Former mayor, first lady, sentenced to federal prison
Published Friday, May 2, 2008
A judge Friday morning sentenced former Fairbanks Mayor Jim Hayes and his wife to five and a half years and three years in federal prison, respectively, for stealing from social-service grants, hiding it through money laundering and, in Jim Hayes’ case, filing false tax returns.
District Judge John Sedwick rejected suggestions from the couple that Murilda “Chris” Hayes should be held primarily responsible for the thefts. Sedwick slammed the former three-term city mayor for telling jurors almost three months prior that he had been unaware of any wrongdoing at the South Fairbanks tutoring center, which received the grants, or at the church across the street, where the former mayor served as pastor from 1997 until early this year.
“He lied to me and the jury, and to this day he doesn’t accept responsibility for what he did,” Sedwick said Friday. “He wants to blame it all on his wife.”
A jury found Jim Hayes guilty in February on 16 counts that focused largely on about $450,000 siphoned from the LOVE Social Services tutoring and mentoring center, run by Chris Hayes, for family spending and to help build a new $2 million home for the Lily of the Valley Church of God in Christ.
“I think Mr. Hayes has done more harm than he realizes to this community and his church,” Sedwick said.
Sedwick allowed the Hayeses to remain free until prison officials summon them to jail, which he estimated will happen in four to six weeks. He recommended the prison system send Chris Hayes, who is suffering from depression, to a jail in Spokane, Wash., to keep her close to Alaska.
Sedwick’s decision leaves the couple on the hook for repaying the government.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler had asked for six years for Jim Hayes and almost five for his wife. She said after Friday’s proceedings that her office is satisfied with the punishments.
“I think it sends the message that for important crimes like this, that there are going to be repercussions,” she said.
Loeffler said it took federal agents two years to build the case against Jim Hayes following an investigation that began when a resident contacted government officials with suspicions about spending at the tutoring center and the church.
Church members, government workers, reporters and others slowly filled the downtown Fairbanks courtroom Friday as the morning proceeding stretched toward noon. Sedwick took time to acknowledge the former Fairbanks first lady’s positive role in the community and added some similar comments about — but ultimately came down harder upon — the former mayor.
Minutes prior to his sentencing, Jim Hayes asked Sedwick for leniency and lay blame on an unidentified mental illness afflicting his wife. He said he wished he could have recognized the severity of her problem, which he implied had caused her to misspend money, sooner.
“We would likely not be here today if I had,” Hayes said.
Chris Hayes had agreed to a plea deal with the government this winter on two counts.
Her husband’s case, however, had sparked a complicated trial where government lawyers introduced a long paper trail — including an estimated 117 checks, money orders or cashiers checks — as evidence and called dozens of witnesses.
Juror Mara Bacsujlaky attended Friday’s sentencing and said jurors in February had initially disagreed over whether Hayes should be convicted. But she said she thought the hard evidence, including carbon copies of checks that witnesses said had been altered by hand, and testimony eventually sparked consensus on most of the government’s allegations.
“In my opinion he threw his wife under the bus,” Bacsujlaky said following the sentencing. “I found it very disturbing to hear her trying to take the blame today.”
The jury also acquitted Hayes on four counts and was left deadlocked on an additional seven.
Jim Hayes’ role
Chris Hayes tried again in court, as she already had in writing, to paint herself as responsible for the thefts.
Her voice cracked as she suggested her Dec. 5 deal with prosecutors had led her to believe she would serve more jail time had she testified at her husband’s trial.
“Jim is really innocent of these crimes,” she said. “I know because most of them originated with me.”
But Sedwick calculated the former mayor had a direct hand in helping to steal $314,815 of the money misspent from the grants, breaking it down to $275,130 taken from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and $39,685 from the Department of Justice.
“It’s a lot of money that was taken from government grants that were meant to do a lot of good,” he said.
A psychiatrist said Friday that Chris Hayes has suffered from depression since the fall, confirming previous statements from attorneys. Sedwick said he had worried she could become suicidal upon word of her husband’s sentence, but the psychiatrist indicated her risk of suicide was low.
Fallout from the indictments
Three people at the courthouse acquainted with Chris Hayes used a brief window set aside for comments from supporters or victims to credit LOVE Social Services with helping them educate and raise their respective families.
Two others — a member of the Hayes family and a former deacon and treasurer at the church — indicated the debacle has destroyed the family and the church, which was started by Chris Hayes’ father in the late 1960s.
Michael Scott, Hayes’ son-in-law, said the former pastor and “church mother” have stopped speaking to their daughter — his wife, LaNene Scott — after she told jurors she didn’t recognize her signature on checks illegally used to help build and furnish the church. Joe Thomas, the former deacon, responded to Chris Hayes’ statement by echoing his testimony from the trial, when he and others identified Jim Hayes as the church’s financial patriarch.
