Sheila Farrington

And Now, On This Good Friday, We Come to the Very, Very End of the City Hall Corruption Case

All those who'd like to see us retire this picture, raise your right hand.​I was cleaning out the office last weekend and came across my copy of the 166-page indictment that eventually led a parade of people to the Earle Cabell thanks to that low-income housing development corruption case at Dalla ... More >>

The Wiretap That Tainted Our View Of Ron Slovacek Long Before His Conviction

Sam MertenWhy does Lee look so good in that suit? Gotta be the aerobics in the morning and yoga at night.​On July 23 -- the second day of Brian Potashnik's testimony in the Dallas City Hall corruption trial -- prosecutor Marcus Busch played a series of damning wiretaps for jurors. He paused th ... More >>

Two Who Took Guilty Pleas in City Hall Corruption Case Were Sentenced Today

Hey, Don Hill, how many years in prison did guilty-plea-taker John Lewis get today?​John Lewis and Kevin Dean were among the first two to plead guilty, both to one count of extortion, in the Dallas City Hall federal corruption case -- Lewis in March of last year; Dean, in June. When Lewis pleaded ... More >>

Judge Hands Down Two More Lengthy Sentences in City Hall Corruption Case

Sam MertenBetween the four of them -- from left to right: D'Angelo Lee, Sheila Hill, Darren Reagan and Don Hill -- you're looking at 55 years of federal prison time.​And speaking of the U.S. Attorney's Office ...Jim and Sam were otherwise occupied this morning and couldn't make it back to the Earl ... More >>

Yet Again, Bill Fisher's on the Stand in Federal City Hall Corruption Trial -- And Former Mayor Laura Miller Gets a Shout-Out

Sam MertenFormer Dallas Mayor Laura Miller outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse, when she testified in the City Hall federal corruption trial a few weeks ago​Victor Vital, attorney for Sheila Farrington, began the morning's proceedings in the federal Dallas City Hall corrupti ... More >>

The Biggest (and Funniest) Revelations So Far in the Federal City Hall Corruption Trial

Carol Reed​Everybody knew it was about "pay-to-play" at City Hall. Don Hill, a former city council member and 13 alleged confederates are accused of strong-arming real estate developers for money.But nobody knew...1. Carol Reed's name would come up. Reed is the top political guru and campaign cons ... More >>

Big Fisher: Schutze is Back at the City Hall Trial As the Feds' Informant Takes the Stand

Sam MertenDon Hill and the missus, Sheila Farrington​Victor Vital, Sheila Farrington Hill's attorney, is cross examining Allen McGill, Darren Reagan's partner in the Black State Employees Association of Texas (BSEAT), which prosecutors have characterized as a fake union and extortion scam. McGill ... More >>

Don Hill's Latest Defense: He Just Wasn't Powerful Enough to Influence Deals

Sam MertenWhat, them worried? D'Angelo Lee, Don Hill and Sheila Farrington outside the federal courthouse​[Editor's note: Jim's on deadline, and Sam's on vacation. So Trey Garrison's down at the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse live-blogging the City Hall corruption trial for Unfair Pa ... More >>

How City Hall Really Works: Notes from the City Hall Corruption Trial

Once again, this more or less provides the perfect description of the testimony now being heard in the federal City Hall corruption trial.​O.K., I want to give you an example of the very good lawyering being done by the defense in the City Hall corruption trial going on right now at the Earle Cab ... More >>

Potashnik May Be the Prosecution's Smoking Gun, But He Sure Didn't Sound Like One

Sam MertenBrian PotashnikNearly all of the 16 jurors grabbed their notebooks and focused on Brian Potashnik as the prosecution Wednesday morning called the witness expected to provide the most damning evidence in the City Hall corruption case. But while Potashnik's testimony raised concerns about th ... More >>

Prosecution Looks to Right Stumbling City Hall Corruption Case By Calling Brian Potashnik

Sam MertenDon and Sheila Hill left the courthouse Tuesday afternoon in good spirits.An admittedly nervous Steve Williams spent all of Tuesday afternoon on the stand discussing his eight-year tenure as Don Hill's administrative assistant, pushing the anticipated debut of developer Brian Potashnik to ... More >>

Mitchell Rasansky Says He "Got the Sense" Some Council Members Tried to Kill FBI Informant's Affordable Housing Deals

