Kinzinger, the attorney, told The Appeal that because the Riders trials ended with hung juries and the court dismissed the cases after 60 days, the retention requirement for the case files dropped to three years from 50. Never had I heard of a news organization siding with a public official over a journalist, freelance or not. Katie Jane Fernelius What is fundamentally clear is that neither the Free Press nor Nessel wanted me there asking anything specific. The Kirks formed a professional guardianship company and gave it the name Caring Hearts a more palatable title but no less vicious than their Macomb County predecesssor,ADDMS Guardianship Services. "But what happened was the Democrats got their voters out it wasn't enough to overcome what they were able to get out in voter-rich southeastern Michigan.". While I was still working Oakland County, Catallo was doing sterling work in neighboring Macomb. Corruption cases have long riddled the Metro-Detroit region and in an upcoming post we will detail the ones that have been brought to the public eye since 2016. Four years ago, he rode a level of support in rural and older industrial areas, especially those with large swaths of white voters, unlike that seen since Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, decrying trade deals and blustering that he'd force Mexico to pay for a wall along the southern border. In 2008, Oakland paid $2 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by 16 womenall of whom were Asian Americanwho said they were victims of Valerga. Investigative and Forensic Services Division - Captain Joseph Quisenberry: 248-858-5087. But the Riders wasnt the only criminal case file involving Oakland police corruption destroyed by the Alameda County Superior Court. Edward Ortiz, Officer Paul Harper, Sgt. "It's back to more typical levels this year.". , where anti-gang officers in a downtown precinct were accused of unprovoked shootings and beatings of suspects, as well as planting evidence and stealing drugs then turning around and selling them on the street. I truly believe that they dont see what theyre doing as being corrupt. Not only did he flip Kent, where Grand Rapids is located, he cut Trump's margin in Ottawa County, in one of the most Republican parts of the state, by 9 percentage points. Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper: "The Senator does not appreciate your constant attacks on the Attorney General." Michigan Sen. Peter Lucido: I can't help you. But he kept it up, and it worked to a great degree. Valergas conduct was so egregious that investigators in his own department thought he should be punished to the full extent of the law. The meeting was set for March 12. Read more onMichigan politics and sign up for ourelections newsletter. . SF corruption scandal widens: Two business leaders charged with bribing City Hall official. Teter looked me square in the face and asked me who they were. Kirkpatrick pointed to a 2018 internal city document made public that said police Commissioner Ginale Harris demanded the department and the chief pay her back for towing fees Harris owed the city. Under the Brady rule, prosecutors must disclose material that might help the defense, including information that undermines the credibility of state witnesses. Oct 30, 2019. The series covers the 1995 abduction of 6-year-old Morgan Nick from a little league game in Alma, Arkansas, as well as the resolution of the 1989 abduction and murder of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling in St. Joseph, Minnesota. Gretchen Whitmer two years ago). Ninety minutes later, I published a five-part, freelance series detailing an alleged massive abuse and exploitation ring operating out of a Detroit-area probate court. About This Work. Miller recently asked for the misconduct in office and conspiracy to commit a legal in an illegal manner charges against him to be dropped. Hes part of a case there right now. She previously covered the Tri-Valley cities of Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore and Danville. Its really hard toconfer a whistleblowing case when no one knew the whistle had been blown, Jackson said. He fought back and ended up with a reprimand. Your email address will not be published. My opinion was, and still is, is that Valerga should have gone to prison, Rullamas said during the deposition. Whether Moody had jurisdiction over them or not, even after public administrators like Munger had been fired by him in 2017, Munger still took and was taking deceased estate as well as guardianship and conservatorship cases at the Oakland County Probate Court. L. Brooks Patterson: Well, I always thought that was a red herring. Monitor the livestream broadcast if youre worried about integrity of the process, but this isnt worth the back and forth with AGs office.. The seven commissioners, Harris included, voted unanimously in February to remove Kirkpatrick from her position. Much of his bluster was false rhetoric. to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by 16 womenall of whom were Asian Americanwho said they were victims of Valerga. What I am about to relate is not an attempt to shame my fellow reporters, nor is it sour grapes as I was able to to find a form of resolution in that the story got told. One of the firearms found in the car was a shotgun that Neely and Richholt allegedly seized from an East Oakland mans house earlier in the day in a warrantless search. From the outset, Nessel ran with the often used talking point that the majority of the abuse of Americas seniors occurs at the hands of family members or friends. But then, these families could not get moveon.org to tweet a single word about them and, despite the