Anyone that has read this blog before
is already aware I am not offering an unbiased middle-of-the-road
take on adult business prosecutions in the US. I am almost always on
the side of the defense; however, I only cover cases in which I have
some reason to believe there's more to the story.
To me it was obvious that the Southwest
Companions prosecution in Albuquerque, New Mexico was fraught with
serious issues and selective. I felt similarly regarding the Classy
DC Escorts case, though for different reasoning. If you followed my
blog during the Orlando conspiracy trial of 11 defendants from
Eastern Europe that was originally dubbed a “Russian sex
trafficking ring,” then you are aware that I was appalled at every
aspect of the prosecution and often stated so in my posts that
included case documents.
Most posts from that Orlando conspiracy
trial were removed at the request of a couple of defendants' family
members. The request was granted because the 11 defendants were all
around 25 years old and must be able to have a life when each returns
home to Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia. In my opinion, those family
members didn't stop and think that the only other articles out there
still refer to it as a “sex trafficking” case and I was the last
stop on the train to reality and truth. Mainstream newspapers rarely,
if ever, go back and admit to offering incorrect information or
remove that info.
I never did take a minute at the end of
that Orlando conspiracy case trial and sentencing to congratulate
each and every defendant involved. These people were from Eastern
Europe, yet when faced with charges that could have given each one of
them 5 to 50 years in a US prison, they all took it to trial. There
were six defendants convicted by the jury and five acquitted. They
all have more nerve than most people I have ever encountered in the
US. It takes nerve and guts to take such a case to trial. This is my
final post about this case:
In the last couple of days, and
especially today, many readers are arriving on this blog with the
search term “Southwest Companions”. Hell, I was busy
congratulating David Flory when I first saw that all charges had
nolle prossed back in late
August of 2011. This may have been premature, but not really when you
think about it. I ripped the Albuquerque P.D. a new one in one post a
long time ago. In the last post written on the case, I considered it
all to be one great mystery.
There
was news on the Southwest Companions prosecution yesterday and a blog
reader provided a link in comments on the last article. Now other
newspapers and blogs have picked-up on it and discussed it. A judge
named Stan Whitaker ruled in favor of the defendants in the case:
Dated prostitution law puts case on hold. Yeah, on hold forever the
way I read the ruling. There's a prosecutor trying to save face and
win the next election along with a bunch of overzealous cops
involved, so I won't say much more.
The
most recent case that I have tackled is the Classy DC Escorts case.
In a sense I was truly disappointed when I found out that even the
photoshop lady, Jennifer Churchill, chose to make a guilty plea. When
I felt that personal disappointment, I was not aware of the specific
deal that she made. She pleaded guilty to the equivalent of a traffic
infraction and received a $500 fine. Not even a flippin' misdemeanor!
Anyone with a brain would plead with a deal like that on the table.
This
goes to show how weak the case was as it related to Jennifer
Churchill. However, most of us are aware that a jury could go either
direction and Alexandria, Virginia has a conservative and often
government related population. If everyone on the jury had contracted
or worked for the government in some capacity, well, it could have
easily resulted in a guilty verdict on any count. So a deal involving
a plea to the equivalent of a traffic ticket, is truly a deal.
Often
we forget to mention the attorneys involved in these case. There are
many heroes and many more duds. While I won't name the duds because I
cannot be sure of what occurred during the course of the case, I will
indeed be naming the heroes. In the Classy DC Escorts case there is a
law firm that represented Jennifer Churchill pro bono.
The
attorney that defended Churchill in the case is a trial attorney and
not a plea bargain attorney as so many that I have encountered in
Central Florida are. If not for the excellent deal offer, Churchill
would have definitely gone to trial. Kerri Ruttenberg of Jones Day
believed in her client and fought until the fight was over and her
client prevailed. Jones Day has attorneys all over the world and is
not limited to the Alexandria, Virginia area.
I have
so much more to say about attorneys that are heroes, including Kerri
Ruttenberg, that the topic deserves a post of its own. Expect to see
such a posting in the next week.
In my
last post on this blog, I stated that I intended to get away from
posting about adult business prosecutions and target other forms of
injustice in the future. First and foremost on my mind is the DOJ
prosecution of former attorney Paul Bergrin. I will tell you that I
have been targeted over my posts on the Paul Bergrin debacle, so if I
didn't really believe in the man, I'd have skipped it long ago.
Just
this last week I was threatened (in so many words) with a prosecution
in comments on the last nj.com article about Bergrin. According to
the commenter, my blogs and my books are all illegal and a “promoting
prostitution” prosecution is in my future. I, of course, told the
party to give it his/her best shot, but that this blog and my others
have been up for several years and no one has succeeded yet. I
believe that party to be a part of the prosecution and/or
investigation. This was far from the first threat leveled at me in
reference to that case
and it is all too apparent that someone involved would like to end my
blogging forever.
There
is some time before the next Bergrin trial starts and that is my sole
reason for not posting anything else about the case at this time. I
do not scare easily and really I no longer give a rat's ass who
threatens me with what. I'm just beyond being concerned. They need to
tell it to someone that cares.
Do
expect me to continue posting about adult business prosecutions in
the future. I will be clearing-up discussions on past and present
cases and looking closely at several that I have paid little
attention to, including the New York High Class prosecution that is
approaching trial in NY, the All Perfect Tens case that is
approaching trial in South Florida, and the Anna Gristina case in NY.
Mentioning Gristina – Justice Juan Merchan needs to be thrown off
the bench. Hopefully Anna Gristina will be released before today is
over and we can thank the Appeals Court for that.
