Back in September of 2009, we wrote about Bank of America’s legal troubles due to paying out $3.6 billion in bonuses to Merrill Lynch employees before the buy out. As an update, Bank of America’s Chief Operating Officer, Kenneth Lewis, was sued by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and the bank agreed to pay $150 million to settle.
Archive for the ‘Criminal Law’ Category
Update to Bank of America’s Legal Woes
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Milk: It Didn’t Do Jackson’s Body Any Good
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010Michael Jackson. Brittany Murphy. Heath Ledger.
Three celebrities whose recent deaths were the result of, or incidental to, their use of prescription drugs. But the problem that their deaths signal is widespread. Just last week, my local news outlet reported on a high school principal who contacted his students’ parents to warn them of the risks from prescription drug intoxication following incidents of students sent to the ER after overdosing on prescription meds.
And, now, came the news that Michael Jackson’s personal physician, cardiologist Conrad Murray, has been charged in the King of Pop’s death.
Static 99: Civil Commitment Law and Sex Predators
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010At the heart of every issue is a story. In the case of U.S. v. Comstock, it’s the story of Martin Andrews, who was 13 when he was abducted by Richard Ausley and chained to a box in the middle of rural Virginia. He survived 8 days of brutal rapes and beatings. The civil commitment laws that govern whether sex offenders can be held after their terms are up vary state to state. 20 states have such laws. January 12, the Supreme Court revisited the case on civil commitment laws, which would allow men like Ausley to be held even after they finished their criminal sentences.
Credit: Ryan Garza | The Flint Journal
Does the government have responsibility to protect the public? Yes. But does the government have the authority to gain custody of sex offenders just because they may strike again? Supporters stress that these laws focus on risk assessment and prevention of re-offending. But when it comes to sexual deviancy, nothing is simple. For the victims concerned, the law may offer some peace of mind, but on the other side of the debate…
Update to Alleged Abuse of Judicial Power
Friday, November 6th, 2009
Last month, we wrote about ex-judge Herman Thomas out of Mobile, Alabama being accused of pressuring inmates to perform sexual favors with him in exchange for lighter sentences.
It turns out that that Thomas was acquitted on all charges of sex abuse, sodomy, and assault.
His reputation may have been cleared; but after such accusations, can Thomas’ legal career ever be resurrected?
Posted by Adrienne on November 6, 2009 at 4:42 pm.
Galleon Group Arrest: Insider Trading or Aggressive Research?
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009With the crumble, and hopefully resurrection soon, of the financial markets, my blood can’t help but boil and my head can’t help but spin when I hear of another potential financial injustice. This week’s Odd File case will return tomorrow; meanwhile, check this out.
Here’s the scenario:
Billionaire founder of the Galleon Group Raj Rajaratnam was charged last week by federal prosecutors for utilizing insider trading schemes to net Galleon more than $20 million worth in illegal profits. Danielle Chiesi from New Castle Funds was also charged with supplying Rajaratnam and New Castle with insider information. However, reports are surfacing that if Rajaratnam was using insider information to drive which shares Galleon would purchase for profits, then Rajaratnam was a lousy at insider trading. According to the criminal complaint, Chiesi coaxed Rajaratnam to purchase 16 million shares and New Castle to purchase 2.5 million shares of A.M.D., a computer chip maker. Galleon spent $85 million to $90 million on the 16 million share purchase, but, when the global financial markets began to fall, so did A.M.D.’s shares. The shares that Galleon purchased were then only worth $68 million, and the group suffered a near 30% loss.
Criminal Law: Alleged Abuse of Judicial Power
Thursday, October 8th, 2009 Here’s the scenario:
Ex-judge Herman Thomas was once a prominent political figure in Mobile, Alabama as a black Democrat that was repeatedly elected in a predominantly white, Republican county. AOL.com notes that Thomas was selected as the Democratic party’s choice to be the first black federal judge in South Alabama. However, Thomas’ reputation and career began to deteriorate when stories surfaced about him pressuring inmates to have sex with him in exchange for lighter sentences.
