1999 was sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison for extortion.
• Illinois Chicago alderman Joseph A. Martínez in 1998 pleaded guilty to ghost payrolling and was sentenced to 5 months in prison.
• Illinois Chicago alderman Ambrosio Medrano pleaded guilty to extortion in 1996 and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
• Illinois Chicago alderman Allan J. Streeter pleaded guilty to extortion and was sentenced to prison in 1998.
• Illinois Chicago alderman Fred B. Roti was sentenced to 48 months in 1993 for racketeering, conspiracy, bribery, among other things.
• Illinois Chicago judge Thomas J. Maloney Jr. sentenced to almost 16 years in prison for taking bribes in 1994.
• Illinois Chicago treasurer Edward Rosewell pleaded guilty to mail fraud but was not sentenced due to an illness that he died from soon after. His conviction was vacated in 1999.
• Kentucky Majority leader Don Blandford, of the Kentucky House of Representatives sent to prison for taking bribes in 1992. (approximately 10% of Kentucky's legislature was implicated in this scandal, some took bribes for as little as $100).
• Maryland State Sen. Larry Young forced out of office despite acquittal on corruption charges (1990's)
• Maryland Lobbyist Bruce C. Bereano convicted of mail fraud in connection with campaign contributions (1990's), but later returned to lobbying in Annapolis
• Maryland politician Ruthann Aron (Montgomery County Planning Board member and former 1994 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate) who ran on a "tough on crime" platform convicted of hiring "contract" hit man William H. Mossburg Jr., in 1997, to kill her husband and a lawyer (1998)
• Minnesota state senator Sam Solon Pleaded guilty in 1995 to telecommunications fraud for letting his ex-wife make $2,430 in calls on his State Senate telephone line.
• Nebraska State Treasurer Frank Marsh convicted of misdemeanor charges for making personal, long-distance telephone calls (1991)
• New York highest court Chief Judge Sol Wachtler, scandal involving obsence telephone calls and extortion (1993)
• Oklahoma Governor David Lee Walters pleaded guilty to misdemeanor election law violation (1993)
Alaska Executives Bill Allen and Rick Smith of oilfield service company VECO Corporation pleaded guilty to federal charges to extortion, bribery, and conspiracy to impede the Internal Revenue Service.[1] The charges involved bribing Alaska lawmakers to vote in favor of an oil tax law favored by the VECO that was the subject of vigorous debate during the regular and two special sessions of the Alaska Legislature in 2006[2], and were part of a larger probe of political corruption in Alaska by federal authorities.
• California Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush resigned on June 28, 2000, rather than face impeachment for campaign-finance violations arising out of insurance-industry settlements after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
• Florida Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer jailed on suspicions of electoral fraud in March 2005; charges were dismissed in April 2005 and he returned to office. Ernest Page served as interim mayor while Dyer was facing charges. In 2006, Page was arrested and convicted for bribery and official misconduct while in the mayor's office; he was sentenced to 42 months in prison.
• Georgia Congressman David Scott has expent $52,000 to $344,000 to himself, friends, family and business from campaigns every election cycle since 2002. Shortly after the 2006 election, he was served with an IRS tax lien for over $153,000.
• Illinois Chicago alderman Percy Giles sentenced to 3 years in prison for racketeering, extortion, among other things in 2000.
• Illinois Chicago alderman Arenda Troutman was arrested and charged with bribery in 2007.
• Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards convicted of extortion (2000)
• Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. telephoning Maryland Court of Appeals Judges ex parte, trying to lobby them not to overturn the unconstitutional redistricting plan he had championed (2002)
• Maryland Former Maryland state senator Thomas L. Bromwell was indicted in 2005 on 30 counts of federal racketeering, corruption, and fraud charges, in alleged conspiracy to wield influence to benefit construction company Poole and Kent, in exchange for concealed payments and other favors
• Minnesota Minneapolis city council members Brian Herron (taped by FBI accepting $10,000 bribe in 2001) and Joe Biernat (accepting free plumbing work on house)
• Nebraska State Treasurer Lorelee Byrd accused of massive improper check-writing; guilty plea to one misdemeanor charge of official misconduct and resigned in 2006
• Nebraska Former Douglas County Election Commissioner Pat McPherson accused of groping a 17-year-old girl wearing Red Robin mascot. City Councilman Chuck Sigerson was accused of disturbing her piece by touching the tail of the costume. Event supposedly happened at 8 P.M. on a Friday night and at the table were two company executives, a Sunday school teacher, Sigerson's wife, and the wives of the executives. McPherson was acquitted and the jury voted to acquit Sigerson 4-2, so the prosecutor dismissed the charges. McPherson resigned from his position at the Governor's request, before the trial and acquittal; Councilman Sigerson was re-elected in 2005.
