Violation of Trust

Violation of Trust

Introduction

This paper intends to discuss a public administration case where an official violated his or her public trust. The case I have chosen is “Ex-Broward School Board member Beverly Gallagher sentenced to 37 months in prison.” Different legal aspects related to the case will be explored and discussed.

Discussion

Cause of the Violation of Trust

The basic cause of violation of trust is assumed to be bribery. Beverly Gallagher was charged for receiving illegal money of $12,500 when she was working as an official who was elected (www.miamiherald.typepad.com). I assume the apparent cause of the violation of trust was personal benefits. Being an elected official, she had immense powers and rights which she used for her personal benefits. The reasons that Gallagher told to the court were that she was under influence of alcohol which made her unstable mentally and she did not realized what she was doing. Moreover, she argued that she was in extreme financial distress because of her recent divorce. She really admired to get a job with undercover agents and because of that she got involved in this whole sting. She further enhanced her position by saying that she was going through domestic and emotional violence before her divorce and that made her do such a thing.

In my opinion, the basic cause of violation of trust was gaining personal benefits. All the arguments she provided were somehow irrelevant to justify getting involved in any kind of bribery activities. Self gain was the primary motive behind this violation of trust.

Discovering Breach of Trust

The breach of trust discovered by her own confession of utilizing her powers in a manner which is not recommended. She confessed that she took bribery from some asset managers who were motivated to look for a contractor in order to get the construction of district projects done. The people whom she assumed to be asset managers were actually some agents of Federal Bureau of Investigation. These agents helped discovering the breach of trust by Gallagher.

Means for Administrative Accountability

The basic legal means were used to hold the administrative agency accountable. Two other politicians related to local bodies were investigated including former county commissioner and former city commissioner. The earlier one Josephus is now in the jail of money laundering issues leading to prison at federal level. The later one Fitzroy is in main jail waiting for final punishment related to bribery and secretive connections with various agents. Gallagher and Josephus accepted their guilt but Fitzroy was sentenced after various trials (www.sun-sentinel.com). Proper prosecution was used to make sure the legality of holding the administrative agency accountable. Sufficient various common law and statutes were utilized for holding the administrative agency accountable.

Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in an important consideration in this regard. Various reviews are usually presented in the official journal of American Bar Association (www.ottograph.com). There is no limit on the authority of agencies related to administration; however certain procedures are exemplified in order to make sure the compliance of constitutional ...