Chris Hayes tells judge she was in charge of misused funds
Published Thursday, May 1, 2008
Digg
delicious
Facebook
Mixx
Reddit
Stumble It!The wife of former Mayor Jim Hayes asked a federal judge Wednesday — two days before the couple is to be sentenced for stealing from social service grants — to hold her responsible and show compassion for her husband.
Murilda “Chris” Hayes, who ran the South Fairbanks church-affiliated tutoring and mentoring center that benefited from almost $3 million in congressional earmarks, wrote in the 12-page letter that she was in charge of finances at the center, not her husband, who served on its board of directors for a time.
“I would like to take a stand for my husband Jim Hayes. We never talked about the grants for LOVE Social Services, other than me originally asking him for help in getting funds for (the center),” she wrote.
A jury convicted Jim Hayes in February of working with Chris to syphon hundreds of thousands of dollars toward an over-budget church construction project across the street and for personal spending. Chris Hayes pleaded guilty to two similar counts.
Federal prosecutors have asked District Judge John Sedwick to sentence Jim Hayes to up to eight years in jail and Chris to between five and six years for stealing from the grants between 2001 and 2005.
Chris Hayes’ letter represents the first notable public statement from the former Fairbanks first lady, who co-founded the tutoring center and ran it as executive director, since federal agents simultaneously served search warrants at the center, the church and the couple’s home more than two years ago.
More than two dozen acquaintances, including church leaders, former elected officials and friends, have written in recent weeks asking Sedwick to consider the former three-term mayor’s accomplishments and public service during sentencing proceedings Friday morning in Fairbanks.
Hayes refers in her statement, submitted with other court papers Wednesday, to signs and diagnoses of physical and mental illnesses linked to the charges. Lawyers on both sides of the case have indicated Hayes began suffering health problems after a grand jury indicted the couple in early 2007.
In the letter, Hayes acknowledged spending money from the grants for personal and family purposes. Federal investigators had traced spending to the family and the church on things including a years’ worth of car insurance payments, a wedding reception for the couple’s son and payments to Chris Hayes’ debt-management company.
Prosecutors have also pointed to spending on items like a plasma television and an ornamental lighthouse for the couple’s home as evidence they worked together.
“These items, costing over $5,000, although ordered by Chris Hayes, were prominently displayed in the living room and back yard of the house and are big ticket items that Jim Hayes certainly would have been aware of,” government attorneys wrote in court papers this week.
Chris Hayes wrote that while the grants were meant to help the center, LOVE Social Services was intended to be affiliated with the church. She said the acronym in its name stands for “Lily of the Valley Education” and noted many of the church’s members served as tutors, staff members and mentors across the street.
“I have had a hard time thinking about what I have done and the cause it has brought upon me,” she wrote. “First I truly apologize for the personal funds that I find myself to have spent. My mind has not come to a reasonable solution as to why I would have spent funds on myself, or family members.”
Contact staff writer Christopher Eshleman at 459-7582.
Community Discussion
Newsminer.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full user's agreement.
"My mind has not come to a reasonable solution as to why I would have spent funds on myself, or family members"
Lets see, Greed comes to mind
I say a play here. She takes the heat and then petitions for "mercy" or house arrest because of her mental anguish of being stuck with the criminals
Do the time for the crime
it is so funny to read about the two theiving Hayes clown bed for mercy now. Last year they said they were innocent. Oh Chris and Jim, stop your whining and serve the time. I can only hope the two of you loose everything in life for taking advantage of tax payer's money. Stop pleading for mercy and wasting the time of many people in the community by having them write letters in defence of your pathetic lives.
Again: "There is no man so good, who, were he to submit all lhis thoughts and actions to the laws, would not deserve hanging 10 times in his life." - Michel de Montaigne, French Philosopher (1553-1592).
Again: Their life as they have known it is gone. They are already serving a life sentence.
