racketeering

PCL builders of elevated reversible lanes on the Crosstown Expressway in Tampa are accused of racketeering and theft by the Tampa Hillsborough (toll) Expressway Authority (THEA). A sensational angle to the court filing is that former THEA executive director Ralph Mervine and John Beck a longtime authority lobbyist are accused of facilitating the contractor's thievery. (see CLARIFICATION further on.)

Bid rigging, tax evasion and other forms of racketeering are rife in the municipal bond business and a huge multijurisdiction criminal investigation has been underway for several years now, the New York Times reports in its business pages. Public toll agencies base almost all their longterm financing on the municipal bond markets so it is of great interest within the US toll industry.