“For shame, someone would get up here and lie about what brought that vibrant church to its knees,” he said.
Earmarks
The now-closed tutoring center received almost all its money from five congressional earmarks steered by U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.
During Hayes’ trial, government grant managers said they relied largely on the tutoring center’s directors to follow the rules when spending the money, as they do with other grant beneficiaries.
Sedwick acknowledged the center’s benefit to the South Fairbanks community but cited a need to punish the couple partly to ensure other nonprofit directors scrutinize their operations.
“The government can’t send thousands of people to stand there and ensure the money is being spent for the right purposes,” he said of federal grants.
Jim Hayes apologized to Stevens when addressing Sedwick.
“Sen. Stevens trusted me to help people in the Fairbanks community. Despite my best efforts, I failed,” Hayes said. “He should not be held responsible for my shortcomings.”
Community Discussion
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3 years does not seem like much of a deterrent
Depends on where she gets to serve out her sentence
Fortunately with federal time, a convict must serve most if not all of the sentence
Not enough of a sentence! Another "good Christian" showed their true colors..... and got a little slap on the wrist for breaking not only the law of the land but their own Ten Commandments. Fine upstanding leaders of the community - bullhooey! Those two should be ashamed to show their faces in public again. So many people they let down, for their own selfishness. Shame!
The person who wrote this message above should be ashamed of themselve. Thats whats wrong with our country now everybody always has something bad to say about people, instead of realizing that people make mistakes, their not perfect and and neither are you. Until you stop commiting sins, quit playing like your God!
I hope that restitution was part of the sentence
I think its a good sentence. As long as like hckywtchr said, that they pay it back. I know they have money...
Good God Fearing people.
Not sure if that is enough time or not...Was more than I expected though.
No one is perfect, that is for sure...especially when money is involved.
But, I think this sheds a lot of light on how churches are. I believe it is this way in a lot of churches, I also believe that a lot of pastors are getting rich --->and I think that is the only reason many of them do it. My daughter overheard the son of a North Pole preacher saying something about how rich his congregation was making his Dad & what an easy living his "job" was. Funny, they recently built themselves a mansion : ) Funnier - preaching is his only job!
That said - you don't have to go to church to believe in God.
The Hayes are not the only corrupt "Christians" in town. All of the churches need some serious looking into.
On the same subject, does anyone here know of a decent church in our area where the preacher actually supports himself with a "real" job?
It is important that when we refer to spiritual principles, i.e., Ten Commandments, etc. or any spiritual truth... that we make sure our convictions/judgments are based on the principles/values of God's Word. I'm so glad God is not like man! He does not judge as man does... John 8 tells the story of the woman actually "caught" in the sin of adultery. In God's eyes, there are no Big sins or little sins. Sin is sin!! The people of the law brought the woman to Jesus to see whether He would uphold the law or defend the sinner. It says... "So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up himself and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her... And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto to last: and Jesus left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. And when Jesus had lifted up Himself, and saw none but the woman he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, NEITHER DO I CONDEMN THEE: GO AND SIN NO MORE!" I am convinced that many of the accusers were men that she had "sinned" with! They thought that because they weren't caught.... they were better than she! Although, I don't think that Jesus took her sin lightly, it is clear that the heart to extend grace/mercy/forgiveness, especially considering that we are all prone to sin, is the Godly principle in which everything hangs!
I pray that those who are quick to condemn the Hayes, remember their judgemental words when (not if) their sins are uncovered, because the bible does not lie... "You reap what you sow!"
I don't care what a person does, there is ALWAYS room for mercy!
i agree with the first comment, by mike, three years does not seem like much of a deterrent. someone who robs a house, or convenience store, steals a car or punches someone in a bar fight can get a longer sentence.
Mercy, tell that to the people they destroyed! the emotional and financial things people are going through. I hope they get some special treatment in jail, if they really go. (like a big hungry cell mate).
All the holy rollers that are mainly hypocrits, beware. somebody is ALWAYS watching you.
I hope they rot and lose everything like others have.
In response to Melbons comment AMEN......... the REST is up to the Hayes' and the Almighty God.
we may not know if they are convicted in their hearts or not to TURN from their 'wicked ways' ..however God does....and that is what matters and the Hayes' will have to work hard to come out from underneath this shame..however... that said ..... to those that accuse the accused...... when you can be sinless yourself.. you may come forward and throw the first stone! only WHEN....... until then kindly keep your thoughts to yourself unless it is to encourage and not to tear steal and destroy ...... Until Jesus returns we all have the chance to humble ourselves and turn from OUR sins .... THEN God will heal the Land...... so endeavor to TURN from your own sins.. and remember this much...... YOU my friend ..You that seeth with disgust at what happens to "Another Good Christian"? YOU my friend are JUST as capable of falling ..... be careful you are not tempted someday and if you are? remember the Hayes'..they are just like you.... not yet perfected..... Hopefully they will be able to lift their eyes once again and move forward in Gods Forgivness.