My son/daughter was failing in school untill she/he was helped by Love Social Services. The Hayes have helped so many children with their wonderful "coummunity services". Where are these type letters?? One would hopefully think that for almost 3 million dollars at least ONE child was helped, where are they? And would someone please tell me what "public service" has the Hayes done for Fairbanks??? 20 years is about right....
Lots of people ruin their lives by doing stupid things. But, when they are caught, most of them do their time.
Although, I am aware of a childrens pediatric Dr. in this town that got away with sexual abuse of a minor - because he was a prominent member of society.....Boy, I wish I could name him here!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, really, who didn't see this one coming?
She pled guilty before he even went to trial. That way, he could blame it all on her (which he did). Now, she comes forward and says it was all her fault.
This has been planned for quite some time as a scheme to get him off for the crimes. It didn't work as well as they might have hoped (since he was convicted), but that, obviously, didn't stop them from continuing the charade.
So, not only is he a liar and a thief, he has been and still is trying to let his wife take the rap for his crimes. Wow! What an awesome guy he must be!
Maybe if he made a full confession on the record I would think he should get *some* leniency, but by employing these tactics, he just proves how worthy he is of full punishment.
Incredible. She is still saying she is sick. Well, the evening he was forced to step down as the pastor of Lily, Jim was interrupted by another church Elder. Chris suddenly began yelling and screaming at this church official. She said "who do you think you are talking to my husband that way. You obviously want his job". She went on and on for 2 minutes. Oh yeah, the cane she had was on her seat as she was yelling standing up. Everyone saw the light that evening.
They need to do the time and let Fairbanks become a quiet city again.
Truth.
Jim Hayes did a crime and he should do the time in jail.
What I don’t understand is when three men rob a store, hold a gun to your face bet up the store manager, car jack, steal guns (those guns would be sold to do other crimes) That some of you posters think that we should show leniency to them. Should they do less time then Jim Hayes? Jim Hayes didn’t hold any guns to anyone’s face.
It is not easy to forgive.
Baloney- They both need to do the time. I am sure they were both sharing their new Plasma TV's, cash, and prizes while the poor people of Fairbanks struggled to make ends meet.
Hence: the flesh is indeed week, and can corrupt all of us. Look to the spirit with humility-they fell to greed and pride; obviously.
The Hayeses held a gun to the head of the entire community. Fraud corruption, I wonder what that is going to do to the next application for a block grant for southside. They have tainted federal funding to us all and unless you want to pay more taxes we need it. As far as being medical shame artists I believe both of them have real medical problems. However they may take license with them to effect your sympathy. Remember this is just the tip of the fraudburg they have been stealing for decades. The community is better rid of them. Now if they can just take down some other interior delegation members VECO styyyyle.
They are getting what they deserve. Jim hid his criminal tendancies behind the thin veil of public service. I think they should be digging deep and see what he stole from the City during his tenure there. Sure to turn something up.
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
Oh please, stop throwing rocks. Jim Hayes did a lot to help this community indivually through support for people, children, and activities. Geesh, has one of you never done ANYTHING wrong? No-one ever abuses public tax payer funds??? Why not call your state Senator Don Young his for abusing public funds.
Geesh, what bunch of vultures!
wow, you lost me on that one...
mr and mrs hayes knew form the get go that they where stealing and it took the two of them get the job down. mr hayes taught chis how steal,and he's got chris doing a con job again for him.mr hayes was right in pot with her.remender the letters he wrote to steavens, this alone shows that he is a con.they stole from the children.judge don't be conned, give these two baby rap'ist the book, six years for is not enought,been stealing 30 years finaly got caught..spud
MamaSan
Please name 3 things that the Hayes have done that have had a positive impact on the community.
Lengthly jail terms, in crimes such as this, only serve to further the burdon on tax payers. The real justice, is make them pay it back. 8 years probation, or till the dept is paid. Continued comunity service, and debt repayment would be the true justice here.
"let he who is without sin, cast the first stone." We all make mistakes. We all suffer the burdons of high taxes and inflated oil prices. We are all human and suffer temptations. The government steals far more from us in taxes than it provides and it will spend it friviously with or without the Hayes. Let it be a lesson to us all, and let's move on.