Brian HarkinWill the jury get to hear from Mitchell Rasansky? Based on what he told us, we're going out on a limb and saying yes.Mitchell Rasansky, who served with Don Hill on the Dallas City Council for six years and is listed as a potential witness in Hill's ongoing federal corruption trial, says ... More >>

In Corruption Trial, Defense Keep Asking, "But What About Laura?" (Again, Live Bloging)

Well, looks like the frequent mentions of former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller in the federal Dallas City Hall corruption trial ain't just Dixie. The defense clearly plans to argue that the FBI should have gone after Miller, because she took a ton of money from developer Brian Potashnik, who's agreed t ... More >>

Don Hill Files Motion to Dismiss, Claiming Government Withheld Exculpatory Evidence

Kimberly ThorpeDon Hill and Sheila Farrington filed a prayer of their own in federal court yesterday.Late yesterday, Don Hill's PR man, Ken Carter, sent to media an objection filed in federal court in which the former Dallas mayor pro tem and his wife, Sheila Farrington, want U.S. District Judge Bar ... More >>

The Night Before Their Trial, Don Hill and Sheila Farrington Talk to God in a Parking Lot

Kimberly ThorpeIf nothing else, we now have a hundred new pictures of Don Hill praying, as he was tonight outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building with wife Sheila and friends.Former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill's public corruption case finally heads into an Earle Cabell Federal Building courtroom ... More >>

Before the Prayer Vigil, South Dallas Ministers Ask Eric Holder to Review Don Hill's Case

Hey, Don Hill, how many weekdays left till your trial starts, anyway?And the press releases keep coming from the Don Hill camp: Only a few days after inviting us to a Sunday-eve prayer vigil for Don Hill and Sheila Farrington in advance of Monday's start date in the City Hall corruption case, Ken Ca ... More >>

So Help You God, Don Hill

Hey, Don Hill, who just joined your legal defense team? You don't say.Earlier this afternoon, Ken Carter at Focus Communications sent along an invite to a Sunday-night prayer vigil in front of the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse -- where, so happens, one week from today former Dallas Ma ... More >>

At This Rate, Don Hill's Gonna Be Awful Lonesome When His Trial Starts

Hey, Don Hill, how many weeks till your trial starts? Wrong. It's two, not one.First, there was Allen McGill. Then, Andrea Spencer. Then, John Lewis. To that roster of names of folks who've pleaded guilty in the Dallas City Hall corruption case, add a fourth: Kevin Dean, president and a principal of ... More >>

"There Will Never Be a Paper Trail." Whoops.

OK, Don Hill, raise your finger every time you hear a defendant in the City Hall corruption case plead guilty.This afternoon, as promised, the U.S. Attorney's Office forwards John Lewis's plea agreement -- the one that finds him promising to testify against former Dallas City Council member Don "Wha ... More >>

Serving the "Ends of Justice," Judge Delays City Hall Trial Till June

How many shopping days left till Christmas, Don Hill? Dang, then we'd best hurry! A couple of housekeeping items this morning, including the disappointing news of a scheduling change. You can cross January 20 off your calendar if you were planning on attending the trial of former Dallas Mayor Pr ... More >>

Don Hill Really, Really, Really, Really Doesn't Want to Go to Trial in January

How many hours should we stay home this morning till the bridges and overpasses thaw, Don Hill? One? Gotcha. Thanks. Former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill, indicted about 28 years ago in that City Hall low-income-housing bribery and extortion case that started back in the days of eight-tracks and bell-b ... More >>

Judge Provides a Generous Sneak Peek at Feds' Case Against Don Hill, Others

Domino No. 2 in the City Hall Corruption Case Falls: Andrea Spencer Pleas Guilty to Bribery Conspiracy

Mrs. Don Hill Speaks! And Says She and Her Hubby Are Innocent! No, Really?

Don Hill Slides From Mayoral Candidate to Alleged Criminal

How did that happen?

Got Time to Kill? Here's That 166-Page City Hall Indictment You've Been Waiting For.

Street Tax

Max Wells: Mayoral Candidate and Amazing Coward

Mayoral Candidates Like to Ac-cent-thcu-ate the Positive. If Only We Could Vote For All of Them!

Don and Sheila and D'Angelo Makes Three

Don and Sheila Sitting in a Tree...

Stacked Deck

Giving penny-ante politicians a say over lucrative affordable-housing developments seemed like a good idea--until the FBI came calling