Free Republic

Jefferson ordered to report to federal prison in Beaumont, TexasBy Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune Updated: Thursday, May 03, 2012, 5:29 PM WASHINGTON -- Former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, will begin his 13-year prison sentence Friday at the low-security federal prison in Beaumont, Texas, according to two federal law enforcement officials.Judge T.S Ellis III, who revoked Jefferson's $50,000 bail two weeks ago, had given the former nine-term congressman until noon to begin his sentence. Following recommendations from both Jefferson's lawyers and federal prosecutors, Ellis had recommended the former congressman serve his time at a minimum security prison, or prison...

William Jefferson should serve his 13-year sentence in a minimum-security prison, judge saysBy Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune Updated: Friday, April 20, 2012, 10:11 PM Alexandria, Va. -- Former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, must report to prison by May 4 to begin serving his 13-year sentence on bribery and public corruption charges, more than two years after he was convicted and almost seven years after news of a federal investigation of his dealings became public. Judge T.S. Ellis III rejected a motion Friday by Jefferson's lawyer, Robert Trout, and supported by lead prosecutor Mark Lytle, that Jefferson be allowed...

He’s a man without a country. An immigrant in Alabama who has been arrested 35 times in 12 years cannot be extradited because the United States does not recognize his homeland, the Birmingham News reports. According to the paper, federal authorities have tried to remove convicted felon Sofyan Eldani, 45, but couldn’t send him to his native Palestine because the U.S. does not recognize it as a country. Eldani says he is a native of Palestine, though he carries an Egyptian passport. Eldani's arrests include assault, fraudulent checks, criminal mischief, resisting arrests, reckless endangerment, shoplifting, burglary, drug possession, failure to...

<p>HOUSTON – A high-risk sex offender was on the loose Friday night after escaping from a Houston halfway house and discarding his GPS tracking ankle monitor, the Houston Chronicle reported.</p> <p>Michael Elbert Young, 42, climbed over a barbed wire fence at the Southeast Texas Transitional Center after last being seen around 9:50pm local time Thursday night.</p>

Time is running out for Bill JeffersonPublished: Sunday, April 01, 2012, 6:37 AM By James Gill - The Times-Picayune Legal experts cited by the paper say federal prosecutors may now ask trial judge T.S. Ellis III to lock Dollar Bill up. Those experts are not exactly going out on a limb, considering that prosecutors opposed bail for William Jefferson in the first place. Now that an appeals court panel in Virginia has resoundingly and unanimously upheld Jefferson's conviction on all but one of 11 counts, prosecutors would be remiss if they didn't urge immediate consignment to the pen. The experts...

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William Jefferson gets OK to attend funeral for former House colleagueBy Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune Updated: Monday, March 12, 2012, 4:14 PM WASHINGTON -- Former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, has received court permission to attend Wednesday's funeral for Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., one of his closest friends when both served on Capitol Hill. The funeral will be held in Newark, N.J, with a public viewing on Tuesday. Payne, 77, died last week after being diagnosed with colon cancer. **SNIP** Ellis gave Jefferson a 13-year sentence - the longest corruption sentence for a member of Congress -- after his 2009 conviction....

As I noted last Fall, Colorado courts have treated the Colorado Constitution’s right to keep and bear arms provision as substantially protecting felons’ rights to keep guns for self-defense — an approach quite different from that used by the U.S. Supreme Court in interpreting the Second Amendment, or by other states’ courts interpreting those states’ constitutions. Today’s State v. Carbajal (Colo. Ct. App. Mar. 1, 2012) reaffirms that. An excerpt: In 1876, the new State of Colorado adopted a constitution that included a provision in its bill of rights establishing a right to keep and bear arms in defense of...

Former Rep. William Jefferson unaffected by measure to block pensions for felonsBy Times-Picayune Staff Published: Saturday, February 04, 2012, 11:59 PM **SNIP** Former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, who was convicted of 11 of 16 corruption charges in a 2009 trial, was unaffected by the 2007 law and will remain so if the new Senate language becomes law. Attorneys have told Congress that it doesn't have the authority to retroactively take back benefits from people, including members of Congress. The bribery-related charges against Jefferson occurred before the 2007 law. Jefferson is receiving a pension of between $40,000 and $50,000 a...

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...