Zhudi Masri (known on Facebook as “Zee Man”), a disgruntled middle-eastern corner store owner upset that Alderman French is supporting the efforts of the people of Grace Fellowship Church to challenge his liquor license following years of violence around his store, which is located across the street from their church and Yeatman Middle School.

Zhudi Masri (left)

St. Louis Public Schools, as well as the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, also support the revocation of Mr. Masri’s liquor license. Mr. Masri does not live in the 21st Ward or the City of St. Louis.

The second organizer of the protest was Romona Taylor-Williams. Ms. Williams also does not live in the 21st Ward. In fact, she just recently moved to St. Louis after serving time for fraud related to misappropriation of federal dollars when she lived in Charleston, West Virginia.

Romona Taylor-Williams (left) was charged with 40 counts of fraud and served time in federal prison

From the Charleston Daily Mail, November 23, 2004:

A Charleston woman accused of defrauding several government agencies will spend six months in prison followed by six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release.

Romona Taylor Williams, 52, also was ordered Monday to pay nearly $64,000 in restitution.

She had pleaded guilty in April to one count of mail fraud.

Williams originally was charged with 39 counts of mail fraud and one count of embezzlement in a federal indictment handed up in December 2003.

Williams, through two organizations she was an officer for, was accused of misusing funds from the state Department of Health and Human Resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The money was meant for various projects to help low-income families and communities.

More on Ms. Williams’ charges… From the Charleston Daily Mail, January 7, 2004:

A community activist has pleaded not guilty to 40 counts of mail fraud and embezzlement in connection with three government programs she helped oversee.

Romona Taylor-Williams, who runs the group REDEEM, was released on $10,000 unsecured bond after making the plea Tuesday in U.S. Magistrate Court.

She faces up to 200 years in prison and a $10 million fine if convicted.

She is accused of improperly accepting federal and state funds intended for HIV/AIDS education programs and Section 8 housing programs.

Taylor-Williams also was indicted for allegedly stealing money from contracts awarded by West Virginia State College for a socio- economic study of Kanawha, Putnam and Clay counties.

Click here to read court documents in the case of The United States of America vs. Romona Taylor Williams.

For weeks, Ms. Williams has been calling others “unethical” in venomous postings on Facebook and other websites. Clearly, she is in no position to point fingers at anyone.