As a person, a taxpayer and a citizen, I forgive them.
I know this is going to sound racist: But when I was going to school at UAF I remember people talking about how corrupt he was as mayor. I used to think, because he was black and people would refer to that while speaking of him, that they were racist and really did not know what they were talking about, however I am really now doubting myself in judgement of characture and they oviously seen something that I myself did not see. With this being a election year and a "black" candiate running for president I am now concerned that "all blacks are the same"
eskimobabee - you're right - that does sound racist...because it is. When Bill Clinton got into trouble with Lewinsky I didn't assume that all men or all whites are the same.
Corruption and Dishonesty are "equal opportunity employers."
Matthew-- I totally agree with you on the sentencing issues, but feel this nation as a whole is facing them as well. While I do think there needs to be punishment, it should not include filling up space in our prison system, for a non-violent crime, for the Hays' or for any other offender. Prisons are overcrowded as it is already, filled with people who could have been better off serving their time with a probation/community service sentence. What will they learn by wasting 8 years??? All they'll end up doing is taking MORE money from tax payers, as we pay for them to stay in their cells. Have all their belongings repo'd to help pay back the money they stole, and then work low-income jobs for the rest...I could see that being a worse sentence than serving time in prison.
Spud...how dare you call them baby rapists!!!!!!!!!!! Fraud and baby raping, BIG DIFFERENCE HERE MORON!!!! Let he that has NEVER sinned cast the first stone. I understand the communities feelings of betrayal and feelings of broken trust but how does that justify calling someone a baby raper?
WoW Lots of people feel upset about the possibillity of the judge going light on the Hayes's (easy money) mentality. I wonder if the judge is as fed up with that kind of behavior from our leaders as the rest of us , or if he thinks like a top ranker,feels sorry for them and all the abusive critizem they have had to put up with through this whole mess and lets them off easy . If they are old friends Mabe he'll grant them pardon knowing how much they like grants and all.
Hey ufagrad08
You must kind of understand the (it's almost not even a crime) thinking that the hayes's potraid as they're reckoning. Let me clue U in on something. It's not the money they so inocently missused that they need to go to jail for but rather their other crimes of defrauding the gov and their neighbors and some other poor guy who had good intentions and hopes of a grant to get a gameboy or a computer or whatever else makes him feel better than the Jones'es. Jail is more for wife beaters and drunk drivers and drug atticts???? Personally The majority of us are intent on the thought that they're crime is just as punishiable and that six years of free meals is pretty good for those two. I know you won't get it though cause you are some how hoping the best for those two scoundrals. Can you tell me why you think they should do comunity service work . Are you Sick, stupid,ignorant,and niave all wrpped up in a tortilla shell. Don't you think they have done the comunity enough damage allready.
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
Burk....stop the trolling man...your not fooling anybody! Crazy ol' men should not have access to the internet. As for the Hayes, many of the families in that Church are done with them. The pride and respect once held for Chris and Jim are nearly gone. Yes , there are still those who want to remember the good times and give them credit for that. But even at that last meeting, we saw clearly, "they still don't get it"! They still believed that they were "above" everybody in the room. Furthermore, I'm still trying to translate the statement:
My "mind" has not come to a "reasonable solution" as to why I would have spent money on myself and my family members....??? Say what?
What exactly are we talking about here? AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE?
Geeezzz, talk about using legal-jargin so you don't have to come out and say.. I got Greedy and my pompous attitude feed it further....I used the kids as an excuse and(stole)the money for things I thought would further glorify MY family and the Church.....Damn I'm sorry I got caught, I feel sick now, please be nice to Jim?....
You know what, Ex-Lily members are moving on.
