Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw)-Weekend Contibutor
It has happened again. Several big banks have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar and are paying billions in fines for their admitted transgressions.
“On Wednesday, four large global banks — Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland — pleaded guilty to a series of federal crimes over a scheme to manipulate the value of the world’s currencies. The Justice Department accused the banks of collusion in one of the largest and yet least regulated markets, noting that at one bank one trader remarked “the less competition the better.”
That lack of oversight, coupled with the pressure to squeeze profits from a relatively middling business, set the stage for this scandal, one that unfolded nearly every day for five years. The crimes described on Wednesday also painted the portrait of something more systemic: a Wall Street culture that enabled many big banks to break the law even after years of regulatory black marks after the crisis.” New York Times
These banksters have once again been fined billions of dollars, but not a single executive is going to jail. How can a corporate “person” admit to multiple felonies and not go to jail? Some of these felons have been “caught” before and are repeat offenders. I guess we should be happy that least this time the Justice Department forced the parent companies to be named.
“In announcing the cases, the Justice Department emphasized that the banks’ parent companies entered the guilty pleas rather than a subsidiary, representing a new frontier in efforts to punish Wall Street misdeeds.” New York Times I have asked this question before, but it bears repeating. Could any other person admit to multiple felonies and not expect some jail time?
The New York Times reported that the banks worked hard to make sure that they could keep doing business as usual, even after admitting to multiple felonies.
“For the banks, though, life as a felon is likely to carry more symbolic shame than practical problems. Although they could be barred by American regulators from certain activities, the banks scrambled behind the scenes to persuade those regulators to grant exemptions. That process, which delayed the Justice Department’s announcement by a week, already led to the Securities and Exchange Commission providing a number of waivers that allow the banks to conduct business as usual.” New York Times
It amazes me that the Securities and Exchange Commission would allow waivers to these felons who have shown time and again a disregard for our laws. I wonder how many former employees of these felonious banks are on the Securities and Exchange Commission?
As we have written about before, the fines that these felons are ordered to pay are often tax-deductible and the actual out-of-pocket fine is much smaller than advertised. The taxpayers and the shareholders are the ones paying for these felons to continue their illegal activities. It seems obvious that no matter how large the fines are, they have not induced lawful behavior from the felonious banks.
What will it take for the Justice Department to actually prosecute these repeat offenders and put them in jail? Will jailing some bank executives cause a change in the banks repeated illegal activities?
If the Justice Department refuses to jail any executive, is there a way the executives could be fined personally? Something needs to be done to stop these felons from continuing to fleece the marketplace. What do you think?
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Let’s see, as Felons they cannot vote and thus they should be removed from influencing the vote and thus all Pac and SuperPac and any contributions should be stricken. They should not be allowed to handle pension funds or trust funds as Felons. Or is this punishment just actually aiding and abetting felony crimes making those who filed these laughable charges against a corporation for felony crimes, instead of the humans that did the crime, just a front for further crime to evade punishment and conspirators? Therefore, the AG’s and others involved in this facade of justice should all be charged with CRIMINAL aiding and abetting and MISPRISION OF FELONY as this is a SHAM MOCKERY OF JUSTICE to defeat law. Oh where oh where has justice gone? A RICO needs to be filed against not only the FELONS but those accomplices inside government who support this bogus hoax of justice. I mean really, these banks ripped of economies of trillions of dollars and were charged with paltry recoveries. TOO BIG TO FAIL = BREAK THEM UP WITH ANTITRUST VIOLATIONS and TOO BIG TO JAIL = BS as NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. TAKE THEM OVER AND RECOVER ALL BONUSES PAID TO THIEVES AND SEIZE ALL THEIR ASSETS AND DISTRIBUTE THEM TO THE PEOPLE. LEAVE THEM PENNILESS IN PRISON, as they intended to leave the People penniless.
To all those would be legal scholars, members of the bar, bloggers of Justice etc. who claim to care about Justice, yet fail to point out the crimes being committed by the FELONS disguised as Attorneys at Law, Judges, Prosecutors etc. involved in this hoax on Justice and robbing of the American (and world) People, you should be ashamed at giving this mockery of justice validity by discussing it other than to DEMAND a RICO and RECOVER and TRY and FRY the bastaards (the humans involved in the crimes and all of them all the way to the top) who committed the crimes and break up their CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES operating as banks and financial institution already convicted CORPORATE FELONS(???) and imprison the humans, CEO’s, BOARD MEMBERS and the whole lot, for this treason against humanity or better that with a Noose. If you do not DEMAND ALL TRILLIONS BACK I say put down your pens, suppress your voices and bend over to your masters who stand above the law you behold.
