Defense attorneys outraged as terror case switches to fraud (Michigan Mackinac Bridge case)

The Saginaw News ^ | Thursday, August 17, 2006 | JOE SNAPPER

[idsujmxzcg]

BAY CITY -- Lawyers for three Texas men once accused of plotting to blow up the Mackinac Bridge claim the government is bailing out an overzealous prosecutor by bringing unprecedented charges.

Until Wednesday, even the FBI said the business of buying and altering cell phones -- as the men claim was their only motive -- was a legal enterprise, and that the only issue was whether proceeds end up in terrorist coffers.

But now, the FBI and U.S. attorneys in Bay City say the entrepreneurial behavior of three Americans of Palestinian descent amounts to fraud, not terrorism.

<excerpted>

[dasboot]

Now yer just gettin' silly.

[stands2reason]

He said he bought at least three shipments of phones, totaling perhaps 400, from the three men in the last several months.

Why would someone buy phones from a middleman who got them from Walmart? Do I smell a laundry operation?

[FreedomCalls]

If they were employed in gathering devices for terrorist acts, they would need a good cover. If they were, they got one. These bad guy ain't dumb.

How do I know you are not a terrorist using your cover as a commentor on FR to divert resources from chasing real terrorist leads to chasing cell-phone resellers so that your real group of terrorists can continue to plan their attack? That's just as absurd.

[dasboot]

Oooooh! Y' got me!

[FreedomCalls]

Now yer just gettin' silly.

So why did the policeman add the comment about using "box cutters' if it wasn't to make you think of terrorists? Who cares how the boxes were opened?

[dasboot]

Nobody calls them 'utility knives' any more.

[Cementjungle]

"...or ships them abroad"

I don't know for sure, but I doubt these phones would work abroad. We use CDMA here, and one needs GSM or other systems for abroad. Even if sold to another CDMA country, who would the carrier be (these phones have pre-paid minutes, right?).

[duckln]

Seems odd. Why not shoes, watches, or guns? When the 9/11 perps took 747 flying lessons a red flag should have gone up and acted on. Unfortunately the 'cops' are here not to prevent crime but catch those who break it.

Then it's to late. That's why W adopted a preemptively policy.

[FreedomCalls]

Why would someone buy phones from a middleman who got them from Walmart? Do I smell a laundry operation?

Someone's not paying attention. Walmart will sell no more than three at a time to any one person.

[mgstarr]

If there'd been anything to this case, the feds would have picked it up. They didn't and there isn't.

[ndt]

"Seems odd. Why not shoes, watches, or guns?"

By the same token, why not cell phones? if there is a market, somebody will fill it, thats capitalism at work..

[FreedomCalls]

I don't know for sure, but I doubt these phones would work abroad. We use CDMA here, and one needs GSM or other systems for abroad. Even if sold to another CDMA country, who would the carrier be (these phones have pre-paid minutes, right?).

We use both GSM (Cingular, T-Mobile) and CDMA (Sprint, Verizon) here. The $20 Walmart phones are GSM. Most countries use GSM. The phones are "unlocked" so they can be used on any carrier with the right sim card. You would have to buy a new card for the minutes in whatever country you wished to use it in.

[1forall]

"Maybe, but what if you get an incoming wrong number during assembly?"

Perhaps this is why they removed the batteries first.

[FreedomCalls]

Perhaps this is why they removed the batteries first.

You never heard of an "on/off" switch?

[dasboot]

Yep....Darwin Award candidate. Don't get into the blowing stuff up biz.

[1forall]

"Perhaps this is why they removed the batteries first.
You never heard of an "on/off" switch?"

You wanna put a bomb together and rely on an on/off switch while you're putting it together? Or your buddy next to you?

[Boiler Plate]

What made them think they could sell them? I think they had already done so before, they certainly had a plan. They were trying to make their transactions in cash, correct? They claimed it was a business enterprise, were they keeping books? If not they may be in jeopardy of tax evasion.

[CindyDawg]

There was a guy that was in Iraq that posted a pic a few days ago of a wired Nokia that didn't go off.

[CAWats]

Will Dr. Laura be charged with supporting terrorists because she peddles Trak Phones on her program, I wonder.

[nopardons]

bttt