• New Jersey Democratic Governor Jim McGreevey sex and corruption scandal (2004)
• Ohio Governor Bob Taft pleads no contest and is convicted on four first-degree misdemeanor ethics violations (2005)
• Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation loss of $215 million in high-risk fund run by big contributor to political campaigns, and loss of state funds in $50 million rare-coin investment of prominent campaign contributor (2005)
• Rhode Island Providence Mayor Vincent Cianci convicted of racketeering conspiracy (2002)
• Tennessee State Senators John Ford, Kathryn Bowers, Ward Crutchfield accused of bribery among other charges in Operation Tennessee Waltz scandal (2005)
• Washington Spokane Mayor James West, an opponent of gay rights, denied accusations of having molested two boys while he was a sheriff’s deputy and Boy Scout leader in the late 1970's and early 1980's, but came under investigation (2005) for offering municipal jobs to men he met in gay online chat rooms. West was ousted in a recall vote December 2005.
• Wisconsin Caucus Scandal, 2002
• Arizona "AZSCAM" legislators caught on videotape taking payoffs for favors to gambling figure
• Connecticut Republican Governor John Rowland Corruption
• District of Columbia Democratic Mayor Marion Barry caught on videotape using drugs in an FBI sting
• Illinois Chicago Hired Truck Program
• Illinois Republican Governor George H. Ryan involved in sale of government licenses and contracts while he was Secretary of State
• Illinois Governor Lennington Small, associate of Al Capone, embezzled, sold pardons, etc., but was never convicted
• Image:CoughlinandKenna.jpg
Chicago alderman "Bathhouse John" Coughlin
• Illinois Chicago alderman "Bathhouse John" Coughlin graft operation with fellow alderman Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna, the so-called "Lords of the Levee" extracting protection payments from gambling and prostitution.
• Illinois Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson, years of ongoing corruption
• Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, Jr. bribery, mail fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion: see Federal-Level Scandals, as Kerner was found out and convicted after becoming a federal judge
• Illinois Chicago city clerk Walter S. Kozubowski was sentenced to 5 years in prison for mail fraud.
• Illinois Chicago alderman John S. Madrzyk sentenced to 41 months in prison for mail fraud.
• Illinois Chicago City Treasurer Miriam Santos originally sentenced to 40 months for extortion and mail fraud but the sentence was overturned on appeal. She subsequently pleaded guilty to mail fraud and sentenced to 3 months, only served 17 days in prison.
• Louisiana In what was called the Louisiana Scandals, Governor Richard W. Leche (and others including the LSU president) were convicted of corruption relating to the influence of the followers of Huey Long and the Long family.
• Louisiana Democratic Governor Earl Long committed to insane asylum while in office
• Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew (see Federal-level Scandals, as his gubernatorial misconduct did not catch up to him until after he was Vice-President of the United States)
• Maryland Lobbyist Gerard E. Evans convicted of fraud after dummying up legislation and collecting fees from clients to fight it
• Maryland Banker Nathan A. Chapman Jr. found guilty of defrauding the state retirement system.
• Maryland Police Superintendent Edward T. Norris convicted of spending police money for personal uses while Baltimore's police chief
• Massachusetts politician James Michael Curley, convictions on various allegations of corruption
• Minnesota Democratic consultant and businessman Pat Forciea convicted of extensive bank fraud charges
• New Jersey Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague resigned as mayor amid accusations of widespread corruption; resigns other party offices later on
• New York Lee Alexander, Syracuse mayor, pleaded guilty to racketeering and tax evasion. Served 6 years in prison.
• New York Alan Hevesi Comptroller of New York pleaded guilty to one count of defrauding the government.