Vick will show at trial in a suit and 'DogKiller' shoes.
DOGKILLER Nike shoes by Michael Vick
Posted on 08/14/2007 5:04:37 AM PDT by libstripper
The feds are probably offering him a good deal. He would be wise to take it. They don't want the race-baiters to start screaming about the fact that Vick is black, and Vick doesn't want to spend any more time behind bars than necessary. If they offer him 1 year (the length he's out of the NFL anyway), he should leap at it with tears of joy in his eyes. He will probably not be able to overcome the mountain of evidence and witnesses against him at the moment... even with a Johnnie Cochran at his side. Vick would be financially ravaged AND facing many more years behind bars, all in the hopes for another OJ jury. It's not worth the risk. Take the deal, if it is anything under 2 years (and likely will be).
There’s no way in the world you can run an enterprise of this size, with this many people in the know, and hope to keep your involvement secret.
My guess is that, like a lot of big sports stars, he’s just so very arrogant that he completely discounted the possibility of being called to account for his activities. If that’s the case then I would hang him for that alone, never mind the terrible thing he was doing.
I think Vick's going to go down and that he really doesn't have any choice but to cut a deal, a deal that will effectively destroy his career. The Feds now have the three witnesses they mention in the indictment plus all three of Vick's co-defendants. Vick's attorneys might be able to impeach one or two of the prosecution's witnesses, but all six??? The superseding indictment that's going to be filed if he doesn't plead will contain at least two more dog fighting charges, meaning he will be looking at some very serious hard prison time if he chooses to roll the dice and go to trial. It's crystal clear the the Feds are deadly serious and are using this case to break the whole eastern US dog fighting racket.
What really interests me is the details of any plea deal. It looks like Vick, in addition to being a leading NFL QB, was also pretty much of a godfather of the eastern US dog fighting racket, having created for himself and his buddies what looks like a dog fighter's Disney World. Hence, the price for the deal is likely to be his ratting out as much of the racket as he can. Once he does that, the PR for the NFL and the Falcons will be so bad that they couldn't take him back even if he had 100% completions and was divinely guaranteed to take the Falcons to the Super Bowl. It's a lot worse than if he got drunk, got into an auto accident and killed a person, something for which he might get forgiveness after a guilty plea.
A chance at retribution? Retribution with a hank of knotted rope is what he should get.
There is no way they can try this man in or around VT and get a conviction. The feds know it. The feds never bring a tax court case, before a jury, in this part of the country either
‘This makes three of Vick’s co-defendants who’ve been flipped. What’s worse for him, the Feds are putting on serious pressure by threatening to file a superseding indictment with “at least two more Federal dog fighting charges.” His only hope now seems to be an OJ jury.’
He’ll never stand trial now. Its not just the three ‘co-defendents’ here. People are forgetting Vick’s ‘cousin’ that lived in the house, and obviously was part of the ‘day to day operation’ of the Kennel. He wasn’t indicted.
The only way that happens in a Federal investigation is if he copt a deal BEFORE, or immediately after, the story broke.
Smart money says Vick takes the plea bargain by ‘close of business’ Friday afternoon (4PM EST).
Watch and see. He’s going to prison.
After the OJ fiasco, I think he should go for a trial. He only needs one juror.
OJ did his thing in the days before everyone carried a camcorder/cellphone. You can bet there are videos (very graphic) that detail all that went on, with Vick front and center grinning.
When the prosecution introduces those as evidence, they become public. No NFL owner will touch him after that.
I am positive Vick can get himself an OJ jury in Atlanta,
1. The trial won’t be in Atlanta. It will be in Virginia.
2. This isn’t a ‘county’ prosecution, its a Federal prosecution. OJ literally ‘outspent’ Los Angeles COUNTY. Vick can’t ‘outspend’ the Federal Government.
3. Vick now faces three witnesses, not including his ‘cousin’ who wasn’t indicted. OJ killed all ‘witnesses’.
4. Vick’s already busted on ‘obstruction’ based on his original denials of knowing about the kennel, knowing what was going on at the house.
5. The IRS will have something to say about the unreported financial gains - reported to be in numerous cases to be over 20,000 dollars. Consider what the IRS does to those who bet on horses and try to hide the winning....then note they took down Al Capone back in the day on far less evidence, without any other government entity helping that ‘revenuers’.
There is no comparision, in short, to the OJ case.
With a sharp attorney Vick can go to a jury and win. All he needs is a sympathetic “OJ” jury. Their is probably enough in the backgrounds of the two government informants to make their testimony “suspect” or incredible.
\
Nope.
At the risk of putting myself in a position where I might be perceived as defending Vick, why is this a federal case?
Did something (dogs, people, money?) cross state lines? There are FEDERAL dog-fighting laws?? Or is it FEDERAL animal-cruelty laws?
I think there are too many FEDERAL laws.
Living in the heart of Virginia, and listening to Richmond TV&radio news, including this morning's news, I can't imagine 'local news' having an informed opinion on what Vick and his attorneys may or may not do.
Is this a felony charge?
"Sources told ESPN's Kelly Naqi that Vick attorneys Larry Woodward and Billy Martin met with federal prosecutor Michael Gill and the investigators on Monday afternoon."
It looks to me like this meeting wasn't so much about what the feds have on Vick, but what they hope to get from him...
IF I had to guess I would say :
5 years probation, hefty fine ($250K or higher), hundreds of hours of community service (most likely at humane shelters).
Vick will then make a tearful apology on Television, he will accept a one year ban from the NFL (before they even do it), he will also pledge a very large donation to the Humane Society and/or PETA.
The Atlanta Falcons will cut ties with Vick, and he will sign with someone else next year at a greatly reduced salary.
Reminds me of when Bob Packwood was run out of the Senate for “bad behavior”. As they were pushing him out the door he should have yelled, “Hey Teddy, at least I didn’t KILL anyone”.
I agree Vick will cut a plea deal, but I don’t think he is going to jail.
If it was ‘just dog fighting’ I’d tend to agree. But its not.
You have tax evasion, you have interstate criminal conspiracy, you have RICO, and obstruction of justice, in addition to the primary ‘crime’.
I think he does a year in prison. And I doubt he’ll ever play in the NFL again.
You’ve got to ask yourself what in the world made Vick think he could get away with this endeavor.
_________
Remember, though, that it was not the dogfighting that started this whole thing. It was a drug arrest, and that’s what led to the search of the property.
It could have gone on quite a bit longer.
Don’t rule that out.
I don’t think you can find a “jury of his peers” that will convict him regardless of the facts or evidence.
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