Montreal Mayor Busted in Corruption Sting

You know, we were feeling pretty good about picking Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in our "Canadian mayors facing jail time" pool. But alas, Montreal's Michael Applebaum swooped in for some last-second competition in that contest this morning, as Quebec's special anti-corruption police unit nabbed him and two other city officials on fraud charges, the Globe and Mail reports.

Applebaum got the interim mayor gig in the first place because his predecessor stepped down over allegations that his party had taken illegal donations from construction companies in exchange for contracts. Now Applebaum appears to be embroiled in the same scandal, which has also seen the arrest of former Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt this spring. Applebaum is looking at 14 counts, including fraud, corruption, breach of trust, and conspiracy. (More Michael Applebaum stories.)