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Some people are just crooks. Valley Metro's CEO Stephen Banta seems to be not just a crook, but a sleazy crook!!!!
This *sshole was screwing the taxpayers taxpayers with $600 hotel rooms in Europe and $400 meals at yuppie restaurants. Instead of firing him the crooks at Valley Metro terminated his contract and gave him a free years pay of $264,493. And now the jerk comes back and sues Valley Metro for $1.65 million. Oh, well, at least Valley Metro hired a "world class" crook.
Ex-CEO accused of misspending slaps Valley Metro with $1.65 million claim Craig Harris, The Republic | azcentral.com 7:18 p.m. MST April 29, 2016 Valley Metro's ex-CEO Stephen Banta, accused of questionable expenses and facing an Attorney General's investigation, seeks $1.65 million in damages for wrongful termination and breach of contract. Former Valley Metro CEO Stephen Banta, accused of racking up more than a quarter-million dollars in questionable expenses, now seeks $1.65 million in damages from the transit agency for wrongful termination and breach of contract. Banta's attorney, James Burr Shields, late Friday filed a notice of claim — a precursor to a lawsuit — on Valley Metro in downtown Phoenix. Neither Shields nor Banta could be reached for comment. An Arizona Attorney General's Office investigation is underway to examine Banta's finances as chief executive at Valley Metro. Banta's claim comes one day after Phoenix released an audit alleging Banta had $272,449 in unallowable or questionable expenses as CEO from 2010 to 2015. The audit alleged he received nearly $115,000 to cover a tax liability on relocation benefits, went golfing on workdays, took 50 days off that did not count as vacation time, purchased alcohol, flew first class and didn't provide documentation for monthly expense reports. Phoenix is the largest member of a consortium of cities funding Valley Metro and acts as a conduit for federal transit funds. Banta said in his claim that two Phoenix staff members pressured him to quit in November, as The Arizona Republic investigated his spending. He said those employees, including Mayor Greg Stanton's chief of staff, offered him a deal that would allow him to stay on as a consultant after he quit. Criminal investigation of Banta may come Banta, wife racked up taxpayer-funded flights New probe of Valley Metro's Stephen Banta The subsequent city audit confirmed many of the newspaper's findings, among them that Banta and his wife, Ellen, repeatedly flew between their homes in Phoenix and Portland, Ore. The audit found Valley Metro spent about $26,000 for 56 relocation-related trips taken by the Bantas. Banta's claim asserts that after he was induced to resign, his employment contract was terminated without cause. Therefore, he states, he is entitled to $264,493, which is one year of severance pay. He also seeks treble damages, increasing the wage claim to $793,479. The claim also says Valley Metro has wrongfully withheld an annuity that was to be paid upon his departure. Banta says it is worth $272,956. He also seeks treble damages on that claim, raising it to $818,869. Finally, Banta seeks $33,360 in attorneys' fees. Banta's claim also states that he would repay Valley Metro roughly $2,000 in expenses he identified as being mistakenly reimbursed to him. It says Banta was not given the opportunity to address the Valley Metro boards to refute "untrue allegations" in The Arizona Republic and other media outlets. Valley Metro has withheld Banta's annuity, and one prominent board member vowed to not give it to him because of the audit's findings. The office of Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, once a close ally of Banta's, issued a blistering statement on the region's former bus and light-rail transit director. “Mr. Banta will stop at nothing to distract from the auditor report that shows he bilked taxpayers out of tens of thousands of dollars so he could eat, drink and travel in style. He has only one person to blame for the predicament he’s in, and that’s himself," the statement said. "Rather than make baseless allegations and file frivolous claims, he should focus on defending himself in the ongoing criminal investigation.” Phoenix City Council Supports crook Stephen BantaWhen the Arizona Republic first discovered all suspicious activities, most of the members of the Phoenix City Council offered him a golden parachute, to get out of the way and prevent more dirt from being discovered. I think those Phoenix City Council members are:Greg Stanton, Mayor Other articles on Valley Metro CEO and crook Stephen Banta
Other articles on Valley Metro
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