A FORMER member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and reported close friend of Leader of the political Opposition Brigadier (rtd) David Granger is being fingered in a corruption and embezzlement scandal that led to charges against New York Sen. John Sampson.

The Times Union out of New York is reporting that Granger’s friend, Edmon Braithwaite is being investigated in connection with the inability of officials to account for US$39,560 in taxpayer money that indicted Senator John Sampson steered to a now-defunct Brooklyn charity operated by Edmon Braithwaite.
The former GDF rank, Braithwaite, reportedly opened a liquor store with the US legislator several months later.
According to sources, Braithwaite is known to have shared ties to the Peoples National Congress (PNCR) and has been backing different candidates from time to time to take over the leadership of that party, particularly when it was headed by then leader Robert Corbin.
This publication has been informed that Braithwaite also raised substantial funds for the PNC/APNU during its 2011 elections campaign.
The exact financial relationship between Sampson, who until last year led the Senate Democratic Conference and Edmon Braithwaite, is unclear but reports indicate that Sampson became a “shareholder” in a liquor store owned by Braithwaite in 2011.
Sampson, a Brooklyn Democrat, was charged earlier this month with embezzling US$440,000 from mortgage accounts and then threatening to “take … out” potential witnesses against a business associate.
He pleaded not guilty and Federal prosecutors say the case against him is ongoing; they also revealed Sampson was taped by a former colleague at the direction of the FBI.
Braithwaite is also known in Brooklyn political circles as the founder of One Caribbean Radio.
The station runs a talk show targeting particularly members of the Caribbean diaspora and was launched on an AM frequency in October 2007.
According to a 2008 profile by New York Daily News columnist Clem Richardson, the station quickly became a destination for elected officials seeking to reach Caribbean Americans, many of whom live in central Brooklyn.
Braithwaite also established the One Caribbean Foundation in May 2008 and applied to the IRS for tax-exempt status in July 2010, records show.
The indicted Sampson earmarked a US$100,000 member item for the foundation as part of the 2010 budget.
One Caribbean Foundation has three listed directors: Braithwaite and his wife, Myrie, as well as Charles Mohan.
Mohan, an adjunct professor and consultant, said he became acquainted with Braithwaite through various Guyanese-American groups and was a commentator on One Caribbean Radio when Braithwaite recruited him for the foundation.
He is listed as its treasurer. “It never got off the ground. I never really participated or know if there was anything done. As far as I know, nothing was done,” Mohan said. He said his last involvement with the foundation was in July 2010, when he signed the IRS application. Mohan said he was unaware of the $39,560 state grant.
One Caribbean Foundation has reportedly not submitted its required annual filings since 2010, and its charitable status was revoked earlier this year.