Free Republic

Kevin McGrath, who currently sits on the Troy City Council, testified yesterday at the upstate New York voter fraud trial, that he was concerned about running for public office because of his history of substance abuse, and 'the fact that he is a convicted felon'. These days it seems, McGrath is far less concerned about public perception, at one point cracking a joke about his lack of drug-peddling business savvy - a comment that forced him to apologize to the judge. During his testimony, McGrath stated that he was not convicted of distributing 220 lbs. of pot, but rather, he...

Kevin McGrath, who currently sits on the Troy City Council, testified yesterday at the upstate New York voter fraud trial, that he was concerned about running for public office because of his history of substance abuse, and 'the fact that he is a convicted felon'. These days it seems, McGrath is far less concerned about public perception, at one point cracking a joke about his lack of drug-peddling business savvy - a comment that forced him to apologize to the judge. During his testimony, McGrath stated that he was not convicted of distributing 220 lbs. of pot, but rather, he...

Bremen Police have a man in custody after the attempted abduction of a 7-year-old girl at a Walmart. Brittney Baxter was in the toy aisle at the Walmart on Highway 27 when a man came up behind her and grabbed her, police said. The man put his hand over her mouth, but Brittney kicked, squirmed and made as much noise as possible before the man let go and ran off. ..... The incident was caught on store surveillance footage.

Two Political Analysts Say Gov. Perdue's Decision Doesn't Add UpWritten by Philip Jones 7:09 PM, Jan 30, 2012 Greensboro, NC -- We've had a few days to digest Gov. Bev Perdue's decision not to run for reelection, but there's still a bit of mystery surrounding her reasoning. **SNIP** "It's very difficult to see how her ... announcing she's stepping down increases the chances Republicans go back on their campaign promises from 2010 and say, 'OK, we're now open to a tax increase,'" Dinan said. Perdue said she believes she could've beat likely challenger Pat McCrory in this fall's election, but...

The U.S. Constitution and the Nevada Constitution both give citizens the right to bear arms. But the Nevada Supreme Court said Thursday that right doesn't extend to convicted felons. And that prohibition in Nevada applies to antique and muzzle-loading replica firearms. Michael Pohlabel, an ex-felon, was arrested in Elko County with a black-powder rifle in the back seat of his car. The weapon is a type that must be loaded by hand each time a shot is fired, takes at least 45 seconds to load and is hard to conceal. The court noted that federal law excludes antique and muzzle-loading...

At last night's Republican debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., we heard the candidates talk about whether ex-cons should vote and we heard the candidates talk about the right to bear arms. At the next debate, I'd like to hear the candidates talk about whether ex-cons should bear arms. Asked about Mitt Romney's attacks on his candidacy, Rick Santorum complained that Romney's Super PAC had an ad that said he favored allowing felons to vote from prison, when in fact what Santorum favored was allowing felons to vote after they've served their prison sentences. Santorum asked Romney: "Do you believe people...

Ex-NC Gov. Easley Avoids Disbarment after FelonyBy The Associated Press UPDATED: 8:43 pm EST January 6, 2012 Wake County -- Former North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley will be able to resume practicing law at end of this year under an agreement reached with the State Bar on his punishment related to a campaign finance-related felony in 2010. A disciplinary panel on Friday approved the agreement between the Bar and Easley in which his law license will be suspended for another 11 months. His license was suspended more than a year ago while the Bar investigated his case.

William Jefferson Appeal Could Weaken Corruption StatuteBy Amanda Becker Roll Call Staff Dec. 12, 2011, Midnight A federal prosecutor warned Friday that if the conviction of former Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) is reversed on appeal, it would place many fraudulent acts committed by lawmakers outside the scope of current bribery law. Jefferson was convicted of 11 corruption charges in 2009, but his legal team is arguing that since the former Congressman’s scheme to connect businesses in which he had a financial stake with foreign governments was not related to his formal legislative duties, his activities are not covered by the...

On Wednesday, the Budget and Finance Committee of the Board of Supervisors will take up a bill that would give a payroll tax credit to local employers who hire ex-felons. I imagine this new law, if enacted, would lead to lots of employment rejection letters for nonfelonious citizens. Letters like this: Dear Mr. Morgan, We at the Mediocris Circus wish to thank you for submitting an application for the position of feline habitat maintenance associate. I read in The San Francisco Examiner that the unemployment rate for Americans ages 16 to 24 is about 18 percent, which must explain why...

