Posted on 09/05/2013 9:10:15 AM PDT by marktwain
Adding to an ordeal that’s dragged on for two years, the embattled Reese family is now facing the withdrawal of their attorneys due to compensation issues, a source close to the case told Gun Rights Examiner yesterday. Such a move, which may have already happened by this writing, will leave the defendants with no choice but to file affidavits claiming indigence so that they can obtain a public defender or a court-appointed lawyer.
Arrested in 2011 for allegedly knowingly selling guns to cartel members while operating a New Mexico gun store, all Reese family members were found not guilty on the most serious charges of conspiracy. Additionally and significantly, money laundering charges against them were dismissed. Husband Rick, wife Terri and son Ryin were convicted on a handful of lesser charges of making false statements on forms, basically under the presumption that they should have known federal agents were lying. Son Remington was cleared of all charges, and a new trial for the outstanding convictions has been ordered following Judge Brack’s ruling that the prosecutor withheld evidence from the jury.
This latest development could effectively cancel out an earlier “win” for the family, when the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit “denied without prejudice” a motion by the prosecution in the Reese case to deny to the three defendants their choice to be represented by the same counsel.
It also highlights how devastating a District Court ruling was, when Judge Robert C. Brack denied dismissal of remaining counts and, significantly, the Reese’s motions for partial release of assets, a request that the Court release cash, gold, and silver to allow the family to pay their legal expenses.
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
Arrest the entire family, require them to mount separate defenses (in the hope of getting one to "make a deal"),seize all assets, pile on numerous rediculous charges, "forget" to tell exculpatory facts to the defense, and what happens? You get rewarded with a federal judgeship.
Why the hell hasn’t some of the gun rights advocacy groups taken this case up as a bellweather must not lose case?
Or some of the conservative legal foundations? WTH, they cannot afford to let this case be lost.
It needs to be won as a big smack in the snout of the BATF beast.
We all have to do the best we can. No one would ever have heard of this case if anyone in the family had plead out, which is what usually happens. They were in jail, without bond, for close to a year and a half.
Was this the family they imprisoned for OVER A YEAR, basically for NOTHING, and confiscated ALL of their wealth?
I think this is the one you are thinking of.
But it wasn’t “just nothing”. It was not knowing that federal agents were lying, when they should have known that they were lying.
Plus, they were a terrible risk to the community. They refused to plea bargain, and they complained about being persecuted by government agents.
Oh, and do not forget. They are *gasp* Christians!
Wait there’s more...the day of the raid media reported on all the firearms and ammo as if that was unusual to find when the business was a gun shop...also listed as being suspicious after the search of the property where they lived was that they lived rural (not nearly as rural as I am) property was heavily secured (imagine that- especially near the border) and oh my they even had large quantities of food stored, four freezers full of meat, their own well, and a generator.
I live in the area but do not know these people at all, never met them. Yet when I read the original reports that listed the things in the above paragraph I was convinced they were very likely completely innocent. Funny thing is I don’t know anyone in the area that doesn’t have the food, well, etc...yet it was mentioned by the agent that spoke to the media as if it was all contraband of some sort.
Thanks for the report. Good information to know. I am always suspicious of prosecutors who seek to demonize their prey in the media.
In a good case, the facts speak for themselves.
That about sums it up !
More ' over reach' by a Federal agency, and an agent lying to the defendants
( and according to the chages they should have known that the agent was lying)
and now they are not allowed to use their own financial resources to defend themselves .
This smacks as another "Trayvon™ vs. Zimmerman" trial where the FED facilitated persecutorrial misbehavior for NOT ACCEPTING A PLEA AGREEMENT
and the FED has brought its' unlimited financial resources to assure conviction and continues to press forward for conviction,
even though that agent lied.
Bottom line - it is legalistic judicial bullying !
Ask yourself , if a legal licensing agency orders you to do something that affects your livelihood and your family, you do it !
Who would resist such a demand ?
To be clear, as I understand it, it was undercover federal agents that said they were buying guns for themselves, when they in fact, were not.
The Reese family was supposed to “know” that they were straw purchasers. and that they were lying on the 4473 form.
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