CIETC officials' relationships emerge in testimony
Posted: Saturday, April 12, 2008
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) -- The trial of three job training officials continued Friday with more testimony about a romantic relationship between the government-funded agency's administrator and a board member facing a federal conspiracy charge.
On trial are former Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium chief accountant Karen Tesdell, former Iowa Workforce Development deputy director Jane Barto, and former CIETC board member Dan Albritton, who prosecutors said had a relationship with the agency's CEO Ramona Cunningham.
The former officials face various charges related to about $2 million in allegedly misspent government funds. Prosecutors said they were part of a conspiracy to pay executives huge salaries and bonuses and mislead government agencies that bankrolled CIETC.
Cunningham was indicted along with the others, but her trial was delayed after a mental competency hearing was ordered to be held in late May in her case. Her lawyer said she attempted suicide in October and isn't able to assist in her defense.
A former CIETC employee has testified that Albritton and Cunningham lived together in his Ankeny home. In addition to her relationship with Albritton, former board chairman Archie Brooks has testified that he had a sexual relationship with Cunningham.
Pamela Jones said she considered Cunningham a friend but testified that her boss lied to her. She said she asked Cunningham a couple times about her relationship with Albritton.
"The first time Ramona said he was gay, (that) she wasn't seeing him, oh no," Jones said, adding that Cunningham later admitted having a relationship with Albritton.
Former CIETC caseworker Dave Stanley testified that he once heard Albritton and Cunningham having an argument at CIETC's headquarters that included shouted profanities.
Stanley said Cunningham was visibly upset and angry.
"Because she was my boss I asked her if everything was OK," he said. Cunningham, he said, then told him "I'll take care of this."
He also testified that he was given comp time in exchange for photographing political events, including taking photos of board member Ako Abdul-Samad as he ran for the local school board, and photographing a Labor Day festival where Albritton was a speaker.
A handful of other former CIETC workers testified on Friday. Their testimony included:
--Mary Zimmerman said Cunningham told her to hire Diane Smith as a part-time worker. Smith, who had been working full-time for Albritton at the South Central Iowa Federation of Labor, was going to split her time between CIETC and the labor organization.
"(Cunningham) said she was hiring her in a part-time capacity as a favor to Dan Albritton because he didn't have the funds to keep her on full-time," Zimmerman said.
--Smith testified that she was put on CIETC's insurance because it became too expensive for the labor organization. However, she said the labor group cut checks to CIETC to pay for that insurance.
--Nathan Brooks, a former Polk County supervisor who is not related to Archie Brooks, said Albritton told him about a job at CIETC and he was later hired by Cunningham. He said he was told to bill his time to a grant to be used for Creative Visions, an outreach program headed by board member Abdul-Samad, even when he didn't spend 100 percent of his time on that project.
--Jack Cline testified that he gambled with Cunningham during work hours as many as 10 times, and that she gambled with other workers several times a week. Another former CIETC employee has said he gambled with the CEO as many as 125 times.
--Susan Stewart said Tesdell, CIETC's chief accountant, told her on a few occasions to make changes to her timecard for programs she didn't work on. That work was paid for with government funds intended for those programs, she said.
Other witnesses have also testified that they were asked by CIETC executives to alter timecards or destroy documents.
Two other officials who were also indicted -- Archie Brooks and former chief operating officer John Bargman -- have already testified this week as part of plea agreements with prosecutors.
CIETC was the primary government-funded job training organization in central Iowa until about two years ago when top officials were accused of raiding government funds that allowed Bargman and Cunningham to make as much as $360,000, and Tesdell as much as $129,000 in one year.
Albritton faces a single conspiracy charge and Barto is charged with two counts of conspiracy and obstruction. Tesdell is charged with 29 fraud and conspiracy counts.
The trial, which began Monday, was moved from Des Moines to Davenport because of publicity about the case.
On trial are former Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium chief accountant Karen Tesdell, former Iowa Workforce Development deputy director Jane Barto, and former CIETC board member Dan Albritton, who prosecutors said had a relationship with the agency's CEO Ramona Cunningham.
The former officials face various charges related to about $2 million in allegedly misspent government funds. Prosecutors said they were part of a conspiracy to pay executives huge salaries and bonuses and mislead government agencies that bankrolled CIETC.
Cunningham was indicted along with the others, but her trial was delayed after a mental competency hearing was ordered to be held in late May in her case. Her lawyer said she attempted suicide in October and isn't able to assist in her defense.
A former CIETC employee has testified that Albritton and Cunningham lived together in his Ankeny home. In addition to her relationship with Albritton, former board chairman Archie Brooks has testified that he had a sexual relationship with Cunningham.
Pamela Jones said she considered Cunningham a friend but testified that her boss lied to her. She said she asked Cunningham a couple times about her relationship with Albritton.
"The first time Ramona said he was gay, (that) she wasn't seeing him, oh no," Jones said, adding that Cunningham later admitted having a relationship with Albritton.
Former CIETC caseworker Dave Stanley testified that he once heard Albritton and Cunningham having an argument at CIETC's headquarters that included shouted profanities.
Stanley said Cunningham was visibly upset and angry.
"Because she was my boss I asked her if everything was OK," he said. Cunningham, he said, then told him "I'll take care of this."
He also testified that he was given comp time in exchange for photographing political events, including taking photos of board member Ako Abdul-Samad as he ran for the local school board, and photographing a Labor Day festival where Albritton was a speaker.
A handful of other former CIETC workers testified on Friday. Their testimony included:
--Mary Zimmerman said Cunningham told her to hire Diane Smith as a part-time worker. Smith, who had been working full-time for Albritton at the South Central Iowa Federation of Labor, was going to split her time between CIETC and the labor organization.
"(Cunningham) said she was hiring her in a part-time capacity as a favor to Dan Albritton because he didn't have the funds to keep her on full-time," Zimmerman said.
--Smith testified that she was put on CIETC's insurance because it became too expensive for the labor organization. However, she said the labor group cut checks to CIETC to pay for that insurance.
--Nathan Brooks, a former Polk County supervisor who is not related to Archie Brooks, said Albritton told him about a job at CIETC and he was later hired by Cunningham. He said he was told to bill his time to a grant to be used for Creative Visions, an outreach program headed by board member Abdul-Samad, even when he didn't spend 100 percent of his time on that project.
--Jack Cline testified that he gambled with Cunningham during work hours as many as 10 times, and that she gambled with other workers several times a week. Another former CIETC employee has said he gambled with the CEO as many as 125 times.
--Susan Stewart said Tesdell, CIETC's chief accountant, told her on a few occasions to make changes to her timecard for programs she didn't work on. That work was paid for with government funds intended for those programs, she said.
Other witnesses have also testified that they were asked by CIETC executives to alter timecards or destroy documents.
Two other officials who were also indicted -- Archie Brooks and former chief operating officer John Bargman -- have already testified this week as part of plea agreements with prosecutors.
CIETC was the primary government-funded job training organization in central Iowa until about two years ago when top officials were accused of raiding government funds that allowed Bargman and Cunningham to make as much as $360,000, and Tesdell as much as $129,000 in one year.
Albritton faces a single conspiracy charge and Barto is charged with two counts of conspiracy and obstruction. Tesdell is charged with 29 fraud and conspiracy counts.
The trial, which began Monday, was moved from Des Moines to Davenport because of publicity about the case.
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