In the meantime seek to pull the LOG out of your own eye before you try doing it to others.....
Most people would not deny that they are not perfect and I dont think anyone is trying to judge them in the eyes of God - just in the eyes of the law. I think the people saying this was a "mistake" have different perceptions about what qualifies something as such. To most people, a mistake is something that happens by accident - this was no accident. They planned and carefully orchestrated stealing from the taxpayers over a long period of time. It seems like a lot of people feel personally "taken" by these folks because they were people that others trusted in so many different arenas - city govt, UAF, church, nonprofits... The sentence doesnt seem like much, but at least it is something. In federal prison you do all the time. I can only hope that the people of that church are able to move on quickly - that would be especially hard.
Man, all of this religious talk and scripture quoting is making me sick to my stomach.
You'd think after the *WONDERFUL* example the "Christian" Hayes' have shown the community, these people would be hiding in shame from the public, afraid to post such drivel.
But, I guess it is hard to shame someone who is thick headed enough to actually believe in an invisible man in the sky!
*chuckle*
Ordinarily, sentencing does not equal much time under state law. However, federal guidelines are different. Calculating the sentences, the actual time each will serve is as follows.
Jim= 5 years 4 months.
Chris= 2 years roughly 10.6 months.
Federal = 1 day off per month for good behavior. I'm just happy that Fairbanks can quit focusing on this trial and get back to normal. So many people have been hurt by this criminal activity.
For those that think community service fits the bill for crimes, you forget the victims of this scandal (Family members, church congregation, and others). They may not feel like working alongside the very people that broke their hearts anytime soon. Don't forget them.
Don't forget them.
Truth
You are a piece of work newsreader!
Scripture quotes = 2
Christian bashing = 5
I feel sorry for you newsreader!
Chesapeakes--are you humbling yourself for Jesus' return by telling all of us to shut our mouths?
As for the log in my eye...the only thing I ever stole was a comic book in third grade, and a beer pitcher after a long night in a bar during college. Certainly never bilked anyone out of thousands. So I think I can be critical of Jim and Chris. Other things I haven't done? Played footsie in a men's room; hired a male prostitute for "back rubs" and crystal meth; hired any prostitute for that matter; cheated on my wife.
I'll admit to a few drunk driving escapades, but that was years ago and I'm quite thankful I never hurt anyone. Certainly by the time I was old enough to run for public office, however, I was also smart enough to drive sober. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
I'd bet good money that I live a more upstanding life than ninety-nine percent of the morally self-righteous grandstanders out there. So yeah, I have no problem criticizing the redwood trees sticking out the eyes of numerous preachers and politicos in this town.
But I'll just call them what they really are: Pharisees.
It's not Jesus I have a problem with, or even those few of his followers who actually live what they believe (my mom being one of the few good examples of that, and the woman hasn't set foot in a church in decades because she's a real Christian). Nope, it's the public showboats who are all talk and no walk. Those people have a curious habit of running for office and/or running churches. And gullible people have an even more curious habit of falling for their cheap act.
BTW, I wouldn't actually bet good money on my behavior being better than that of most of our moral guardians, because I don't gamble either.
Nice one, lagirl.
Dear Christians:
Please remember that not everybody loves the hypocritical among you. We have, as a splendid example, Jim and Chris Hayes.
Love,
Imusuallyright
Let's just get down to raw history. Over the course of this decade, there have been four scandals that have ended the careers of local politicians.
In order of appearance:
1) Drunken driving (second offense).
2) Sexually harassing coeds via the internet.
3) Diverting money from a public corporation to a private bank account.
4) Embezzling thousands of federal grant dollars for private gain.
Common denominator: All four of these incidents involved and undid local politicians who made an enormous show of their good Christian morals, and who openly criticized others for not living up to decent moral standards.
So, don't blame me when I give any candidate who boasts of his or her religious morals an immediate "no" vote. No one in their right mind would do otherwise after all this.
I've heard for years how liberals are the ones with no morals. Can anyone name one local liberal politician who has gotten caught in some nefarious act lately?
I live out in Goldstream, where there's only a couple of very small churches, low crime, and lots of good people, few of whom attend church. But when I drive out to North Pole, where there's a church on every corner, the first thing I pass is a porn shop. Why? Porn peddlers know their market.
I rest my case.