So held a North Carolina trial court in Johnston v. State (Oct. 24, 2011). Richard Johnston had been convicted of “felonious receipt of stolen property and conspiracy to commit grand larceny” in 1978, and pled no contest “to fraudulent setting fire, conspiracy, false statement to procure, and conspiracy to receive, receiving, conspiracy to commit larceny and accessory before the fact” in 1981. (The underlying crimes occurred in 1976, and “did not involve either violence or the use of a firearm.”) Since then, Johnston has apparently led a law-abiding life, setting aside “routine traffic citations and two hunting citations, one of...

Evanovich's sisters say they know what their brother was doing was wrong, but they say the police should have handled the response because they’re trained to deal with crimes in progress. Johnita Beal says the witness should have dialed 911, "Police could have been easily contacted, easily, and my brother would have been behind bars, or something like that, but no, he's gone now."

A Duluth man continued to say someone else shot him, but nevertheless pleaded for a shorter sentence Thursday by telling the court: "If I shot myself, your honor, I don't need any prison; I need a damn shrink." Judge David Johnson was unmoved and sentenced Alcide Cloutier, 35, to a longer-than-guideline prison sentence of 7-1/2 years. Last month, a St. Louis County jury rejected Cloutier's claim that he was a good Samaritan who was shot by a black man - whom he later described as a white man - while trying to help a woman in Duluth's Lakeside neighborhood in...

Six people have recently been charged in St. Louis County with a felony crime that is rarely seen on a Northeastern Minnesota court docket: "Voting while ineligible." It's a felony punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, but a conviction most likely will result in a probationary sentence. Under Minnesota law, a person is ineligible to vote if their civil rights had not been restored after being convicted of treason, or any felony, or while under a guardianship in which a court order revoked the ward's right to vote, or if found by...

The Summerset man who fired a loaded gun during a re-enactment of a shootout last month in Hill City that wounded three tourists is a convicted felon who has been arrested at least 15 times since 1982. Paul Doering, 49, spent more than 50 months in Minnesota prisons for six felony convictions, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Pennington County authorities determined that the bullets that injured Jose Pruneda, 52, of Alliance, Neb., Carrol Knutson, 65, of Birchwood, Minn., and John Ellis, 48, of South Connellsville, Pa., on June 17 came from Doering’s gun. Three of four bullets fired...

Rep. Bill Jefferson corruption case appellate arguments scheduledBy Times-Picayune Staff Updated: Saturday, June 25, 2011, 9:03 AM After a series of lengthy delays, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has tentatively scheduled oral arguments for former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson's appeal of his corruption conviction. A three-judge panel in the Richmond, Va., court announced that it plans to hear the arguments sometime between Sept. 20 and Sept. 23. A Virginia jury found Jefferson, a nine-term New Orleans Democrat, guilty of 11 of 16 corruption charges in August 2009. The jury found that Jefferson demanded, and in some cases received,...

There are enough examples of the Obama administration's attacks on Texas to make a David Letterman Top 10 list. But, there's really nothing funny about the full frontal assault that's come out of Washington against our state in recent months. Texas versus Washington talk is popular political chatter, but if you move beyond the rhetoric there's substantial evidence that President Barack Obama's administration is waging a strategic and sustained campaign against lives and livelihoods in the Lone Star state . With all due respect, the president and his administration's hell-bent determination to tear down Texas could be better focused on...

Cultural center to be named after convicted mayorPublished 06:16 a.m., Thursday, June 2, 2011 UNION CITY, N.J. (AP) — Officials have decided to name a new cultural center after a New Jersey mayor who was convicted of federal racketeering charges. The William V. Musto Cultural Center in Union City will be dedicated on June 11. The center used to be the 15th Street Free Public Library. Musto was a state lawmaker who served as mayor from 1962 to 1970 and 1974 to 1982. That's when he was convicted of helping mobsters and contractors siphon federal funds from an expansion project...

Convicted Felon Elected Mayor in OklahomaBut Christopher Linder can't serve Updated: Tuesday, 10 May 2011, 7:29 PM MDT PHOENIX - He is a convicted felon, found guilty here in Arizona for his part in a drive-by shooting and drug charges. **SNIP** Fortunately, Oklahoma law prevents convicted felons from taking office, so Tuesday, he asked for a pardon. Christopher Linder admits he's made poor choices, but says he's a changed man. He would have made history if the pardon was granted...but the board said he's not ready. By a four to one vote, a state board decided not to recommend a...

