Coleman says he knew nothing of special help for Chinese businesswoman
Mayor Coleman has seen better days. In recents weeks, his endorsed candidate to replace him in office has had his name linked to a bribery scandal. And Coleman’s finances are reportedly the subject of an FBI investigation involving the sale of his former home in 2010 to a Chinese businesswoman (Jianhua Li). Members of Coleman’s administration have said that they were instructed to provide special help to the woman in establishing her business activities in Columbus.
In an interview this week with the The Columbus Dispatch, the mayor says that he knows nothing about special assistance offered by his aides to the woman.
Bob Hsieh is Mayor Coleman’s Asian expert on business development. According to records, Hseih set up a Chase bank account for the woman and, in one instance, wired $100,000 from the account to a Korean business. In exchange, a message stated that $500,000 would be wired back within sixty days. The city says that they have a lot of questions about Hsieh’s actions and that they plan to launch their own investigation into his activities…as soon as the feds are finished with him.
Records in the matter also show that Hsieh helped Li to more easily gain reentry to the U.S. by having Mayor Coleman sign letters of invitation to her. This is a common practice to ease any travel issues when inviting foreign dignitaries and business professionals to Columbus. In 2014, the mayor wrote to the U.S. Ambassador to China asking for a temporary visa for Li.
Hsieh says that he has been questioned by the FBI. The mayor says that he has not been interviewed. (jj)
Previous: FBI investigating Mayor Coleman 6/26/15
It has not been Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman’s best week. One week ago, the public learned of a bribery scandal. The former CEO of a red light camera company (Redflex) pled guilty to charges that she bribed elected officials in order to acquire and hold contracts with the city. City Council President Andrew Ginther’s name has been linked to that case, and the mayor has been subpoenaed by federal investigators. Ginther and Coleman deny any wrongdoing in the matter.
And now we learn that the FBI has a separate investigation into Mayor Coleman. The bureau’s Public Corruption Unit is examining the mayor’s finances, including the sale of a home five year’s ago that belonged to the mayor and his then-wife Frankie Coleman. The house was sold to a businesswoman from China for $520,000…much less than the Coleman’s original asking price. The businesswoman worked for a company that sold hemorrhoidal and gynecological treatment creams in China. According to a city of Columbus employee interviewed by the FBI, the mayor directed staff members to help the woman establish a business here.
In regards to the home sale, the mayor has provided a recent appraisal of the house that he says indicates the sale price was near market value.
All of the particulars of the FBI’s investigation are not known, though the mayor says that it began with the conclusion of the Redflex CEO case. Frankie Coleman says that she has been interviewed by the FBI and is surprised by the investigation. Mayor Coleman says that he has not done anything wrong, that he is not personally a target of the inquiry. And he has released the following statement:
The sale of our home to Mrs. Li was an arms-length and fair transaction with everything aboveboard. Our original asking price for the home was $750,000. This asking price was recommended to us by our independent real estate broker who was very familiar with comparable home sales in the neighborhood. Also, before we sold our home, we put $570,000 of improvements into it to repair and replace fire damage. But we sold the home to Mrs. Li for substantially less, for $520,000. We also know that several other homes in the neighborhood sold for more than ours on a per square foot basis, according to an independent professional appraisal report.
In view of these documented facts, there is no basis for anyone to suggest that we sold our home for more than it was worth or that there was anything inappropriate about the transaction.The investigation initially began Friday June 19 with the guilty plea of former Redflex CEO Karen Finley, who admitted to laundering money through lobbyist John Raphael to make campaign contributions that are being called bribes.
-Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman
(jj)
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