Prince George's County Executive Aids Friends

Valderrama said he flew to Seattle to "pick the brains" of school administrators on alternative funding for school construction. He wrote a seven-page report "plus attachments and exhibits" recommending that the county explore a voter's initiative to raise money for schools. "My recommendation was, you go to the people whenever you need funding for school construction," he said. "It's an old concept."

Johnson never acted on the recommendation, Valderrama said. "At one point, he said he was going to follow up, but he didn't." Valderrama declined to provide a copy of the report to The Post, saying it was Johnson's decision whether to release it.

Johnson said Valderrama "had done a great job" and "gave me a tremendous report."

When the school contracts ended last year, Valderrama was awarded two more contracts to "evaluate trends in regional, national and global economics," an assignment identical to Wilson's. Those contracts, one of which runs through January 2007, total $141,666, records show.

Alfonso N. Cornish, a Johnson appointee who served as a deputy chief administrative officer until he resigned this year, said he began overseeing Valderrama's work five months into the contract.

"When I took over management of that contract . . . I sat down with him, and we came up with what he was supposed to do because there wasn't anything being done," Cornish said. "I don't think he's doing anything now, to be honest with you."

Valderrama disputed that.

"I make recommendations, and that's what it's all about," he said. He has not produced any written reports under these contracts, he said. "It's an ongoing process. But everything is aboveboard."

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Businessman Richard Amatucci and Jack Johnson became friends after meeting "years and years ago," said Steven Novak, the mutual friend who introduced them. They played golf together, and Amatucci hosted political fundraisers for Johnson in 2003 and 2004. Amatucci arranged for the two events, which raised $180,000, to be held at Avenel country club in Potomac, Novak said.

Amatucci, a Potomac resident, has also made political contributions to Johnson's campaign totaling $4,500 since 2001, according to campaign records.

Seven weeks before he retired from Fannie Mae as vice president of industry technology initiatives in April 2004, Amatucci incorporated his company, the Amatucci Group, records show. The month he retired, he received the first of four contracts with Prince George's. The contracts were to "provide financial professional services in the assessment and review of the performance" of the county's pension system. The contracts totaled $300,000 over two years.