Posted on 12/19/2004 2:01:07 PM PST by SmithL
A $650 million deal to compensate thousands of African American farmers, who alleged bias in U.S. Department of Agriculture programs, could unravel because a Santa Cruz woman worked as a federal attorney on the settlement without ever passing the bar, officials said Saturday.
The woman, Margaret O'Shea, 38, also has been charged with grand theft after working for the Monterey County public defender's office earlier this year defending indigents accused of crimes.
The county is reviewing all 83 cases she handled there in a three-week period and might dismiss some of them because defendants and court officials mistakenly thought O'Shea was a licensed attorney.
An Ohio congressman and two national organizations of black farmers have asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate O'Shea and her follow-up work on a landmark 1999 settlement, Pigford vs. Glickman.
The deal has led to thousands of African American farmers receiving funds -- but critics said most claimants were denied aid by federal officials, including O'Shea, who reviewed the claims.
The Justice Department also appealed all rulings by an arbitrator that favored farmers. O'Shea might have worked on those appeals.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
How is this even possible? To be a federal attorney and not have any credentials? I find it hard to believe that someone can bring a lawsuit and not have the papers. Sucks to be one of the little farmers.
How is it possible? Who occupied the Oval Office in 1999?
Also, how was it possible for a trouble young stalker intern to be given TOP SECRET clearance at the Pentagon?
Ooops my bad *LOL* It's all clear to me now hehe!
When was the last time you saw any attorney be asked to show credentials?
You phony up a resume, get one job, (public defender good place to start) and use that as bone fides to get the next job.
Most places do not check college transcripts any more.
Good point.
Beautiful !
A bogus attorney defending the government against claims by bogus black farmers.
Weren't the "Black farmers" paid off several years ago.
Many of which had never been a farmer or seen a cow except in movies or TV.
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