Alameda County (CA) District Attorney Pamela Price, already embroiled in numerous controversies stemming from her lax prosecutorial habits, has again landed herself in hot water. Price's addition of her boyfriend Antwon Cloird at a six-figure salary to her staff has raised both ethical questions regarding nepotism in action and regarding Cloird's past, which includes an FBI investigation regarding charges he has shaken down local businesses for protection money.
According to local news reports, in 2015 Richmond (CA) city officials expressed concern that Cloird, described at the time as a "politically connected nonprofit executive," was pressuring local businesses for donations.
Emails obtained by this news organization highlight those concerns. They show that in 2015, Richmond’s mayor, city manager and police chief suspected Cloird, at the time a politically connected nonprofit executive, of shaking down businesses to the tune of $5,000 to $20,000.
Around that time, the FBI began investigating Cloird’s dealings in the city, according to emails and a sworn affidavit filed by an attorney claiming to be an FBI informant in a lawsuit that quoted Cloird as saying “you gots to pay to play” in Richmond. Cloird ultimately was not charged.
This is at odds with Cloird's carefully cultivated public image as a community champion.
When Richmond community members need a helping hand, they know just who to call: Antwon Cloird. At age 57, Cloird has lived in every part of Richmond in a timeframe spanning five decades. Not surprisingly, the longtime resident dons many hats, ranging from community organizer to homeless coordinator, to the founder of the Community Alliance Group and Men and Women of Purpose, to crisis first responder to West County supervisor for Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) and co-founder of Soulful Softball Sunday—to scratch the surface.
What's wrong with a lil' payola to such a swell fella?
Making the situation all the more, shall we say, curious is that no one seems to know exactly what is Cloird's job. He is not listed on the office's website. A mite strange for someone pulling in six figures. What is more, the office contradicts what a former official says is Cloird's job without clarification as to what he actually does.
What is known about Cloird’s work over the past seven months is that it is centered in the field of re-entry for incarcerated people. Former Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Erin Loback, who worked closely with Cloird until recently joining the San Francisco DA’s office, said he helped identify candidates for early release and assess their readiness to rejoin society. Cloird presented her with lists of people he wanted to see let out of prison, an unorthodox practice that broke from the unit’s traditional process, Loback said.
“I was afraid to speak up about anything,” said Loback, who said she grew suspicious of names on Cloird’s list because he offered vague explanations when pressed about where they came from. “There was no one I could go to, to say, ‘What is this?’ I couldn’t question it, because of his relationship with her.”
Price’s office said a team of lawyers makes resentencing and re-entry decisions, not Cloird. The mission of the units is to reduce recidivism, the statement said.
Whatever services Cloird may be providing have nothing to do with the office prosecuting crime. A brief recap:
And now, cheap (except to the taxpayers) nepotism.
Your tax dollars not at work, ladies and gentlemen.