2 Detroit pension fund officials charged

A former pension fund lawyer in Detroit and a former trustee of the fund for police officers and firefighters have been indicted on bribery charges. Ronald Zajac, who was a lawyer for the city pension funds, allegedly solicited kickbacks for pension fund officials, The Detroit News reported. Paul Stewart, a longtime Detroit police officer, vice president of the police union and trustee with the Detroit Police and Fire pension fund, allegedly got thousands of dollars in cash and gifts, including a Christmas basket full of money and trips to the Bahamas and Florida with his mistress. "Public officials entrusted with billions of dollars in employees' pension money cannot take bribes and kickbacks to influence their investment decisions," U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said in a statement. Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was convicted this month on bribery, corruption and other charges. The new indictments suggest the federal investigation is not finished, the News said.