I knew Jim Hayes when he worked for the Attorney General's Office. He is a good man. He did many good things for Fairbanks as Mayor, too. I think he should be pardoned by President Bush and am writing a letter for that. $450,000 is miniscule compared to what goes on in government and in war. I ask any of you this; did Jim Hayes and his wife do any real evil? Did they hurt anyone? They were victims of mismanagement of funds, something that all of us have done at one time or another. I simply do not see the punishment fitting the crime. I think also if the Hayes had the money to hire a very good attorney they would have been found not guilty and set free. But they are black and poor and have received a severe punishment for a relatively insignificant crime.
Oh good, the race card.
Curmudgeon, you bring up interesting topics.
I am a true Christian. Yes, it's unfortunate that someone such as yourself states "I'm not a Christian" and easily locates a Christian who is breaking the law each day.
There are Christians such as myself that tries to do everything within the letter of the law. I hope you remain aware of that. What is the difference between Christians?
A true Christian does not have to proclaim "I'm a Christian". They merely walk the walk without thinking about who's looking. They are confident because they don't break the law.
Too many people stated, "they made a mistake". How many people do you know that make a $450,000 mistake over the course of 4-5 years. That's training! If all mistakes made money, I'd fall on my behind every five minutes.
Truth
These comments are garbage. This is pure racism. Can you imagine the outrage if these comments were aimed at Muslims or any other religion. Face the facts folks, racism is defined by your empowered government as a violation of race, creed, sex and religion.
And the leftists claim that right wingers are racist WOW and they proclaim that they are tolerant to all beliefs, this is amazing lets bash 4 incidents were “Christians” broke the law but lets not think about the good they may have done uh.
It’s no surprise the NewsMiner is allowing you radical/racists to keep bashing Christians, I mean what more would you expect from a liberal paper.
Oh My Lord. Poor??? Yes they hurt people. Call their family, church members, relatives and find out. They hurt Love Inc that helps the needy. People that apply for earmarks will have a hard time getting them because of people like them that commit fraud.
NorthPoleJerry, go read past articles. Why would you think they stole money and nobody got hurt. You R Incredible.
Lily of the Vally Church is BROKE and will likely close soon.
You should respond only if you read what the heck is going on.
BTW, the judge stated "they didn't have to steal the money. They had enough of their own to pay for the things they bought".
Poor and the race card. Ahhhh! Go to bed!
Truth.
What makes someone a true Christian? What if someone is different and still calls themselves a true Christian? Who (and I mean a person) gets to decide who the true Christians are? If they "walk the walk without thinking about who's looking", why would they feel the need to proclaim in front of the DNM audience that they're a true Christian (over and over again)? What if someone tries to do everything "within the letter of the law", but is not a Christian, do true Christians think less of them? Do true Christians rebel against the "live and let live" philosophy?
Truth-
I apologize for the tone of part of the previous post. I have your username confused with someone who calls themselves theTruth. The questions are still genuine, though.
A person makes a choice to be a Christian and live a Christian life according to the bible. The bible outlines what Christians are supposed to do to live a Christian life.
I don't have to jump on a stage and yell I'm a Christian. I can live the life and share information about being a Christian with others. The topic comes up enough times that you don't have to make a grand stand about being a Christian.
True Christians are not supposed to judge people. However, Christians are human, have emotions, and scrutinize people too. But, a Christian is not supposed to look down on people. If you break the law, Christians want you to admit it and ask for forgiveness. We are supposed to forgive everyone that honestly ask for forgiveness. Period!
Live and let live. Hmm, Christians can and should share their belief and move on. Live and Let live. If someone does not want to be a Christian, it's up to that person. The Christian thing to do is to live a Christian life doing the right things. And when you receive blessings, others will find out and they may want to become a Christian because of that. You can't force someone to be a Christian and it is wrong to try.
Truth
Imusuallyright, \
Nothing was wrong with your post. I thought you had very good questions.
Truth.
Thanks, Truth. I can respect that and really don't disagree entirely. Again, I apologize for my tone at 7:16 p.m.
Imusuallyright,
A Christian is a beleiver of the Trinity, the virgin Birth of Christ, the death, burial and resurrection, the infallible word of God, Christ's perfect existence, and the second coming of Christ.
If you don't beleive in the above stated and live yourself accordingly then you are not a Christian.
...and that's okay, right?
imusuallyright....stop the Christian bashing. It has little to do with the fact that they are Christians. When someone does something horrible do we then say "look at those non-Christians....what an example." of course not. A lot of horrible things have been done by people in the name of God. This does not however make God the bad one or necessarily bad to be a Christian because of what other people do. It always amazes me how people like yourself love to bash Christ and Christianity but yet when doo doo hits the fan in life the same God that you have been bashing your whole life and blaming for all the bad things in life is the first one you call upon.
I'm trying for dialogue, not bashing. If we try to don't understand someone else's perspective, how do we have any hope of getting along?