The Honolulu hospital indicated on the Obama birth record released by the White House barred WND from its premises and threatened to call police in a visit seeking medical records of the president's mother. Kapi'olani Medical Center also has hidden away the letter President Obama purportedly wrote Jan. 24, 2009, naming the hospital as his birthplace. Sen. Sam Slom, Hawaii's only Republican state senator, confirmed to WND at a meeting in Honolulu at his legislative office May 4 that Kapi'olani now has put the letter in a safe. Nothing that would commemorate Honolulu and Kapi'olani as the president's place of...

".....From 1977 to 1990, Lenza served time in Missouri’s State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, also called “The Walls.” He was convicted of murder in 1975 after confessing to killing his first wife and mother-in-law, putting his mother-in-law’s body in a barrel and throwing the barrel into the Mississippi River....."

For years, the man known as Rafael Espinoza was widely respected as an exemplary police officer who was popular among his peers in Alaska's largest city. All that ended this week when authorities discovered he was really Mexican national Rafael Mora-Lopez, who was in the U.S. illegally and stole another man's identity, officials charged.

Grant Kruger was convicted of helping steal $13 million in military equipment from the federal government. He was hired by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development in 2008. Kruger is an unemployment insurance auditor, which means he has access to personal financial information like social security numbers, credit reports, income taxes and phone numbers for thousands of Minnesotans. Kruger also has access to sensitive corporate financial records.

Two bills are being heard in the Nevada Legislature next week that will greatly weaken our elections process, and that directly violate the Nevada Republican Party Platform, which says under the Citizenship section: “We oppose same-day registration and voting. We demand proof of U.S. citizenship and residency at the time of registration and authentic government issued photo identification at the time of voting.” AB108 is a very dangerous bill. It eliminates the deadline to register to vote for an election, and allows same-day registration and voting. This needlessly opens up the electoral process to significant fraud, and allows voters to...

Feds back Jefferson verdict111-page filing says jury got it right Bruce Alpert - Washington bureau Saturday, March 12, 2011 WASHINGTON -- A federal jury properly found that former Rep. William Jefferson engaged in "numerous bribe schemes" to "unjustly enrich himself and his family," so a federal appeals court should allow the jury's guilty verdict to stand, prosecutors say. In a 111-page filing late Thursday to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., the prosecutors urged the court to reject Jefferson's argument that the verdict, guilty on 11 of 16 corruption charges, must be thrown out. Jefferson's attorneys argued...

Disgraced former Sheriff Mike Carona completed his downward spiral from the peak of power in Orange County law enforcement on Tuesday when he surrendered at 8:30 a.m. PST to a federal prison in Colorado to begin serving a 5½-year term for witness tampering. Carona, 55, was Orange County's top cop for nine years before he was indicted, tried and convicted of a single count of trying to convince a former top aide to lie for him during a spreading federal investigation of corruption in the Sheriff's Department.

A 30-year-old man with an extensive criminal record was charged Tuesday in the shooting death of a Georgia State Patrol trooper who was killed after trying to pull over a driver for a minor traffic violation, authorities said. Gregory Favors is charged in the murder of Chadwick LeCroy, 38, who was shot in the neck Monday night after trying to stop Favors' 2007 Mazda for having a broken headlight, said Vernon Keenan, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

*snip* Fern Stephens, a revenue officer at the Internal Revenue Service, is being charged by the U.S. Attorney's office for stealing more than $160,000 in unclaimed tax funds from 12 taxpayers, according to federal court documents. *snip* Stephens also allegedly took advantage of her position in the IRS to put in fake tax refund requests and transfers in an IRS computer system so the money would go right back to her or relatives and friends.

Most principals in William Jefferson case doing poorly a year after his sentencingBy Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune Published: Sunday, November 28, 2010, 9:00 AM A little more than a year after he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for public corruption, former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson from New Orleans remains free pending an appeal that likely won't be resolved until the spring or early summer. But for some of the people and businesses caught up in what federal prosecutors called a web of shakedown schemes orchestrated by Jefferson, no appeals court ruling will reverse the bankruptcies, loss of business and...

“Ex-Con: Where Do I Fit In Anti-Gun Campaign?” the New Haven Independent headline reads. The “ex-con” is James Hanton, “released from jail this spring, [who] complained that he can’t vote to retain or replace elected officials who have a direct impact on how thoroughly or not gun violence is going to be rooted out of his community.” “A lot of us coming out of prison want to go in a different direction,” Hanton said, “but because we have these roadblocks in the way ... You’re saying in order to make these changes we need to vote, or we need to...