Fourteen former and current inmates have come forward accounting that Thomas made them pull down their underwear to spank them with his fraternity paddle and engaged in oral and anal sex with him to stay in good favor with the judge. Thomas would apparently sign some of the inmates out of prison to have sexual encounters with them in his car or and in his private office in the county courthouse. According to court records, one inmate’s semen was found on the office carpet.
Crime and Violence: Chicago Teen Beat to Death, Attackers’ Legal Consequences
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 I’m sure that most of us have heard about the 16 year-old Chicago teen Derrion Albert that was beaten to death in a brawl while walking home from school. The horrific video footage, which shows his assailants thrashing him with a railroad plank, was captured on a cell phone and made national headlines. The Fenger High School student was laid to rest in Chicago on Saturday, October 3, and Jesse Jackson as well as other civil rights leaders attended Albert’s funeral at Greater Mt. Hebron Baptist Church.
Although many can’t help but wonder if Albert’s death hurt Chicago’s chances of winning the 2016 Olympic bid, this cruel beating further highlights Chicago’s problem with violence, and particularly exhibits what happens when misguided, gang-affiliated youth take matters into their own hands. The brutal, senseless actions of these teens show exactly how limitedly they appreciate humanity and their own future. According the Chicago Defender, four teens, Silvanus Shannon, 19, Eugene Bailey, 18, Eugene Riley, 18 and Eric Carson, 16, were charged on September 28 as adults with first-degree murder and held without bond as ordered by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. Chicago Police continue to search for at least three more suspects responsible for the homicide.
International Law and Extradition: Roman Polanski Pedophilia Case Reopened
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009The 13-year-old girl that famed film director Roman Polanski gave champagne and Quaaludes to before raping over 30 years ago at Jack Nicholson’s house is now 45 and pleading with California courts to dismiss their case against him. Samantha Geimer argues that every time the case is revisited, she’s forced to relive the horrid details of the rape and the public’s reaction. Geimer told People magazine in 1997 that, when her mother decided to legally pursue Roman Polanski for having sex with a minor in March of 1977, her life turned upside down. European tabloids plastered pictures of her with captions like “Little Lolita” saying “’Poor Roman Polaski’, entrapped by a 13-year-old temptress.” Although Samantha Geimer and her family sued Roman Polanski and reached a settlement outside of court, Los Angeles prosecutors are exercising their legal right to further pursue the case.
Criminal Law: Bank of America’s Legal Woes
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009Bank of America’s purchase of Merrill Lynch back in January of 2009 for $29 billion has brought the bank a lot of uninvited legal attention. After suffering a loss of $27.6 billion in 2008, Bank of America paid out $3.6 billion in bonuses to Merrill employees before closing the deal. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and other congressional investigators are probing whether or not Bank of America failed to disclose to shareholders Merrill Lynch’s losses and bonus payments before the merger was approved. And, the Department of Justice and the FBI have been conducting a criminal investigation about the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch deal for six months.
Escaped Legally Insane Killer – Recaptured but Concerns Still Rise
Monday, September 21st, 2009
Phillip Paul admitted to killing an elderly woman in 1987 because he was responding to the voices in his head that told him she was a witch. Paul was acquitted of her murder by reason of insanity and was committed after being diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic.
On Thursday, September 17, 2009, Paul, a patient at Eastern State Hospital, escaped from the custody of his caretakers while on a field trip to the Spokane County Fair in Washington. Although Paul was recaptured on Sunday, September 20, this incident has left many, including government officials, with the unsettling thoughts about how this could have happened and how this could have been prevented. This was unfortunately not Paul’s first attempt to escape as he briefly escaped and assaulted a law enforcement officer back in 1991. Additionally, there is evidence that Paul challenged being institutionalized as the hospital cited his lack of compliance back on March 16th, noting “that he did not think he was mentally ill and that he was becoming increasingly aggressive.”
How is it that a schizophrenic killer could have been allowed to go on a field trip in such a public setting as a county fair – especially since he has a history of trying to escape and non-compliance with the hospital?
