Marriott, Romney and kickbacks -- and Peoria...

PEORIA -- The continuing saga of the Marriott Hotel project in downtown Peoria  that relies on taxpayer dollars just got stranger, with this newly released story of how millionaire GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is connected with Marriott, a corporation accused of taking kickbacks from its hotel partners.

Here's the beginning of the story:

"Mitt Romney, who makes his hands-on business experience a talking point in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, was a member of the board of directors and audit committee of a global company when it paid millions of dollars to settle charges of extracting kickbacks that cheated clients.

The company is Marriott International and the accusers were hotel owners who had hired Marriott to manage their properties under the Marriott name...

As a board member, Romney held oversight responsibilities at a time when Marriott was repeatedly accused of obtaining secret rebates that enriched Marriott at the expense of hotel owners who had hired Marriott to run the hotels on their behalf. A series of owners also accused Marriott of falsifying financial statements to conceal the arrangements—charges that Marriott had denied, and yet still paid $24 million to settle."

Don't you just love the way big business works today! Or should we use the term 'vulture capitalism.' 

Here's the latest Peoria Journal Star story about the continuing controversy on this Peoria project.

  -- Elaine Hopkins

Comments

[Steve Waterworth]

Marriott is owned by the Mormon church and at one time had hard core porn available to it's customers. Apparently approved by Mitt Romney and the committee he chaired.