On Valentine’s Day, Ex-wife of Developer Accused in Richardson Bribery Scandal Has Her Day to Speak

SHERMAN -- The second time he cheated on her, Karen Jordan had enough.She gave the email evidence she found on her husband’s cell phone to a reporter. The story ran. Then the FBI started calling her.It turned out those emails were evidence that her husband, Mark Jordan, was having a secret affair with Laura Maczka, the Richardson mayor at the time. That was important because Maczka, now married to Mark and known as Laura Jordan, had supported and voted for Mark Jordan’s controversial mixed-use development in the city -- despite running on a platform that opposed such projects that placed apartments near neighborhoods.The government claims it’s also evidence of bribery: money and favors for votes. Karen Jordan, the woman caught in the middle of the sex and political bribery scandal, told her story to jurors Thursday during the federal political corruption trial of Mark and Laura Jordan that began this week in Sherman.Dressed in black, Karen spoke during her Valentine’s Day testimony of how her ex-husband’s infidelity after more than two decades of marriage drove her to a suicide attempt and to seek hospitalization for depression. During cross-examination, she told jurors of her numerous communications with an overly-friendly FBI agent.The agent was so chummy with her, a defense lawyer suggested it was improper. She agreed.Federal prosecutors allege that in in exchange for money, gifts and sex, Laura Jordan voted for zoning changes for Mark Jordan’s Palisades mixed-use project along Central Expressway, which neighbors fiercely opposed due to its numerous apartments.Mark Jordan received more than $45 million in economic development incentives from the city. And he gave Laura a high-paying job for which she wasn’t qualified and married her, according to federal prosecutors.Leaked emailsKaren Jordan testified, somewhat reluctantly, for the government on Thursday in response to a subpoena.The former school teacher described how her 24-year marriage came to an end amidst scandalous headlines and a federal corruption investigation. Mark Jordan initially denied his affair with the mayor, she said.“He told me he wasn’t attracted to her and was just flirting with her to get what he wanted,” she said.  Continue reading...

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