complete eradication of their loved ones civil rights, the Detroit office of the ACLU told them to stick it. themselves as FBI agents during the incident. The U.S. Supreme Court has explained that, any favorable evidence known to others acting on the governments behalf in the case, including the police., Not all branches of Californias courts are as aggressive as Alameda County in destroying police corruption files. In 2000, rookie officer Keith Batt and his training officer Clarence Mabanag rampaged through West Oaklands Black neighborhoods. In 2000, Ortiz, Liddy, and Buchanan were convicted by a Los Angeles County jury of framing gang members and planting evidence. The afternoon was led by Assistant Attorney General Scott Teter. Can you supply one?. The power of the Purple Gang, the. Driving Biden's success wasn't only the fact that he did better percentage-wise than Clinton did in 2016 across metro Detroit, however. The U.S. Supreme Court has explained that the rule extends to any favorable evidence known to others acting on the governments behalf in the case, including the police.. This statute is written as a set of instructions and authorizations to a branch of government and doesnt necessarily take into account the rights of defendants or victims, Weisberg, the Stanford law professor, told The Appeal. In Oakland County, in Novi Precinct 21, Clinton eked out a 49.8%-46.9% among the 1,157 votes. Oakland County Public Corruption Defense Lawyer, MI. Along with my team, I invited three family members of Oakland County wards to send one representative each. With this plea he is required to testify against Smith if requested to do so. As for the morning being a "high level review of elder care issues," either Rossman-McKinney lied to my editor or he lied to me. Darwin BondGraham And legal experts say that destroying records of police misconduct, even if authorized by state statute, may conflict with the constitutional rights of defendants. A 21-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder in connection with a Jan. 23 shooting in Oakland that killed one and injured six. In Brighton's Precinct 4, at the Brighton Education Community Center on Church Street, Trump won 55%-40% four years ago, getting 507 votes to Clinton's 370. Gretchen Rachel Hammond is an award-winning freelance investigative journalist based out of Chicago. Since Moody was good friends with a select few of the public administrators he appointed, he alerted them to the complaining families who then suffered staggering retaliation in a probate court. Public corruption occurs when anyone who works for the . Recently backsliding has left the department, as of February, eight tasks short of full compliance with the court. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Thatdifference was even more stark in Kent County in west Michigan, where Trump lost,getting 165,318 votes to Biden's 186,753. These charges have surfaced over the last year or so, and have only driven the total number of public corruption cases that can be accounted for in the last four years. Peter Wielhouwer, associate professor of political science and director of the Institute for Government and Politics at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, said the fact of early voting blunted Trump's aggressive campaigning in the last few weeks in Michigan. And then of course in the mid-'70s, '76, '77, with the four children in Oakland County who were kidnapped and killed. Because it isnt worth it., I dont imagine any appeals to your conscience or journalist integrity are worth it, I added. After all, less than a week after Nessels office asked to meet with me, the Detroit-area Task Force raided the Taylor, Michigan City Hall and the Attorney General herself released a note congratulating them. The difference? Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. Theres a reason for why this story is on my personal blog and not a mainstream outlet. Former LAPD officer Rafael Perez was convicted in 2000 on state felony charges for stealing eight pounds of cocaine from an evidence locker. This case involving Spivey is connected to a larger investigation related to its towing operations. A complete list of individual units is below. where an initial count raised questions and led to a re-tabulation. This was the Detroit Free Press. In order to make her point, only one member of the public was invited to attend. However, he was never formally investigated by its internal affairs division, nor did the department track down and interview all of his victims, according to depositions taken during the civil rights suit. The Riders case is significant for police accountability in Oakland. Besides, when you are investigating alleged public corruption, you lose your belief in the coincidental. Chapter 2: The Obituary. The playing field changed when Tim was abducted, right after Patterson described Busch's arrest in yet another child rape case in northern Oakland County. After all, Rossman-McKinney hadnt risen to her position without the usual, required Machiavellian dexterity. Biden lost in all those places, as he did in all but 11 of the state's 83 counties. What should have been a problem, what is a problem is the fact that Oakland County Chief Judge Kathleen Ryans brother James Ryan Jr.'s company Public Affairs Associates (PAA) has longstanding ties to Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer and was among thetop donorsfor her inauguration committee. But James won over Peters in that county, with 176,356 to 174,147 for Peters. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Oakland County Courts are known for their corruption and their extortion. As a result, this activity has continued unchecked for at least three decades, with probate court audits covered up by Nessel and her predecessors, the Michigan Supreme Court and the State Court Administrator's Office. Since Ayers, Benson and their chief of staffs have not been charged with any crimes they were not included in the total number of regional corruption cases since 2016. A documentary crew with exclusive access follows the new leadership with the cold case team devoted to Morgan's case. In May, 2019, she paid a visit to an elderly couple, Bob and Barb. Moreover, she had pledged to support the the downtrodden and, her meeting request looked like a desire to keep that campaign promise. An outspoken, genuine sort of bloke, he pushed back on the notion that nothing had been done about alleged probate corruption. Far from the Michigan election being stolen from Trumpas he claims, the president did a remarkable job of energizing support, especially, but not only, in older industrial and rural parts of the state. I was both an idealist and a born leftist in every sense of the definition. Republican voters, though, as well as Democratic ones, are clearly not monolithic. Still, I kept the faith. And that's in a county, like Kent, where Trump held a rally on the last day of the campaign, making his case to voters. In 2003, the first trial ended in a hung jury. Plaintiffs alleged mistreatment at the hands of four veteran officers, known as the "Riders", who were alleged to have kidnapped, planted evidence, and beaten . The litigants are Aretha Franklins family members. Bill Ballenger: The blue AMC Gremlin, child killer. Bernie Porn, pollster for EPIC-MRA of Lansing, which does polling work for the Free Press, said Trump's margin in the election suggests to him that a greater-than-believed portion of undecided voters and voters who tell pollsters they are supporting third party candidates the former accounting for 6% and the latter 5% in the Free Press' last poll of the campaign are really so-called "shy" Trump supporters who mask that support. Biden, for instance, did far better than Clinton did in some other areas, and in some of them may have been helped by forces outside hisor Trump's control. The Oakland police fired Valerga after he was criminally charged. I didn't quote him at the time but there were more than a few moments I wanted to blurt out "Well let me tell you, with a trespass on credulity that excels your best, that we do have the evidence. Biden won in Genesee, Ingham, Kalamazoo, Kent, Leelanau, Marquette, Muskegon, Oakland, Saginaw, Washtenaw and Wayne counties. They had a history of superlative reporting which seemed to substantiate that. We left at 5 pm with no comment but quite a lot of answers. The destruction of the Riders files is also an erasure of an extraordinary case of corruption that ended with the Oakland Police Department placed under a federal judges oversight. . I felt more disappointment than surprise when one of the principle topics of Nessel's presser was guardianship in Michigan's probate courts; the focal point of my investigation. We have it and it is clear and incontrovertible.". He is a man to whom I will be indebted for the rest of my life. I couldnt vote for her but, damn, was I ever inspired that a fellow member of the LGBT community had so passionately reached to rarely attained heights. This year, 1,311 voters cast ballots, andit was Trump 49.4% to 49.1% for Biden. Probate Corruption + the Michigan Attorney General + the Detroit Free Press = ? 2 days ago Armored truck driver shoots at attempted robbers outside Southfield McDonald's An. Posted in: Uncategorized Teter had certainly not brought it up either at our meeting or any time afterwards. "People didn't like her. Oakland County Sheriff's deputies are searching for a driver who hit a road sign and left the scene. It included Nessels press conference announcement which noted that only credentialed members of the press who had RSVPd to a Nessel communications team member would be allowed to attend. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. Chapter 5: The Runaway. At least, thats what it says on the professions cereal box. Or one of the cases that had the DPOA that was ignored to see if we could file a motion to terminate. Kirkpatrick alleges in the suit that she was fired in February for standing up to the misconduct and reporting it. The Biden campaign knew it, telling reporters Trump would have to top 62% of the in-person voting in order to overcome the advantage. OAKLAND Former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the city on Wednesday, alleging she was fired in retaliation for exposing corruption and. Just as he did in 2016, President Donald Trump this year mounted a late-breakingsurge in Michigan, using anaggressive campaign to bolster turnout, disproving myriad polls that showed his support lagging and drawing even greater backingfrom voters across wide swaths of the state than he did four years ago. 28 police officers with allegations involving a prostitute. Corruption cases have long riddled the Metro-Detroit region and in an upcoming post we will detail the ones that have been brought to the public eye since 2016. Turnout topped 5.5 million votes, beating the record of 5 million in 2008, and that, in turn, was driven by an avalanche of absentee votes, which were believed to top 3.3 million. Charges were filed by the Los Angeles District Attorney against Sgt. B ) During the meeting, allow the AGs staff to review, but not keep, the documents. I didn't quote him at the time but there were more than a few moments I wanted to blurt out "Well let me tell you, with a trespass on credulity that excels your best, that we do have the evidence. But it was clear that Democratic voters, especially, heeded the call to vote absentee. For Shaw, that is 206 cases involving 256 defendants since February 2009, according to district attorney records obtained by The Times. Both officers falsely. In the early 2000s, several women accused Oakland patrol officer Richard Valerga of holding them against their will in his squad car while he harassed and molested them. They always left with no result. So they didn't vote for her. The March 12 meeting had yielded no comment to any of my questions concerning what was allegedly happening in Oakland County and statewide nor had Nessel, herself, been present. On the morning of March 25, I paused to watch Nessels presser on Facebook. However, on Dec. 22, 2000, Judge Jaqueline Connor overturned the jury verdict. