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Sex, Drugs and Fraud - This year's juiciest stories centered on the Obama administration overstepping its bounds, former Rep. Anthony Weiner up to the same-old-same-old, a fall from grace for two rising stars, and more. — Joyce Jones (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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IRS Targets Tea Party Groups - In May, news broke that the Internal Revenue Service had targeted conservative organizations with the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their names seeking tax-exempt status. Obama called the action "outrageous" and several agency officials were forced to step down.  (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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NSA Is Watching You - The National Security Agency has been under fire at home and abroad, since it was uncovered that the agency has been monitoring phone and online usage in the U.S. and in foreign nations. Some international leaders have demanded apologies and canceled scheduled visits with Obama. (Photo: Allison Shelley/Getty Images)

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Weinergate 2.0 - Apparently having to leave Congress for sexting was not enough punishment for former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner. During his bid to become New York City's mayor, he was busted once again for sending sexually explicit photos, using the name Carlos Danger.  (Photo: Richard Drew/AP Photo)

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Bad Company - Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, once a rising star in the Republican Party, abruptly resigned in March after being interviewed by state law enforcement officers about work a consulting firm she owned did for a nonprofit organization under investigation.  (Photo: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

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Fall From Grace - Former congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release, after pleading guilty to the misuse of $750,000 in campaign funds. His wife, Sandi, a former Chicago alderman, received a one-year sentence and a period of supervised release for an additional year. (Photo: Cliff Owen/AP Photo, File)

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Love Child - Former Sen. Pete Domenici disclosed that he fathered a secret child in the 1970s with the 24-year-old daughter of one of his colleagues, former U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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So Busted - Rep. Trey Radel (R-Florida) pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court on Nov. 20 to a misdemeanor charge of possession of cocaine. The freshman lawmaker was busted on Oct. 29 after his drug dealer flipped on him following his own arrest. Radel will be on supervised probation for one year and has entered rehab. Florida lawmakers are calling for his resignation. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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They Never Learn - Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind celebrated the Jewish holiday Purim last February by dressing in blackface. He hired a professional makeup artist to make him look like a basketball player. Hikind later apologized for the offense, but also said, "It never crossed my mind for a split second that I was doing something wrong." (Photo: facebook/yoni.hikind)

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DU-Why - Gordon Jenkins, mayor of Monticello, New York, was captured on video in a drunken racist, expletive-laden rage against local law enforcement after he was arrested in November after he was arrested for drunken driving. "Don't call me mayor," he says in one of the videos. "Call me n***r, because that's what I am when I'm here in handcuffs." (Photo: CBS2 NY)

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Sticky Fingers - San Diego Mayor Bob Filner reluctantly agreed to step down in August after an eye-popping 17 women alleged that he'd groped, kissed and made lewd comments to them.  (Photo: Bill Wechter/Getty Images)

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The End - Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in prison on Oct. 10. The former “hip hop” mayor of Detroit's woes began with lies in court about an affair with his chief of staff and ended with dozens of convictions of fraud and other misdeeds that reportedly have cost the beleaguered city millions.  (Photo: Jerry Lemenu/AP Photo)

Photo By Photo: Jerry Lemenu/AP Photo

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One for the History Books - Steven Brooks in March became the first lawmaker to be expelled from the Nevada Assembly, following a months-long emotional and legal downward spiral. Making matters worse, the two-term Democrat was arrested hours later in California, after leading officers on a high-speed chase.  (Photo: AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)

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Bad Idea - Even though there weren't many Republicans lining up to replace New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, candidate and state Sen. Malcolm Smith, a Democrat, thought it would be a good idea to pay a "pretty penny" to bribe his way onto the GOP ballot. He was arrested on April 2 after an FBI sting operation.(Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar)

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Quid Pro Wrong - Bronx assemblyman Eric Stevenson was arrested in April for allegedly accepting $20,000 in bribes in exchange for assistance opening two adult day care centers in his borough.(Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)