Any AG that approves this should be charged. FAKE JUSTICE = NO JUSTICE
Moreover, as felons they are federally barred from ever possessing firearms. Now these are four TBTF commercial banks. Do they employ security guards, armored car operators, detectives, night watchmen, couriers carrying negotiable bonds or cash or gold between them and the NY Fed or other financial institutions and depositors, armed chauffeurs for the top brass all being issued firearms which are the banks’ chattel property?
Sorry, they are forfeit. Plus the vehicles, computers, records, and file cabinets used in the commission of the crimes. If they are felons, how can they even WORK for an FDIC financial institution or engage in securities transactions with NASDAQ, NYSE, AMEX, NFA, CBOE, or British FSA regulated entities? They can’t even get a job as a waitress, Target cracker stacker, or a McDonalds worker because they can’t pass the background check! Are you kidding me?
Who answers for this: Eric Holder, Eliot Spitzer, Valarie Jarrett, USA for So. Dist NY, Marc Rich, or Robert Vesco? We are now the most corrupt justice system and a laughing stock of derision for freedom loving democracies. We tap Angela Merkel’s phone, reveal Israeli state secrets shared confidentially with us, cashier a loyal, courageous, patriotic military hero for noodling with a reporter in order to distract from Hillary and Blumenthal’s bungling do-it-yourself, amateur spy operation, and we plan to try 9-11 murders in Foley Square. Beyond the Pale and beyond credulity. We’ll need to prepare for the revolt Jefferson predicted.
The corporation’s felonious decisions were made by natural persons. It doesn’t matter if it is a corporation. People do the crimes, sign the false statements and are totally culpable under the law. If the Prosecutor and the Police won’t enforce the law, you are S.O.L. But fortunately, we do have Civil RICO, and in Florida, the magnificent Little RICO along with civil remedies for criminal acts. The later covers one crime. The former requires two victims to establish the Racket, or pattern. Treble damages plus attorneys fees and costs to the prevailing party and the burden is simply clear and convincing evidence. You sue the people and their employer.
Florida Federal S&L went after me for student loans before and after they were convicted (and executives went to prison!) in Tampa of doctoring and fabricating loan servicing records in their student loan division. They were taken over by the federal s & l bailout Office of Thrift Supervision scam who then came after me. One notarized document from me and they all lost out. Bluffing bullies!
Think about defaulting on any accounts you might have with these four banks, their credit card divisions, and throw up this affirmative defense: “I don’t do business with convicted serial felons and you can’t make me. If I knew they were such nasty crooks, I would never have signed the papers.” They violated the covenant of good faith required of any valid contract. An “agreement” induced by misrepresentation is not a contract at all. It is a fraud tort which gives rise to punitive damages. But Florida has you covered three times with civil remedies for criminal acts.
? Which “community group for registering new voters” received the billions of dollars in fines ?
Give these banks the death penalty (liquidation) and the banksters long prison sentences.
Wall St. owns the duopoly. That’s why we need more parties. The own Hillary lock, stock and barrel.
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION
ELIOT IVAN BERNSTEIN, LEAD )
PLAINTIFF of CLASS ACTION )
On behalf of 318.9 million (2014) ) Case No. TBD
US Citizens similarly situated, ) Honorable TBD
)
Plaintiffs ) CLASS ACTION CIVIL RICO
)
v. ) JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
)
A RICO CONSPIRATORIAL CRIMINAL )
ENTERPRISE – SEE EXTENDED LIST )
OF DEFENDANTS ) Filers: Eliot Ivan Bernstein, et al.
)
Defendants, )
CLASS ACTION CIVIL RICO
That Eliot Ivan Bernstein, Pro Se, hereby files this Class Action RICO lawsuit on behalf of approximately 318.9 million (2014) United States Citizens who have been similarly affected by the actions of the Criminal RICO Enterprise that have cost US Citizens and estimated ______Trillions of Dollars, more fully described herein, and so states, on information and belief the following.