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press. This time it was defined by a Republican senators big mouth. Mack was a Wayne County Probate Court Chief Judge when, again, two attorneys operating out of his court, John Chase, Jr. and Melvin Jefferson Jr, allegedly worked with Wayne County Judge Freddie Burton, Jr. to pilfer the estate of no less than Rosa Parks. Friend of the Court - 248-466-2728. Under Kirkpatrick, five previously achieved tasks were brought out of compliance. "We're committing Oakland County - our employees, our resources, our programs and services, to making a real and measurable impact in the areas that matter most, All ways, moving forward." County Executive, David Coulter. Oakland, California CNN Four police chiefs in 10 days. OAKLAND Former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the city on Wednesday, alleging she was fired in retaliation for exposing corruption and . It's the only message some people, agencies and entities understand. With over 300,000 apartments destroyed in Turkey, fingers are already being pointed at below-par building codes and corruption in construction quality and enforcement. In fact, the entire day went by with radio silence from both the Free Press and Rossman-McKinney. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Last week, Andre Spivey pled guilty to federal bribery charges and admitted he and an aide received almost $36,000 in bribes. Smiths felony charges from the Michigan Attorney Generals Office are all in relation to alleged misuse of forfeiture funds. During thirteen months in 1976 and 1977, four children were abducted, abused in captivity and then murdered, their bodies tossed by public roadsides. But the four kids were kidnapped Angela Ruggiero covers criminal justice and the Alameda County Superior Court. Two leaders of an Oakland construction management firm pleaded guilty Thursday to felony charges in the far-reaching San Francisco City Hall corruption scandal centered . The initial charges against Smith were the state charges and occurred in March of 2020, and the federal charges came in September of 2020. Staff writer David DeBolt contributed to this report. The subjects of Nessels proclamation were alsocentral figures in my investigation alongside attorney Jon B. Munger (fired in 2017), Oakland County Probate Court Chief Judge Kathleen Ryan and her colleagues Linda Hallmark, Daniel A. OBrien and Jennifer Callaghan. In 2015, the Alameda County Superior Court destroyed the case files for Neely and Richholt, erasing the only public record of the incident aside from media reports. Political parties have to realign their messaging," she said. With more likely in the works, it is important to note that strong local journalism, citizen involvement in local government and an understanding of who is being elected can help reduce corruption cases. In 1945, Michigan was racked with corruption. March 13, he continued. However, some legal experts, including Cordell and Stanford University law professor Robert Weisberg, believe that records of police prosecutions should be maintained longer because they also constitute official histories of institutional corruption. "The Trump surge came at the end and he couldn't quite catch up to Biden's advantage," he said. Turned out Taylors favorite hobby after Catallos story broke was taking to social media and yammering about both it and her as, ironically, being nothing more but fake news.. Please take a moment to explore these programs below. On the morning of March 21, I interviewed Senator Pete Lucido (R). and corruption in Contra Costa County. Trump couldn't afford it, having beaten Clinton four years ago by just 10,704 votes, or about two-tenths of 1% of the vote. When including public contractors that number rises to about 40. Macks defense of Michigan probate judges and the guardianship system itself has been so unyielding that in more direct attorney circles, he has since become knownas Mack the Shield.. the jury verdict. The Oakland city attorneys office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. While the rest of the country engages in hand-wringing over the treatment of undocumented immigrants not one civil rights group has raised a finger in protest about the rights that have been stripped from innocent, American citizens. Teresa James, assistant division director for the Alameda County Superior Courts traffic and criminal division, confirmed that the Valerga, Richholt, and Neely files were destroyed in accordance with state law that allows the court to dispose of misdemeanor criminal files after five years. After all, the families had already agreed to go on the record with their stories. True to form, it was a downright bizarre four hours during which our summary of findings was received with moments which ran the gamut between receptive and defensive.
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