Former NC Gov. Mike Easley enters felony plea agreementUpdated: Nov 23, 2010 12:34 PM EST RALEIGH, NC (WBTV/AP) - The former governor of North Carolina has entered a plea agreement over a false campaign finance report. Former Governor Mike Easley entered an Alford plea in Wake County court, which means he acknowledged the state's evidence could result in a conviction without having to admit any guilt. By entering the plea Easley would avoid any prison time. Prosecutors say the plea also ends a federal probe that started in February 2009, a month after he left office. As a part of...

ST. LOUIS, MO—The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that a St. Louis man was sentenced to two years of probation on charges of voting in two different states during the 2008 general election. Tarrell Campbell, 34, St. Louis, appeared this morning before United States District Judge Jean C. Hamilton. In addition to the two years of probation, Campbell was ordered to pay a fine of $250, pay a $100 special assessment, and ordered to participate in drug testing and counseling. Also, as a convicted felon, Campbell is no longer eligible to vote. According to court documents, Campbell had been...

In the dark fantasies of comic books, villains with pathological intent maniacally plot to build super-weapons to decimate cities, countries, and even planets. In Hollywood movies, the corrupt and evil plot to build cop-killing firearms to bring anarchy and chaos to our streets. Now imagine, if you can, a convicted kidnapper — with additional arrests for communicating threats and simple assault — acquiring not just a weapon or two, but an entire gun company while the federal government stood idly by. Imagine that this same felon then started another gun company from scratch, and then used that company to acquire...

Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna and Secretary of State Sam Reed got a resounding victory recently in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals when all 11 judges upheld the state’s ban on voting by prison inmates. Washington’s felon voting law is reasonable. Newly adopted provisions that allow felons to reregister to vote after they have completed their prison time are reasonable, too. It’s encouraging to see the appellate judges uphold the ban — especially by such a wide margin. The 11-0 decision was a sharp turnaround from a three-judge panel of the appellate court which ruled in January that Washington...

...Now Pavel understood. To Pockets, the county jail, state penitentiary, and other such long or short term holding tanks were just another address, just another constituency to manage through Election Day. Sometimes more of a challenge than others. “Ya know how pollsheets are marked, son?” Pockets asked in a moment of helpfulness. Pavel nodded yes, and Pockets continued. “Well, just as the pollsheets show whether the voter is affiliated or independent, whether they voted in the last election, or the previous, or the previous… these prison rosters are marked too. What they’re in for, for how long, whether they’re convicted...

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Camie Ayash was jailed for about a year in 2006 for stealing more than $300,000 from a former employer. Guidelines posted on the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro's website state that if a member is convicted of a felony, his or her membership in the mosque can be terminated. Ayash said that rule does not apply to her, since she is on the board.

Barbara Boxer aide charged with possession of pot By: Erika Lovley September 8, 2010 03:25 PM EDT A senior aide for Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) was arrested Tuesday for attempting to bring marijuana into the Hart Senate Office Building, according to U.S. Capitol Police reports. Marcus Stanley, who served as a senior economic adviser and at one time worked on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee — chaired by Boxer — was stopped by a police officer Tuesday morning when he allegedly tried to “remove and conceal” a leafy green substance from his pocket during a security screening at...

LOS ANGELES - Police beating victim Rodney King is engaged to one of the jurors who awarded him a $3.8 million settlement, RadarOnline reported Tuesday. King and Cynthia Kelley said they first felt a romantic spark when they met in a Newport Beach pizzeria the day after the controversial 1994 jury award. Both were married at the time, which complicated the blossoming relationship. They later separated when King joined the cast of VH1's "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" after multiple arrests for being under the influence of PCP. Four months ago, King, 44, called Kelley on a whim.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., has a long and friendly history with a U.S.-based socialist organization that seeks to create socialist-style health care. Schakowsky has been one of the most vocal congressional cheerleaders of Obama's health-care plan. Her husband, Robert Creamer, a convicted felon and political consultant with close ties to the Obama administration, was credited with helping to provide a blueprint for the president's health-care legislation, WND has learned. The hot new best-seller, "The Manchurian President," by Aaron Klein, reveals inside story on Team Obama and its members. Now available autographed at WND's Superstore! Creamer later wrote his health-care platform...

A Los Angeles city councilman and his wife were indicted on a total of 24 felony counts stemming from allegations he lived outside his district, prosecutors said Wednesday. Richard Alarcon, 56, faces 18 charges of perjury, voter fraud and filing a false declaration of candidacy. His wife, Flora Montes De Oca Alarcon, is charged with six counts including perjury and voter fraud. They both pleaded not guilty and were released on their own recognizance. It was not immediately clear how much prison time they would face if convicted but it could be "substantial," said Jennifer Lentz Snyder, a deputy district...