VENUE
Defendants List
BACKGROUND
1. That the United States Government has discovered and prosecuted and/or settled over the last several years, several very complex illegal legal schemes conducted primarily of a criminal cartel of a select group of large law firms and lawyers, that have infiltrated government key outposts at the highest levels in all three branches of government, the military and the press. This Coup D’état of the United States Government has disarmed the United States of the Justice Departments and Courts in order to bring about law and order as is guaranteed to all citizens of the United States and has allowed for robbing of government assets and public assets, with virtually no criminal prosecutions. Where criminal prosecutions were done they appear to be settled with no criminals punished and get out of jail free issued for CRIMINAL ACTS, these “settlements” may have been further orchestrated and aided and abetted by the Criminal Cartel insiders, mostly lawyers and judges, acting in criminal conspire, to allow the Cartel to evade Justice with a paltry fine in compare to the TRILLIONS of dollars that have been stolen from the Citizens of the United States and Citizens of Countries Worldwide.
2. That the Cartel acts predicate acts, include but are not limited to, the following predicate RICO Acts and other violations of federal and state laws;
a. Housing Market Rigging – Fraudulent Mortgages
b. Interest Rate Manipulations – LIBOR and PRIME RATE
c. Commodities Market Rigging – Gold, Silver, etc.
d. Court Related Crimes
i. Foreclosure / Mortgage Fraud
1. Fraudulent Notarizations
2. Bank Fraud
3. Predatory Lending with intent of default and shorting market knowing it would crash
ii. Probate / Guardian
iii. Intellectual Property Thefts
iv. Blocking Criminal Prosecutions and Civil Complaints through Abuse of Process
v. Attorney and Judge Protection through Self Un-Regulating Process
vi. Claims of Judicial Immunity for acts outside Color of Law
e. War Crimes
i. Torture – Lawyers involved made decisions to violate US and International Codes
ii. Illegal Wars of Aggression
3. Christine Anderson, Esq. Whistleblower/Employment lawsuit reveals internal corruption in attorney disciplinary departments that implicates senior attorneys at law in various high level government posts. Disciplinary department also regulates Wall Street attorneys at law and thus protects “favored lawyers and law firms,” according to Anderson, disabling prosecution of them.
4. CRIME CHARTS OF THE CARTEL FROM LEGALLY RELATED ANDERSON CASES
a. Law Firms and Attorneys
b. Judges
c. Public Offices
i. DOJ
ii. SEC
iii. DA
iv. NY AG
v. NY GOVERNOR
vi. Disciplinary Departments
1. Sampson Hearings
2. Moreland Commission
a. Silver
b. Cuomo
5.
Respectfully submitted,
DATED: Tuesday, February 3, 2015
/s/ Eliot Ivan Bernstein____________________
Third Party Defendant/Cross Plaintiff PRO SE
Eliot Ivan Bernstein
2753 NW 34th St.
Boca Raton, FL 33434
Telephone (561) 245-8588
iviewit@iviewit.tv
http://www.iviewit.tv
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I HEREBY CERTIFY that on ___________, I electronically filed the foregoing with the Clerk of the Court using CM/ECF. I also certify that the foregoing is being served this day on all counsel of record identified below via transmission of Notices of Electronic Filing generated by CM/ECF or in some other authorized manner.
EXHIBIT A
I must agree with Tom Nash. Jamie Dimon wore the presidential cuff-links at one of his Congressional hearings. He is one of Obama’s “savvy businessmen friends” who watches the superbowl at the Whitehouse. That “friendship”, and his very large contributions to the coffers of Obama are just a few of the reasons that he will not go to jail.
It has been more than frustrating to see Obama supporters continue to ignore that the person they voted for, stumped for and excoriated others for even mentioning that these types of things were happening, still seem unwilling to take a hard look at who it was they actually voted for. Who are the people connected to Obama? Once you look at this, it becomes very clear why these banking criminals, like those who tortured, will get off scott free.
William K. Black was a key figure in the S&L prosecutions. He claimed a 90% success rate in securing convictions.
His views on the 180 turnabout on prosecuting/not prosecuting post-2008 are easily found with a Google search.
He’s focused a lot on the “infrastructure” in place for the S&L prosecutions. Specially trained FBI Agents, regulators, DOJ attorneys, and auditors.
The commitment to put together these forces post-2008 just wasn’t there, according to Black. So “everybody got a pass on a crisis 70 times as large as the S&L mess.
Olly
As an attorney who has both government and private practice experience, my view is that private practice attorneys can be “enablers” and/or “defenders”. The ” Enabler” class includes those who facilitate the kind of conduct decried in this post, before the government focuses on the conduct in question.
Defenders defend those who have drawn the attention of the government in an investigation. Prof Turley is a defender. Be careful about attacking attorneys who are defenders, as you may need a defender some day.