I have seen more than my fair share of "doo doo", but have always relied on my independence and values to help me through. Why would I call on God if I can handle life myself? That is how the world makes sense to me. Please don't generalize.
I'm thinking about putting a fund together for getting the Hayes out of prison.
1st I'll put on a fund raiser diner at $500 a plate.
Al Sharpton - are you reading this? Let's get together and put a march through the city (after the dinner of course).
Anderson Cooper are you out there? How about a special with Al Sharpton, "Blacks in America, todays Robin Hoods, why are they in prison?" You could also shoot a special feature from the Ruth Glacier, "Moose Farting - Is this the true source of Global Warming?"
I am just amazed that the former mayor and his wife were convicted. Could they not afford to pay an accountant to manage their finances or at least hide the money under their mattress? Her social service business gave him and his church the money to spend instead of spending the money to provide the tutoring services it was supposed to provide for the community. This is why we have separation of Church and State, not to exclude the Church from the State, but to keep the State out of the Church. Our tax dollars should not exclusively support any religious activity, that's the purpose of tithes. In God We Trust, everyone else gets searched at the door (especially the priests and politicians).
As a Christian, I am sorry for what others have done in the church.
Most of the pastors I have met work for very little pay, and put up with an amazing amount of crap. Sheep can bite.
Truth is, I am no better than any of you. But my life has changed dramatically since I saw Christ on the cross for me.
So add my story to the rest in the bible. Stories about screwed up people and how God has dealt with them.
So many people are offended about God............. who's plan is that?
They stole from me, the tax payer!!! I don't care what religion or race they are, or if they are poor or rich. They are theives and need to do the time just like any other thief.
Well said jwcehc. I get so sick of hearing how good christians are and every other religous group. The majority of these good church folk i would not break bread with them. The devil he's a helluva guy.
I still think the Hayeses should get a Presidential pardon. Mismanaging money is easy to do and we all do it. I do not see any deliberate attempt by the Hayeses to do damage to the community or the tax payers. The prison sentences for persons their age is a death sentence. It is cruel and mean. I believe the community should forgive Jim and Chris Hayes. I do. However, most of the posts I have read here demonstrate and absolute streak of meanness. I wonder how you people could be this mean and lack the quality of forgiveness.
Jerry-
I'd think about forgiving if it was clear that the Hayes' were truly remorseful--- for what they did, not for getting caught.
I'd think about forgiving if it was clear that the Hayes' understood that their actions come with consequences and if they gracefully accepted those consequences.
I'd think about forgiving if it was clear that the Hayes' were willing to come clean, tell Fairbanks the truth and answer our questions.
I’d think about forgiving if it was clear that the Hayes’ followers held them a very high standard and expected the kinds of things I’ve listed above from them.
If they were soldiers you'd want to fry them. Accidently missmanaging money is one thing "we all do it". Bouncing a check at Walmart is one thing $450000 is another. Mismanage? If I had 450,000 I would know where it was and where it was going. I really do need to start living better, seems to me like Hell is going to be full of all these good Christians with the Catholic Priests drivng the bus.
Sherry29 all ministers especially those who serve fulltime in the ministry should receive a salary. The workman is worthy of his hire. However in today's world so many preachers have become corrupted with a lust for wealth and worship. Personally I think some are not even called by God to be ministers,but I won't condemn anyone because all people are flawed. All people sin. I won't judge the Hayes- I forgive them because I know Jesus has.
The world of churchianity has become a world obsessed with money, and is a perpetual money machine. It is a great shame to the Christian world that money is god, instead of Jesus Christ. Can the Gospel be taken to the unconverted without the never ending money machine? Ask the apostle Paul, because he did it. Paul worked with his own hands, at one church he served, supported himself, never coveted anyone's gold or silver, and he made tents for a living (Acts 20:29-34).
I'm saddened by the thieving greed-driven behavior of leaders who must be held to a higher standard. (Paul) Father Parham is probably interceeding for them.
Wow what an amazing forum, nothing but venting of hate and stereotyping of Christians.
I accepted Christ As my saviour Jan 9th 2000 In Fairbanks Correctional Center and my life has changed.
After 15 years in prison i could never of made it without:
Jesus
Forgiveness
Mercy
Grace
I suggest you all go back and read yourselves on here, Sounds to me like a bunch of idiots!!!!
Whatever the Hayeses claim or believe, it is good to know that they will serve jail time. I agree, restitution is a must. Theives are theives. Justice served.
NorthPoleJerry
This quote of yours "But they are black and poor and have received a severe punishment for a relatively insignificant crime" shows that you are either unknowdegable about what you speak, or you too are willing to lie for the Hayes.
Yes they are black, I think we can agree on all of that.