Link only - House icon Conyers steers clear of his wife's troubles

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Former Ohio Rep. James Traficant has been disqualified in his bid to return to Congress after seven years in prison. Political adviser Linda Kovachik says elections officials in Trumbull County ruled Tuesday that Traficant was short of the number of petition signatures required to get on the fall ballot. She says Traficant plans to appeal. Elections board officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Traficant was hoping to run as an independent in his Youngstown-area home turf against Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan. Traficant represented the region in Congress as a Democrat for nearly two decades....

Federal Judge Says No Alcohol for Monica ConyersUpdated: Friday, 11 Jun 2010, 9:01 PM EDT DETROIT (AP) - A judge has ordered former Detroit councilwoman Monica Conyers to abstain from alcohol after she said the stress of her corruption case has pushed her to drink. Federal Judge Avern Cohn also ordered Conyers to undergo testing and participate in treatment as directed by the court's Pretrial Services agency. The order was signed Thursday after Pretrial Services officer Demetrius Hardy told the judge that Conyers requested treatment. Hardy says she reported an "increase in alcohol consumption" since her guilty plea to a...

Roughed-up Rangel: I'm running anywayBy Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein Last Updated: 7:39 AM, May 16, 2010 Despite ethics investigations and rumblings that he'll retire, Charles Rangel said he will run for re-election in November. "I'm running," Rangel told The Post. The 19-term Harlem Democrat, who turns 80 in June, faces a jam-packed field of candidates. Sensing his political weaknesses, four Democrats are seeking to challenge Rangel in a primary. A Republican is also vying for the seat. Rangel resigned his chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee in March following a report by the Ethics Committee admonishing...

After years of expressing little interest, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the Obama administration to weigh in on whether laws that bar felons from voting violated the federal Voting Rights Act. The request came in the case of Simmons v. Galvin, in which the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Massachusetts Article 120, an amendment to the state constitution in 2000 that barred felons from voting while in prison. Massachusetts is one of 13 states with similar prohibitions, while 35 other states extend the ban to the period of parole or probation or beyond. Only Maine and...

SALT LAKE CITY — State officials refused this week to reinstate the license of a Utah County physician who was jailed in 2009 after his conviction on charges that he traded prescription drugs for sexual favors. Members of the state's Physicians Licensing Board rejected Dr. Max Cannon's second bid to have his medical license reinstated after a hearing earlier this year in which Cannon blamed bipolar disorder for his past conduct. Cannon had submitted a previous application for reinstatement of his license in February 2008, about 10 days after he was arrested during a hotel sex-sting operation involving a patient....

WRKO radio host Tom Finneran said he has no second thoughts about the disparaging on-air crack he made regarding Howie Carr’s female producer when confronted outside the station’s Brighton studios yesterday. When asked whether he regretted making the “whale” comment, Finneran told the Herald, “There’s nothing to regret. I’m not making any comment.” The former House speaker also said he had no comment when asked whether station management has talked to him about his remark. The morning-drive host referred to Carr’s producer as a “whale” during the show last Friday - the same day Carr was slapped with a weeklong...

Convicted felon Robert Creamer, who wrote the blueprint for the Democrats’ health care reform campaign, attended official health care signing celebrations in Washington, D.C. yesterday. He was joined by numerous activists and “community organizers” who have had their sights set on nationalizing health care and have finally achieved it. Creamer’s spouse, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, was one of the bill’s most vociferous proponents. Creamer’s attendance was leaked by a fellow partygoer who blogged: “I just got back from the post-signing ceremony celebration at the Interior Department. It was like a family reunion–young Obama staffers mixing with warriors from the ’93-’94 health...

Not long ago—last October to be more precise—Anchorage attorney and gun rights activist Wayne Anthony Ross was telling Flashlight how difficult it was to gather political support for specific group of people for whom Second Amendment rights were compromised—felons. (See the Press October 28 cover story “Hidden Punishment” at tinyurl.com/Hidden-Punishment.) The problem, in the eyes of Ross and other gun activists, is that Alaska laws restricting gun rights don’t match very cleanly with federal laws that extinguish a person’s gun rights whenever a state restricts those rights, even just a little. A felon convicted in state court may have their...

Should convicted felons be given a second chance? Barack Obama thinks so, and he thinks the tax payers should have to foot the bill. He made his view on this issue more than evident during a town hall meeting in Elyria, Ohio on January 22nd. Here is a excerpt from this Ohio town hall meeting, where a 29 year old felon who has never had a job in his life asks Obama if he will help felons get a job. Jerome the felon asks Obama: "I'm 29 years old, and I've never had a job in my life. I went...