(7) A listing of indebtedness to businesses operating in Alabama showing types and number of each as follows: Banks, savings and loan associations, insurance companies, mortgage firms, stockbrokers and brokerages or bond firms; and the indebtedness to combined organizations in the following categorical amounts: Less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000); twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) and less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000); fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) and less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000); one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) and less than one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000); one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) and less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000); two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) or more. The commission may add additional business to this listing. Indebtedness associated with the homestead of the person filing is exempted from this disclosure requirement.
(c) Filing required by this section shall reflect information and facts in existence at the end of the reporting year.
(d) If the information required herein is not filed as required, the commission shall notify the public official or public employee concerned as to his or her failure to so file and the public official or public employee shall have 10 days to file the report after receipt of the notification. The commission may, in its discretion, assess a fine of ten dollars ($10) a day, not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), for failure to file timely.
(e) A person who intentionally violates any financial disclosure filing requirement of this chapter shall be subject to administrative fines imposed by the commission, or shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, or both.
Any person who unintentionally neglects to include any information relating to the financial disclosure filing requirements of this chapter shall have 90 days to file an amended statement of economic interests without penalty.
Luke Cooley’s husband with another party formed an Alabama Corporation with the intent of purchasing a piece of property from Regions Financial as Trustee of the Theodore Bauman Revocable Trust after Bauman died, July 12, 2001 and before Bauman’s Will was probated in Cooley’s Court.
The Corporation is named Ziegooley and the partners can be viewed with the following link:
http://arc-sos.state.al.us/CGI/SOSCRP10.mbr/output?PGM=1&P01=676936M
Cooley’s husband has NUMEROUS corporations in his name in addition to Ziegooley. Cooley’s corporate filings may be viewed with the following link:
http://arc-sos.state.al.us/CGI/SOSCRP04.MBR/OUTPUT
Why would Regions Financial intentionally not list a piece of real estate publicly, but offer it for sale privately to the husband of the probate judge for approximately half its appraised value.
Ziegooley approximately 5 months after purchasing the property through Regions flipped the property and resold to Media General (The Dothan Eagle) it for almost twice the price it was purchased from the Bauman Trust.
(Warranty Deed involving property sale to Ziegooley from the Theodore Bauman Trust is located in the Houston County Probate office, Book 579, Page 631.)
(Warranty Deed involving property sale to Media General from Ziegooley is located in the Houston County Probate office, Book 584, Page 273.)
The Alabama Code specifies the following with regard to using official capacity for profit:
Section 36-25-7 — Offering, soliciting, or receiving things of value for purpose of influencing official action; money solicited or received in addition to that received in official capacity.
(a) No person shall offer or give to a public official or public employee or a member of the household of a public employee or a member of the household of the public official and none of the aforementioned shall solicit or receive a thing of value for the purpose of influencing official action.
(b) No public official or public employee shall solicit or receive a thing of value for himself or herself or for a family member of the public employee or family member of the public official for the purpose of influencing official action.
(c) No person shall offer or give a family member of the public official or family member of the public employee a thing of value for the purpose of influencing official action.
(d) No public official or public employee, shall solicit or receive any money in addition to that received by the public official or public employee in an official capacity for advice or assistance on matters concerning the Legislature, lobbying a legislative body, an executive department or any public regulatory board, commission or other body of which he or she is a member. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a public official or public employee from the performance of his or her official duties or responsibilities.
Probate Judge Luke Cooley has created cause for the public to question her ethics, honor, accountability, truthfulness, trust and honesty.
In my opinion, Cooley’s actions and lack of ethics are cause for her to be impeached from her office.
The Alabama Code regarding impeachment is as follows:
Section 36-11-1 — Persons subject to impeachment and removal from office; grounds for impeachment generally
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