The poor part
How many poor people, hell how many people from their church live in a house that is conseratively estimated to be worth 1/2 a million dollars with a true worth considerably higher and a cabin at Harding lake worth $250,000. Sounds like some poor people who were barely getting by to me.
Know your facts before you speak, they are public record
http://www.co.fairbanks.ak.us/Property/D...
Forgive them for stealing $450,000.00 and just let them go? Whoever thinks that is a fricking idiot! OH, did I just write that? Forgive me please!!!!!!!
well.. all I can say to those who think that God is an invisible someone in the sky.... be careful..... there have been others from eons in the past up till now that have made such comments and paid dearly for it....I'd be careful what you say. God is not to be mocked.
and as for myself..I never said that the Hayes' were innocent. However.. like anyone else..they have the opportunity to make it right. That remains to be seen and done ..but that is NOW between them and the Lord. Whats been done is done....
I can share with you (but I won't) the people in Scriptural times that were as bad if not worse that came to God and changed for the good ..... were they eternally bad? no... they had the same opportunity the Hayes' do and you and I do.
So be careful not to mock God.... its dangerous grounds.
It seems like it must be a pretty fair sentence if about half of the people here think it's too harsh and half think it's not severe enough-
Fairbanks was built and prospered for all of these 100+ years being run by crooks!! Its our heritage! No need to feel bad about it, it is just part of life here in the North Country. It is something to be embraced, and then dealt with. They had their day in court, lost, and now pay for it and then they will be back with us, not such a big deal. Heck, I would wonder how many other politicians/leaders we have TODAY that are just a breath away from the same fate? Its just part of society here.
Who cares about the sentence? They won't serve a day and will use the money hidden away or use the race card.
Corruption of this magnitude is ONLY possible when money is available. The "money from five congressional earmarks steered by U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska" is a factor in the
Hayes' demise. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Ted Stevens has provided earmarks amounting to many millions of dollars with virtually no oversight. These earmarks steal hard earned money from every each of us. It is time for change. On November 4, say good bye Ted.
Imagine telling your freind what a loser his kids are.
You may even be right, but I can tell you that your freind will be twice as harsh on you when He judges you for what you do wrong.
and if there is sin in your life, Christian or not,
pray that it is found out sooner than later.
There are consequences, as the Hayes now know.
The longer you deny that you have done anything wrong,
the worse the consequences will be.
Those who use Christians mistakes to justify themselves will be judged by the words of their own mouth, including what they blog.
POOR and BLACK Jerry how long have you known Jim Hayes? What job did he have in North Pole, lets say in the mid 60's? You may wont to do a little research. Where there is smoke there is usually fire. Their personal property adds up to just about the amounts they were PROVEN to have stolen;. what about the amounts they got away with ? What about the mystery five MILLION that went missing from the MUS sale;;;; Where did the money come from to install them, City water and sewer into Doyon Estates , BEFORE it was part of the City? Just some more questions that will never be answered about the "GOOD" people of Fairbanks.. kind of remindes one of our old river boat captan....
PASTOR WRIGHT, JACKSON, SHARPTON, AND NOW HAYES. GOD FORGIVE THEM ALL!!!!!
Stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars that was intended for disadvantaged children- and spending the stolen funds on a big screen TV, a Mercedes, a trip to London...
Well.
Only several years in prison?
Chesapeakes-
Why do you worship a something you believe is so vengeful? Is your faith based upon fear?
Yukonjohn-
I promise you, I will never embrace thieves and thievery. Yup, it's part of society, but that does not mean we should tolerate it. I'm pretty sure the only people who believe we should embrace thieves are thieves.
Usuallyright, you are dead wrong if you are insinuating that I am a thief. Your comment appears to call me that. I am NOT a thief, never have been, never will be!! We have had crooks running this town since DAY 1, why should today be any different!?!? So, they had their day in court, they lost, and now they have to go to jail for a while....its really not that big of a deal. They will be back in a few years, and everything will be back to somewhat normal. Before you go calling someone a thief, you should probably know them better.
Well, yokon, I'm glad to see that you've clarified that you don't disagree that they should go to jail.
"We have had crooks running this town since DAY 1, why should today be any different!?!?" Because, dear yukon, I'd like to think the people of this community have grown, become more intelligent and moral. I'd like to think that this community is striving to become better and not complacent. The minute you agree to just sit back and accept (what you think is) the status quo is the minute things really start to fall apart. I plan on living in this community for a long time and I do whatever I can to make it a better place. I will not accept apathy about crime in Fairbanks, nor will I embrace criminals. Those who do are part of the problem and are making the rest of us work that much harder to make this a good community.
For getting to enjoy $450,000 I have to spend 5 years in a Minimum Fed Facility and get to...