I see several obstacles to holding accountable (criminally) those who should be held accountable. First, the government needs to go after those enablers who cross the line. This happened to a degree in the tax area when the government pursued criminally some of the tax professionals who hawked bogus tax shelters. But it needs to happen more frequently.
Second, the government needs to avoid being “outlawyered” by the “Defender” type of attorneys. Figuring out how to accomplish that goal is no easy task, but when you have congressional leaders and significant segments of society repeatedly bashing DOJ and IRS on a wholesale basis, don’t be surprised when high quality attorneys don’t go to work there or, if they already work there, decide to leave to work elsewhere.
And when you cut budgets to the point where it is difficult to replace departing attorneys, don’t be surprised if the quality of government attorneys deteriorates significantly.
Finally, eliminating cronyism is a must. Bring in some “outsiders” to run things at a high level. When everyone belongs to the same country club or the same alumni association, or used to work at the same law firm, there can be plenty of cronyism without any laws being broken.
One last point. There should be more liberal use of granting immunity to individuals in investigations of bankster type activities and similar suspected wrongdoing. For example, if House Republicans were serious about finding out what really happened with Lois Lerner, they would have granted her immunity and required her to “sing”. But that will never happen. The Republicans just want to generate political mileage rather than to find out what really happened.
Why doesn’t DOJ make greater use of immunity in bankster investigations? Perhaps it is because what would be said by those who are granted immunity might create problems for and embarrass all kinds of people, inside and outside of government, who in turn place pressure on DOJ to avoid being embarrassed (or worse).
But isn’t this why Loretta Lynch was perfect for the AG job?
… Oh, enablers too.
http://thehill.com/regulation/211585-watchdog-slams-dojs-softball-enforcement-policies
Tom Nash has a point. It’s been very frustrating to see the DOJ give these criminals a pass.
Mr. Rafflaw……….I have pointed out that there were c. 1,000 convictions in the wake of the S&L collapse/scandal of the 1980s.
There were prosecutions and convictions related to Enron’s collapse, the dot com bust, insider trading ( Martha Stewart and co.) etc. in 2001 and beyond.
There was a LOT of responsibilty on the part if Greenspan, Rubin, Summers, Congress, etc. for the 2008 meltdown. The repeal of Glass-Steagal in 1998 officially “opened the door” to massive, unregulated, risky derivative games that magnified the scope if the subprime loan fiasco, sunk numerous banks, threatened ÁIG’s survival (with 175,000,000 policies), etc.
Our “regulators” like the Fed, Treasury secretaries, Congressional “oversight” committees seemed to have learned nothing from the S&L deregulation fiasco, the near-meltdown the collapse of Long Term Capital Management caused in 1998, etc.
PBS FRONTLINE’s THE WARNING did a great job of reviewing the numerous blunders that led to the near-collapse of our financial system in 2008.
There seems to have been very few prosecutions related to the 2008 crisis/abuses.
I think a key question, which I have never seen you address, is why the charges/prosecutions virtually stopped post-2008.
As I have pointed out, there were vigorous and numerous prosecutions in pre-2008 scandals.
I think it’s refreshing a poster (not commenter) actually calls for some basic justice (for once).
These execs should be incarcerated for long periods of time based on law and harm to society.
Does JT have a number I could call to report these guys? After all, the police are concerned with law breaking, right?
Same as it ever was… The DonorClass skates.
No mention of corporate lawyers in this piece but then that would require humility for one to acknowledge the legal industry complicity in this sort of corruption. Nope, much easier to omit that significant piece of information and just cast stones over there. None of this takes place without FIRST consulting their attorney. We will never run out of people willing to game the “system” and attorneys willing to help them stay clear of criminal prosecution.
It seems like it would be malicious prosecution if some other folks get to go to jail for these crimes and bankers do not. The DoJ has simply decreed that the law does not matter and that some persons are above the law.
Good to know that in America our DOJ is headed up by a person who’ll get that job done.
… er, looks like I spoke too early.
Reblogged this on The Grey Enigma.
The way criminals in the banks are being dealt with is in itself criminal, in my opinion. Fines are often tax deductible. Banks are legal fictions that do not act. The people who run them commit the crimes and should be punished! It’s not too big to jail it’s too connected to jail because bank CROs are norm size humans but their connections protect them.
Serious prosecution would be a darn good idea. And as long as the US Supremes think that corporations are “persons”, then jail time too. Yes a corporation can be jailed. Just put its board minute books and stock transfer book in the clink. No meetings. No transactions. That will get attention!