Former congressman Anthony Weiner appears intent on showing that he is without a single redeeming quality. Long a favorite of liberals for his acerbic attacks on the right, Weiner lied when he was first accused of sending naked unsolicited pictures to women. He attacked the media and denied everything until the proof became insurmountable. He then professed shame, resigned from Congress, and promised to reform. Later he ran an embarrassing mayoral campaign, though not without liberal supporters who continued to defend him. He was then outed again as “Carlos Danger,” this assumed name in sending new texts. He again faded away with promises of reform. Friends gave him jobs as a political commentator and even a public relations expert. He was then shown to be again sexting this year, including pictures showing his infant son. After his wife (Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin) left him, it has now been revealed that Weiner has been sexting a 15-year-old girl and allegedly knew that she was a minor. In the most recent scandal, Carlos Danger has emerged as “T Dog.” On this occasion, however, Weiner could have crossed the line into criminal misconduct.
Category: Criminal law
We have been discussing the controversy surrounding the decision of the Justice Department to give immunity to former State Department staffer, Bryan Pagliano and tech specialist Paul Combetta — thereby removing much of the pressure that could have been brought to bear with the threat of criminal charges. That immunity deal became even more questionable when it was disclosed that Combetta used Bleachbit to destroy email records despite his knowledge that those records were being sought by Congress. Now, there is an allegation that Combetta sought advice on the website for how to hide a “VIP’s (VERY VIP) email address.” If true, that would show a conscious effort to conceal the identity of the VIP and illegally alter federal records. Either Combetta did not disclose this effort in violation of his immunity deal or the Justice Department effectively removed a serious threat of indictment though the agreement. Update: the House Committee has ordered Reddit to preserve all messages concerning “Stonetear.”
Marquita Alston, 24, was a teacher at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School who pleaded guilty to five counts of statutory rape with five different 17-year old boys, including encounters on school property. What is very surprising is that five counts of statutory rape by a teacher results in no jail time and only five years of probation.
Travis Tarrants, 40, has the distinctions of not just being accused of being a stalker but a stalker with a dead animal fetish. Oh, I forgot, he really really wanted to teach fourth graders in French Lick, Indiana.
Continue reading “Can You Guess What This Person Was Charged With?”
In what must be the singularly worst defense ever in the annals of criminal law, Richard Keenan, 65, the former mayor of Hubbard, Ohio, confessed to raping a four-year-old girl but insisted that she was a “willing participant” and initiated the sex.
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Dylan Christopher Thompson, 20, insists that he was merely listening to divine direction when he drove 100 miles an hour during a 10-mile chase. The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s deputies were less than won over by the “Jesus is my co-pilot” defense.
Continue reading “Jesus Is My Co-Pilot: Louisiana Man Claims God Told Him To Speed”
Stephen Visconti, 57, and Pamela Visconti, 58, are a Long Island couple seem as perfect for each other as they are a nightmare for any neighborhood. It all started with a report of Stephen threatening people with a shovel. Then it got much much worse.
Continue reading “Can You Guess What These People Were Charged With?”
Brittany Dunn, 27, is an accused cat burglar but not exactly the usual type.
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I will testify this morning before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on the controversy over dueling state and federal investigations involving the climate change debate. After various state attorneys general announced investigations of Exxon Company over its opposition to climate change theories (including subpoenas either to or concerning conservation public interest groups), the Committee issued its own subpoenas to the prosecutors and environmental public interest groups involved in the campaign. That has triggered a confrontation as the prosecutors and environmental groups raised constitutional objections to the House subpoenas. The full committee hearing will start at 10 am in 2318 Rayburn House Office Building.
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I recently discussed the questions raised over the Justice Department giving the two former aides to Hillary Clinton immunity — and thereby removing any serious threat of prosecution while seeking information on their superiors. As part of that discussion, I posed the question of whether these previously immunized witnesses would defy Congress. That confrontation appears to be brewing after the former State Department IT specialist who set up Hillary Clinton’s private server Bryan Pagliano simply ignored a subpoena to appear this week before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Ironically, I will be testifying this morning on the congressional authority to enforce subpoenas in the House of Representatives. House oversight committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (right) will now have to decide whether to move to hold Pagliano and other defiant former Clinton aides in contempt for refusing to appear or respond to the Committee.
Patricia Spann, 43, and Misty Spann, 25, of Duncan, Oklahoma, are mother and daughter but but moved from the familial to the illegal in ramping up their relationship.
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Weirton police officer Stephen Mader would seem the very model of courage after he confronted an armed man and, rather than just shooting him (which seems all too common today), he engaged Ronald D. Williams Jr., (shown left) in conversation to try to get him to drop the gun. He said the gun was not pointed at him and was by his side (it turned out to a unloaded and he believed it was a case of “suicide by cop”). He was speaking to the man when two other officers arrived and shot and killed the man. Mader was then fired. Why? Weirton Police Chief Rob Alexander and his colleagues believe Mader should have just killed the man and been done with it.
Joaquin Mendez, 23, has a cousin who is lethally literal. Alexandro Garibaldi, 24, (left) was with Mendez when his cousin asked whether a bulletproof vest he had put on “still worked.” Garibaldi allegedly responded by saying “Let’s see” and shooting his cousin who died from the fatal wounds.
Some people crash parties. Cynthia Ann Frierson, 36, crashes funerals.
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This afternoon, the Brown family filed its appeal with the United States Supreme Court in the “Sister Wives” case. The case is Brown v. Buhman, No. 14-4117. As lead counsel for the Browns, I am joined on the petition by co-counsel Thomas Huff and we benefited from the input of our long-time co-counsel in Utah, Adam Alba. The petition asks the Court to resolve a longstanding conflict among the courts of appeals concerning the extent to which the government can strategically moot a constitutional challenge to a statute by announcing a new non-enforcement policy during the pendency of litigation. The petition is attached below.
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