Finish my degree on someone elses dime
Eat for free
Not pay for my bed
Get almost free medical care
Not HAVE to do anything all day long (except maybe my College Homework)
Hangout with dudes that stole Millions of Dollars, and get a few pointers
Sign me up!
But seriously, the Hayes' are dirtbags. Christian, muslim, Jewish, white, black, green, I don't care. They're rich people who stole money meant for causes that helped people who were in some sort of need.
Usuallyright, I dont know how long you have been here, myself, I have only been here 27 years, but I think our town IS a good community!! I think it used to be even better before the FDA tore down downtown, but it is still a site better than living down south. I think it would be naive to think we are not still being run by crooks. 2/3rds of our US Congressional delegation is under investigation as we speak!! It is not such a bad thing to have people that are on the fringes of the law running the show. I think Fairbanks has done quite well throughout the years.
"It is not such a bad thing to have people that are on the fringes of the law running the show." Elaborate, please.
Naive, I am not. Hopeful, I am.
I was thinking of much earlier days, I must admit. If you read you can find that Fairbanks has had MORE than its share of crooks. Something to start with:
Crooked Past: The History of a Frontier Mining Camp by Terrence Cole (1991) 163
pages
E.T. Barnette. Steamer captain. Entrepreneur. Trader. Risk taker. Adventurer. Mayor.
Businessman. Postmaster. Banker. Mexican plantation owner. Ex-convict. Scoundrel. Founder
of Fairbanks. [Reprint of E.T. Barnette: The Strange Story of the Man Who Founded Fairbanks,
published in 1984.]
It is not the end of the world to be a crook!! It is noble NOT to be, but the world still spins.
“The government can’t send thousands of people to stand
there and ensure the money is being spent for the right
purposes,” he said of federal grants." Said Judge.
Why would HUD and DoJ give out grants; with no checks or
balances, to deter thefts? This is happening in other towns,
with other people and millions are being wasted on
personal gains and greed. Until HUD and DoJ institute safe
guards to prevent this sort of theft, it will continue.
Greed is part of human nature, like lust or hate and it must
be held in account. HUD and DOJ let the Hayes's and our
community down, they had the power to do something,
with their investigators and cross checking, but did nothing but
let allow them to spend the Government money freely.
Do you beat the children, cause the father isn't watching?
The Judge failed the community, by not demanding that
HUD and DOJ come before his bench and answer why
they allowed this to happen. He's protecting the Federalist,
his co-workers, who are to blame for this mess.
Yes, I know my Fairbanks history. I also never miss an election and vote for people who have morals.
It may not be the end of the world to be a crook, but it's not so much fun to be on the receiving end... and someone always is. They Hayes' have a lot of victims in this case, not the least of whom are those who trusted them.
Just something else to consider...
I'm not so sure Uncle Ted shouldn't be thrown into the mix.
He seems to come up with money for his former staffers w/o much oversight and on easy terms.
The money he got for his son and his son's business partner on the land deal and also for various fishing issues was real sweet.
See www.alaskareport.com
Oh yeah, Ben's partner was also a former staffer. We'll surely never know much. Steven's had a lot of former staffers.
Bugger is right to bring up Hayeses record with the city. He lost a million dollar check for months while in office. There has still been no investigation. I think this is the best sentence we were going to get. I'm just glad they finally got caught. Don’t bash Stevens to much he is not the only one to blame. Hello, interior republican delegation, thick as thieves. I don’t think the VECO investigation is done yet. We all need to take a good long hard look at the people we elect. I think politicians are like socks change them often before they start to stink.
I agree Sean.
I didn't bash Stevens. Just trying to show another aspect of this mess...
If you go to www.alaskareport.com click on the top at the Corrupt B's Club, then scroll down to access the various news reports.
Remember that everything is not here, just the main stuff, but still pretty comprehensive for all in one spot...
Restitution is part of the sentence. Both Jim & Chris Hayes will be jointly responsible for repaying the government. Jim's amount is only the amounts that were spent on the church and $1000 money order or around $314,000. Chris is responsible for $447,000.
NOTE TO ALL: I need to clarify something for everyone immediately.
Do not associate Jim and Chris Hayes with Christians. A Christian stops being a Christian the minute they start committing crimes. Period!
With that fact in mind, Jim and Chris Hayes have not been Christians since 2001 or 2002 (the date they began stealing). I'm hoping this will end the tie breaker about Christians and thieves because they cannot be one in the same.
For them to become Christians again, they have to repent and honestly ask for forgiveness. We must always forgive people. Although they have apologized, they continue to lie and that invalidates their apology. Lastly, an apology is not the same thing as asking for forgiveness.
Truth
Go to Answers.com and put in James C. Hayes and then you can see what he has contributed to Fairbanks and Alaska!
