In what can only be seen as a cash for votes scandal involving the President and CEO of the Fiesta Bowl, John Junker, the board of directors for the BCS affiliated organization fired Junker on March 29th amidst evidence that he coordinated a payola scandal with employees to provide political donations, which were then later reimbursed with salary bonuses.
John Junker has been the head of the Fiesta Bowl for more than three decades, and was instrumental in ensuring the bowl game would be a part of the BCS national championship, as well as help guide the event from the campus of Arizona State University to the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
The details of the scandal involve at least $46,000 worth of donations made to political entities, which were in violation of state and federal campaign laws. The crux was the use of employees to make the donations while reimbursing them later under accounting 'tricks' to designate the repayment as bonuses.
The 276-page report of an investigation conducted by Fiesta Bowl board members and a retired Arizona state Supreme Court justice was published on the bowl’s Web site fiestabowl.org.
The investigators said it found the “apparent scheme” to reimburse at least $46,539 for employees’ political contributions.
The probe also found “an apparent conspiracy to conceal the reimbursement scheme from the bowl’s Board of Directors and state officials,” according to the news release accompanying the report. – Associated Press
John Junker was a well liked, and well respected member of the bowl system, and Phoenix community. The reasons why he chose to institute an illegal action in regards to campaign contributing is still a mystery, as there was no evidence that the Fiesta Bowl was in any danger of losing its status in the BCS, or the NCAA.
Sadly, this cash for votes scandal which brought the firing today of the President of the Fiesta Bowl will most likey scar all the great work John Junker did for the bowl event, and the city of Phoenix in his three decades of work.
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