Monday, May 18, 2009
Former state rep Waters in federal probe

Waters, campaign manager investigated in connection with Southfield council member

Paul Egan / The Detroit News

Southfield -- Former state Rep. Mary Waters and her campaign manager, Sam Riddle, are linked to a federal investigation involving Southfield City Council member William Lattimore.
Waters resigned as Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's director of legislative affairs on April 25, citing personal reasons, Worthy spokeswoman Maria Miller confirmed.
Riddle, who also worked for Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, has been under investigation in connection with a long-running investigation of Detroit City Hall contracting, including a multimillion-dollar sewage sludge contract awarded to Synagro Technologies Inc. of Texas. Riddle's cell phone was tapped continuously by federal authorities from June 2007 to January 2008, according to letters sent by the Justice Department.
The federal investigation related to Lattimore and Riddle also involves Zeidman's, a jewelry store and pawn shop with outlets on 10 Mile in Southfield and on Gratiot in Detroit, people familiar with the investigation confirmed.
Waters received two campaign donations from "Tommy Zeidman," who listed his occupation as owner of Zeidman's, when she challenged U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Detroit, in the Democratic primary in 2008. One donation, dated July 24, 2008, was for $850. A second donation, dated one week later, was for $950.
Other than those two campaign donations, there is no public record of a Tommy Zeidman in Michigan. The registered agent of Zeidman's Jewelry and Loan is Thomas S. Labret of Orchard Lake, public records show. Labret has not returned phone messages left at the pawn shop and his home.
Waters could not be reached.
Riddle has confirmed he knows Lattimore but has declined to discuss the investigation.
"I know I am not the target," said Lattimore, who would not give details about the investigation.
Zeidman's in Southfield relocated in 2008, moving from a strip mall at 10 Mile and Southfield Road to 10 Mile and Evergreen. A site plan for the new location was approved by the City Council.
It was not clear from the Southfield Clerk's Office whether Zeidman's transferred its pawn shop license from one location to the other or allowed the old license to lapse at the end of 2008 and got a new license for the new location starting in 2009.
pegan@detnews.com [[313) 222-2069


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