Sansom, Richburg Indicted, Charged with Misconduct over Hangar Money

by David Royse, Michael Peltier and Kathleen Haughney
The News Service of Florida

Former House Speaker Ray Sansom and Northwest Florida State College President James Robert Richburg were indicted Friday on official misconduct charges by a grand jury in connection with Sansom's alleged use of his former position as budget chairman to provide a benefit to a contributor.

The grand jury seated in Leon County also charged Richburg with perjury in connection with the case.

{sidebar id=1}The panel also strongly suggested that the entire legislative budget process was ripe for corruption because the budget chairmen of the two chambers and the leaders have such discretion over what goes into the state's spending plan, particularly in the conference process.

The grand jury investigation, launched in January, came after Sansom's acceptance of a job as a vice president at the college and revelations that he had helped steer money for a hangar through the college's budget when the facility appeared to be intended for use by the private business owned by Jay Odom. Odom, an Okaloosa County developer and a contributor to Sansom, had tried for years to get the hangar built.

Dogged by conflict of interest allegations, Sansom stepped aside as speaker of the House in January as part of a strategy to elevate Speaker Pro Tempore Larry Cretul of Ocala to the speakership and allow the Sansom, a Destin Republican, to remain in the Legislature.

The grand jury alleges that in 2007 and 2008, Sansom and Odom found a way to have the state pay $6 million for the aircraft hangar for Odom's business at the airport in Destin, and to put the hangar into the budget of Northwest Florida State College. The line item for the facility was placed into the budget by Sansom, despite the fact that the college hadn't initially sought it, county officials had declined it in the past, and the Department of Education knew nothing about it.

“Your grand jurors have determined that the funding for this hangar can be attributed directly and solely to Speaker-Designate Ray Sansom. No member of the Legislature ever saw this appropriation until it was inserted into the appropriation bill during conference between Appropriation Chair Ray Sansom and his Senate counterpart Lisa Carlton,” the presentment document handed up by the grand jury said. “The hangar project for a community college was the sole work of Ray Sansom, Jay Odom and Bob Richburg.”

Sansom, as he has all along, insisted again on Friday that he has done nothing wrong.

“Because I am innocent of these charges, I will be vindicated at trial,” Sansom said in a statement. “As a legislator, I have always worked hard for my constituents and my district to bring needed projects and funding to the Panhandle. This has been a very painful time for me and my family. But, with our unwavering faith and our commitment to each other and the fairness of our criminal justice system, we will remain strong throughout the coming months.”

Sansom was booked at the Leon County Jail and released on his own recognizance about 3:30 Friday afternoon.

Odom, who unlike Sansom and Richburg didn't testify before the grand jury, doesn't face any charges. State Attorney Willie Meggs, whose office will prosecute the case, said it isn't a crime for a private citizen to try to get the Legislature to do what Sansom is accused of doing.

{sidebar id=1}The grand jury said it found that the hangar that was put into the budget was miles from the NWFCC campus, and would be leased back to Odom, who, along with companies under his control, donated $22,600 to Sansom's re-election campaign.

Odom or his companies also contributed $100,000 to a leadership fund controlled largely by Sansom.

“While direct evidence was not developed that Jay Odom would acquire an aircraft hangar in exchange for his generous campaign contributions, there is a strong inference of improrpiety,” the grand jury document said.

“Speaker-Designate Ray Sansom used the power of his position to accomplish what Mr. Odom was unable to do for nearly three years,” the grand jury said. The panelists also noted that the connection was made by a newspaper – the combined Tallahassee bureau of the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald first wrote about the hangar item in the budget. “But for the discovery of this appropriation by a statewide newspaper reporter, this appropriation would have gone unnoticed and Jay Odom's planned (hangar) would have been successfully funded by taxpayer dollars.”

Richburg's lawyer, Deeno Kitchen, vowed that Richburg would be vindicated.

“I was quite surprised at the indictment,” Kitchen said. “Number one, the official misconduct surrounds the appropriation process, and I didn't see how President Richburg had anything to do with that.

“Number two, the false statement: I genuinely believe there's some mistake of facts here that needs to be straightened out,” Kitchen said.

Kitchen said Richburg planned to turn himself in next week, and would likely be released on his own recognizance.

The grand jury also found “clear evidence” that Sansom and Richburg “violated the spirit” of the Sunshine Law when they held a Tallahassee meeting with the college's trustees that was only noticed in Destin.

On the same day in November of last year when Sansom took up his post of speaker of the House, he was named a vice president at NWFCC, which is his alma mater. Sansom would be paid $110,000 for the job, which was unadvertised. Sansom later stepped down from the job.

Meggs, who presented the case to the grand jury, said the case will now go through the normal prosecutorial processes. Sansom could face a prison term if convicted.

Sansom remains a popular figure in the Legislature and some colleagues there reacted with disappointment at news of the charges.

But as he did when Sansom stepped aside, Cretul said the House needs to focus on its work in a difficult budget year.

“My heart goes out to Ray Sansom and his family in this very difficult time,” said Cretul, R-Ocala. “This matter is now subject to the criminal justice system and I will not be discussing it further. The House must and will focus its attention on the remaining business of the 2009 legislative session, especially the urgent requirement that we adopt a responsible, balanced state budget. I will be keeping the Sansom family in my prayers.”

“We can't be distracted from what we're here to do and that's pass out a responsible budget," said House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands, D-Weston. As to Sansom, “right now, he is a member in good standing in the House.”

But by mid-afternoon as the House worked through its agenda, copies of the indictment could be seen being passed around on the floor of the House.

Gov. Charlie Crist told reporters shortly after the indictment was announced that the news was “distressing.”

“Our system of criminal justice has a presumption of innocence in it. We all ought to be respectful of that,” Crist said

Asked if he thought Sansom should quit the Legislature, Crist said he thought that was “an issue for the House.”

Crist has the power to suspend Richburg from his duties as president of a state college. Asked whether he would, the governor replied, “I have to look at that perhaps.”

The grand jury also aimed criticism at the entire legislative budget process, noting that lawmakers often have little idea what's in the final budget because of the enormous discretion that the speaker, the Senate president, and the budget chairmen have in changing the bill during conference.

“This process allows taxpayer money to be budgeted for special purposes by those few legislators who happen to be in a position of power,” the grand jury said in its presentment, signed by foreman Richard Nuss.

The grand jury recommended that the Legislature “clean up” that process and noted that campaign contributions seem to help sway legislation.

That part was catching the attention of at least some lawmakers.

"It's a clear warning to the Legislature that in terms of budget matters, you'd better watch your act," said Rep. Ron Saunders, D-Key West.

This information originally published on April 20, 2009.

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