This is about the ethical behavioral of two individuals and the consequences for their decisions and behavior? Interesting to see how it has become a theological debate among some readers.
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Look everybody, you have had your fun. Their life as they knew it is over. Some will relish in their misfortune and some will be sympathetic.
But now that its over, lets move on.
Jon,
This didn't start overnight and won't die overnight.
Not everyone wishes them to burn in hell. This is a place to make comments. If people didn't make comments, they wouldn't have this area.
Aren't you making comments too? In a way, you drove your car across the grass to tell us to stop driving our car across the grass.
Truth
BTW Jon,
What makes you think this devastation is fun. You have no idea how much this event has hurt people. If you knew, you'd rethink your comments to move on.
Truth
I drove out to Doyon Estates and took a look at 2601 Chief Alexander Drive. The Hayeses live(d) in a very fine home. I then looked up the Hayeses' property in the FNSB database and see it is appraised at $480,000. There is a $372,000 mortgage with Mt.McKinley bank dated 2003. The taxes are about $9,000 a year or about $750 a month. Added to the mortgage payment that must be about $3,250 a month. The Hayeses have been living beyond their means, for sure. Then there is the property at Harding Lake appraised at over $200,000. But what about our Representative, Don Young? I hear he has a million dollar home somewhere in the East. Then there is Ted Stevens with his homes. Apparently it pays to be a politician.
By Fairbanks standards I was wrong in saying the Hayeses are poor, they are not poor and have been livng high on the hog for some time. About the only people that can afford living like this are Doctors, crooked Lawyers, Dentists (for sure), and very successful business persons. A minister and mayor certainly cannot afford living like this.
What I find horribly sad about this....these people were once fine upstanding decent human beings. What in God, Allah, Yaweh, the Supreme Being's name happened along their life's journey? At some point in each of our lives here on earth we must face a fork in the road. What path will you take?
Yes many people were hurt and are still hurting as a result of all this and I in no way want to minimize the responsibility of those who caused the pain. But what would Jesus Do? How many people actually showed remorse and asked Jesus to forgive them as he was dying on the cross. None of those present deserved forgiveness yet from that one sacrifice all of humanity benefited.
For Christ did not die for the righteous but for the unrighteous. It is my responsibility to Forgive those who wrong me whether they ask for it or not. If I don't I may carry the pain of that abuse far longer than I should. Forgiveness is as much for the forgiver as it is for the forgiven.
Christian people should understand the mercy involved in forgiving. Their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ excellently demonstrated it at the cross and beyond. Lets begin the healing process through the power of Forgiving even those who don't deserve it.
I love all these christan beliefs. All i want to say is, if they stole the money from you, what would you say.
The wages (what you earn) of sin (breaking God's law) is death - ultimately spiritual death in a place called Hell. Look it up in the Bible. For every man, the price must be paid. Jesus Christ paid that price on the cross, and for every one who accepts that as true (this is FAITH) and verbally asks God to apply that payment to their own personal account, they will be eternally forgiven for what they have done. That's not my opinion - it's in the Bible. Don't fight with me... look it up for yourself.
Now for the human side of it. People do stupid things. If a Christian gets drunk and get an arm cut off in an accident, he must live with the consequences -- God will not grow it back for him. Mr. Hayes is at the mercy of our lawmakers (who God says must be obeyed) and should pay the price, regardless of whether he's a Christian or not.
But to spotlight all the Christians who do stupid things and then slam God for it... that's ignorant. Yep, they do make God look bad. But I could find something lousy to highlight in about just about anyone I know, and that gives me no right to slam their parents for how they raised them.
If the Bible is true -- and it has been 100% of the time that it takes up a position on something -- then we'd better stop using lousy Christians as an excuse to claim that God does not exist. For Jim & Chris Hayes, what the judge said will stand. And what the Judge of all the earth says will stand, as well.
By the way, I'm not anonymous; I'm RGJR. Don't know how to change that yet.
NorthPoleJerry,
Thanks. I'm happy someone has taken the time to learn more about the situation. There were other things they did as well that showed up in court. They asked for donations for the church gym and paved the parking lot. They took money from the government and bought the gym floor. Then, to top it all of, named it the James C. Hayes Fellowship Hall. Smoke and mirrors! Smoke and Mirrors! They are good!
There's a lot in the court documents.
Truth
Correction. They asked for donations to purchase a gym floor. They used the donations to pave the parking lot. Then, they took the government money and bought the gym floor. Jim said someone in DC approved it!
The government said Jim came up with a fantasy approval person.
NorthPoleJerry: When you did your drive-by at the Hayes' residence, did you happen to notice if their vehicle had any Truck Nutz?
And if so, were they dangling beneath the metallic fish?
Just wondering.