They made a mistake??? Are you kidding? This was a long term, organized, planned string of fraud and theft. They should be let off so they dont fill up our prisons? What?? And sit in their million dollar home on the river watching their plasma tv? What a deal...steal thousands, buy nice things for yourself, then sit and enjoy it while you make donation calls for a non-profit (community service). That makes felony theft, tax evasion (and whatever else they did) sound like a nice retirement plan! I find it most disgusting that they can call themselves "religious leaders" with this type of mentality. Such hypocrisy! Maybe that is how they got away with this (and who knows what else) because "good" people dont commit crime. It is all part of the act.
I totally agree with MatthewErickson and MamaSan. The US has more prisoners in jails per capita than anywhere else in the world. Yes, the Hayes did the wrong thing. However, why not sentence them to paying back what was taken and performing community service? What is the gain for society in putting them in jail between 6-8 years? We as a society are going to pay for their bed and board. By paying back and community service they can earn their way back into the community. I am hoping that the judge will sentence them creatively and constructively.
community service sounds like the best sentence for their crimes. Wasn't that their life work anyway?
People like that make me sick. Personally I don't care if they go to jail, that just costs the taxpayer more.
Maybe they should have to build their own house from materials from a transfer site. LOVE stINCs
AlaskaFBX,
If they don't go to jail, they just received an interest free loan courtesy of you. If we don't put them in jail, I would suggest to everyone reading this comment that they too should take out a $450,000.00 -$800, 000.00 interest free loan.
This crime will hurt everyone that applies for federal grants. In turn, the children will be hurt. Non-profits in Fairbanks have been dramatically hurt by this crime.
Awhile back, Jim had a job assisting the state to prosecute people. Therefore, he knows the law and what it means when you break them. He too should pay the penalty he has made others pay.
Equal justice for all of us.
Truth.
Have you considered that perhaps Chris Hayes is seriously mentally unstable, and that her husband bullied and manipulated her into this?
Read the whole letter she wrote. What she's saying isn't normal or healthy. She said her first husband dying in Vietnam was her fault! She sounds like someone who's been emotionally abused and had her self-esteem completely eroded over the years. I mean, seriously - she pled guilty to take the fall for her husband. What kind of guy can stand by and let his wife take the blame like that, while continuing to deny any wrongdoing?
This whole situation is a fraud! Give me a break! Now were supposed to give public servants a break. Think about all our fellow Alaskans suffering due to high energy costs. Fuel prices are going up everyday. Many Alaskans work day-to-day/paycheck-to-paycheck just to have food on the table and pay their debts. Now were supposed to let an ex-mayor and his spouse get away with abusing the use of funds meant for the benefit of others? The Hayes' remind me of the 'many' crooked local businesses in town. Judges, lawyers, and business owners are wheeling and dealing just to win over the common law-abiding citizen. A few years ago an electrical company installed an outlet in my home. They claimed it would cost $85 total. After repairs were made, the bill was $380. After taking photos of the repairs and going to small claims court to argue the charges, I still lost the case. I had to pay court fees and the fraudulent charges.
Shame on all individuals taking advantage of honest living Americans!
I agree that prison is too crowded and that they end up costing taxpayers money; however, the courts dont make people pay back money. How would they collect it? At their age, the govt should force them to get a job and attach their wages? I bet there are some labor laws that would prevent that. Then all they do is call of work, claim illness or disability...the list goes on and on. They would still have to make payments on their million dollar estate, pay for living expenses, etc so the govt couldnt attach all of their wages. How long would it take to repay $450,000 even with the best paying job? It would cost the govt tons of money to "watch" them, monitor their "repayment schedule", listen to their gripes about why they can pay this month, and on and on. It is a lose-lose situation for the taxpayers they have already robbed.
I just read the letter that Chris Hayes wrote to the judge. I feel so very sad for her and her family.
This persons deceptive ways have finally caught up to him. I've known Jimmy since he and his mother came to Fairbanks in the early 1950's he was 9 and I was 10 he deserves every day he gets. I know Jimmy Hayes to be a cheat, a sneak, liar and thief. You finally got caugth Jimmy, Justice has truly been served.
Emerlon
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.