The United States Justice Department has finally outdone the O.J. Simpson prosecution team as the worst in history. After derailing a relatively straightforward case with prosecutorial abuse and creating major appellate issues for former Senator Ted Stevens (R., Alaska), they have now succeeded in getting one of the most mild mannered federal judges to hold them in contempt — with obvious justification.
Continue reading “Federal Court Holds Stevens Prosecutors in Contempt”
Category: Criminal law
Here is your Mafia Valentine story. Ugo Gabriele, 27, a mafia boss in Naples who ran a huge drug, prostitution, and murder racket has been arrested. Police were surprised, however, to find that he insisted on being called Kitty and was now a transvestite. It appears that the mob has finally dropped its long discriminatory hiring practices and removed the glass ceiling for gay, lesbian, and transsexual mobsters.
Continue reading “Hello Kitty: Transvestite Mafia Boss Named “Kitty” Arrested in Naples”
With the recent sentencing of Richard “Dickie” Scruggs on mail fraud charges, there was great speculation as to the fate of Mississippi Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter, who was the alleged recipient of a bribe. The speculation is now over with the indictment of the judge with conspiracy, mail fraud and obstruction. The bribery involved a promise to help secure a federal judgeship with the help of Senator Trent Lott (R., Miss.).
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Now, coming from Chicago, I find nothing curious about this story. However, District Judge Mark Kent Ellis was a bit concerned when a jury returned a conviction against Charles Mapps in only 45 minutes by a vote of 13 jurors. Some would say that would make him really really guilty, but there is a small problem of being a violation of the state constitution.
Continue reading “Thirteen Angry Men: Mistrial Declared After Texas Man Convicted by Vote of 13-0”
U.S. District Court Judge Keith Ellison gutted the defamation case of Roger Clemens against his former trainer Brian McNamee. As discussed on this blog, the case was unlikely to succeed and seemed part of Clemens’ public campaign to defend his reputation. Now, he is more likely to appear in court as a criminal defendant than as a civil litigant.
Continue reading “Strike Out: Federal Judge Guts Roger Clemens’ Defamation Case Against McNamee”
There is yet another terrible crime associated with India’s caste system. In Patna, eight members of a family where shot, beheaded, and thrown into a river after Ratan Mandal, 21, a poor villager, married Kanchan Kumari, 18, above his caste in secret. Fifteen people from the wealthy girl’s family have been charged.
Continue reading “India Family Shot and Beheaded in “Honor Killings””
In Queens, New York, a pedestrian was struck by a van and dragged 19.8 miles without the driver realizing that he had a body beneath his vehicle. The van was the second vehicle to hit the man and what is most remarkable is that it does not appear that either the first car or second car were hit-and-run drivers.
Continue reading “No Charges in Case of Man Dragged 19.8 Miles Under Van”
There is an interesting case filed in Dallas, Texas where attorney Evan Lane “Van” Shaw has sued 193rd District Judge Carl Ginsberg (left) after the judge alleged that Shaw was stalking him. He is suing the judge for libel and slander. The case raises provocative questions about not just recusal but defamation.
Continue reading “Texas Lawyer Sues Judge Over Stalking Comment”
Florida Judge Thomas E. Stringer Sr. has resigned after the disclosure of his dealings with a stripper, Christy Yamanaka, 48. Stringer was accused of helping Yamanaka of hiding assets from their creditors. The allegations were previously discussed on this blog.
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Amanda Gessner, 19, may have the shortest singing career in history. Police in Drexel Hill say that a surveillance camera caught Gessner signing “The fire department is going to be mad at me” before she started seven fires.
In yet another crackdown on free speech over criticism of a religion, the editor and publisher of The Statesman has been arrested for running an article that contains material insulting to Muslims. The Statesman’s editor Ravindra Kumar and publisher Anand Sinha were arrested in Calcutta.
The Fresno Police Department is investigating two officers videotaped beating a homeless man during his arrest. In the video below, the man, Glen Beaty, 52, is shown on the ground receiving hits to the head. Police Chief Jerry Dyer acknowledged that ‘the initial reaction of people that view this video will be one of disbelief.”
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Peanut Corporation of America owner Stewart Parnell has invoked his privilege against self-incrimination to refuse testimony before Congress. It was the smart move. Parnell is in the same position as Roger Clemens and other baseball players accused in the steroid scandal. The most likely charge that they faced was not from the original allegations but their testimony before Congress, the grand jury, or statements to investigators.
Continue reading “No Nut: Peanut Company President Parnell Takes the Fifth Before Congress”
Pittsfield Township likes its lawns uniform and is willing to use criminal law to enforce its lawnacratic rule. Stanislav Voskov thought that he was doing a good thing by growing an environmentally friendly lawn by allowing various natural plants to grow without mowing. Pittsfield spotted some weeds of over ten inches and brought down the law on the lawn. Now, Judge Cedric Simpson has rule that Voskov must join the Stepford-like community in his lawn appearance.
Continue reading “Lawnocrats: Michigan Man Loses Case to Grow Environmentally Friendly Lawn”
This has been a uniquely bad week for civil libertarians. The Obama Administration appears to be rushing to dispel any notions that Obama will fight for civil liberties or war crimes investigations. After Eric Holder allegedly assured a senator that there would be no war crimes investigation and seemed to defend Bush policies, Harvard Law Dean Elena Kagan, Obama’s Solicitor General nominee, reportedly told a Republican senator that the Administration agreed with Bush that we are “at war” and therefore can hold enemy combatants indefinitely. In the meantime, Obama himself seemed to tie himself in knots when asked about investigating war crimes and leading democrats are again pushing for a symbolic “truth commission.” I discussed these issues in this segment of Countdown this week.
Continue reading “Top Obama Aides Embrace Bush’s War on Terror Rhetoric and Enemy Combatant Policy”