Updated, 1:30 p.m.
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, has obtained legal help amid a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into a Burlington College property acquisition that occurred in 2010 while she was the college’s president.
According to former college officials, the FBI has been investigating whether O’Meara Sanders overstated pledges from donors that allowed the college to obtain a $6.7 million loan from Peoples United Bank to buy the former Roman Catholic Diocese building on North Avenue in Burlington.
Lawyers from two firms representing O’Meara Sanders contacted Coralee Holm, former dean of operations and advancement for the now-defunct Burlington College, to ask about what the FBI had been seeking from her this spring, Holm said Friday. Holm told Seven Days she spoke with Matt Shagam, an attorney with Burlington lawyer Rich Cassidy’s firm. She said that Jennifer Windom, a partner with a Washington law firm, left her a voicemail saying she was working with Cassidy. Holm said she didn’t return that call.
VTDigger.org first reported on Thursday that lawyers were making calls about the land probe on O’Meara Sanders’ behalf. Politico Magazine subsequently reported that Cassidy and Washington, D.C.-based defense attorney Larry Robbins have been hired to represent her. That story’s author, Harry Jaffe, is a former Rutland Herald reporter and current editor at large for Washingtonian Magazine.
Jeff Weaver, former manager of Sen. Sanders’ presidential campaign,
confirmed Friday that the attorneys had been hired to represent O’Meara Sanders. The senator and his wife were paying the legal fees, he said.
“Despite the fact that all these charges are baseless,” he said, O’Meara Sanders “should be able to consult with an attorney to understand the process.”
Holm, who worked at Burlington College when it closed in May 2016, said she didn’t want to comment further on the situation.
“I’m not comfortable being the poster child. I wasn’t there when Jane was there,” Holm said. “I was just trying to keep the college running for the kids.”
But, Holm said, “There’s part of me that’s glad the story’s being told because we took a lot of heat when the college closed.”
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old janey finally realize that old sanders can’t brush this under the rug?? I know it’s hard for the sanders to understand but they ARE NOT above the law.. She did overstated pledges from donors..I know 2 families that she changed their pledges..She created FRAUD..Hope she goes to jail where she belongs..
Maybe Jane, Hillary and Loretta can all bunk up together in Levenworth.
“Maybe Jane, Hillary and Loretta can all bunk up together in Levenworth.”
Leavenworth? You mean that place where Trump will be soon enough, for lying and obstructing justice?
By the way, it’s spelled L-E-A-V-E-N-W-O-R-T-H.
And, by the way, genius, Leavenworth houses only male prisoners.
The usual reactionary geniuses here don’t seem to understand that Jane was not trying to enrich herself in any way, unlike the pathological narcissistic liar in the White House. She was trying to save a college… big difference. The original financing deal to buy the property having been put together by Pomerleau, by the way.
Susan C. Anderson, then why did janey change the donations (pledges) amounts?? It’s a Fact !!! Why did she lie to the bank?? She wasn’t trying to help the college, she was trying to help herself.!!! She’s a fraud plain and simple..Trying to cover up isn’t going to change the facts..If the FBI dig even deeper they will uncover a lot more of her fraudulent handy work..,deception always comes back to bite you in the a– no matter how much you try to cover it up..As for your quote “pathological narcissistic liar in the White House.” I do believe you are referring to the biggest muslim liar that was in the WH for 8 yrs..the one you probably voted for twice..
Jane will look good in an orange jump suit, leg irons, and chains, picking up litter along route 7.
By save the college you must be referring to The Vermont Woodworking School that she funneled the money to that is run by her daughter. You could not be referring to Burlington College that went down faster than the Titanic after Jane got her sticky hands on the place. And Knowyourass….. How do you know the three of them are not males? I’m not completely convinced. And thanks for the spelling lesson now if you could only teach my smart phone to spell. F-ING auto spell checker. Have a good day my fake Republican friend and all the crazy libs out there.
And now I see Bernie and his wife both have lawyers. Looks like Bernie knows he’s going down too. I love it. Best Real News I’ve heard all week. I can’t wait to see them in orange jump suits. LOSERS!!!!! I’m sorry Criminals!!!
She is part of the elite; she will never see a day in jail. This is the major problem with our system!!! People like this think they are above the law and the current system supports that.
Bernie would divawce huhr in a New Yawk minute for screwing up his fewtcha Presidential ambitions, but, Vermont is a Community Property State and it would kill him, good Socialist that he is, to have to split 50% of all he Grifted so hard for over the years
The circumstances surrounding the break-in at Burlington College last summer, including the break-in of the main offices and theft of the hard drive, remain very fishy. Critical evidence has gone missing. As the police have said, the thief or thieves knew what they were doing. The security cameras were disabled in advance; the thief likely had the keys or possibly an experienced lock pick; and the hard drive has conveniently vanished into thin air. The other items stolen that day, a van and some generic old computers from the computer lab, were recovered fairly quickly. But the supposed thief of the recovered items was not even charged and the police seem all too willing to drop the case entirely.
Most people would probably be willing to accept Jane and Bernie’s story that she had good intentions; was in way over her head; and simply hoped the misrepresented donations would materialize in the future. However, when hard drives go missing; and Jane and Bernie start lawyering up instead of talking, it begins to look uglier. Unfortunately, this is what we’ve come to expect from those in power and high places.
As bad as it is, and I am not giving Jane Sanders a pass, she should be fully investigated and prosecuted if necessary but small potatoes next to the JFK assassination; Gulf of Tonkin and Vietnam lies; Watergate; Iran-Contra; WMD lies for Iraq war, etc.
I have a few questions: Who is Eric Farrell & when did he ‘appear’ on the scene? Was he ‘around’ before the fraudulant bank loans? What bank does he use? Is he a Bernie supporter? Did he donate to the campaign? ( I cant find the individial donors) & lastly from whom did the Sanders buy 310 Stonegate Lane in North hero???