Posted on 10/24/2007 6:54:20 PM PDT by lqcincinnatus
I often tell my lawyer friends I know they'll never lie to me.
They'll always tell me half the truth.
It's a lawyer's job to present the half that benefits his or her client. Or his or her own self.
It's somebody else's job to tell the other half.
So I believe Mikal Watts when he tells us he quit his quest to replace U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, after sinking millions of his own money into the campaign, because he wants to spend more time with his family.
But I also wonder if it has anything to do with Mauricio Celis, a guy who six weeks ago, wearing only a bathrobe, chased a naked woman into a Corpus Christi convenience store at 4 a.m.
Celis also flashed (get your mind out of the gutter) a badge, telling officers on the scene he was taking the woman into custody.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
This Celis guy sounds like one shady character, but I’m not really clear on his relationship to Watts. Were they actually business associates?
My, oh, my. The Cornyn campaign would have had fun with this.
Celis and the unnamed lady were caught with their pants down. I’m not clear what this has to do with Watts. No one is claiming he was at the hot tub party, are they?
He is not a lawyer. He finds and runs cases to trial lawyers. The lawyers pay him for the case, which is illegal.
That is why you hire lawyers and never elect them as your “Civil Master”.
Democrats Texas style.
I knew there was more to the story when I read a newspaper article that Watts was getting out of the Senate race to “spend more time with his family”.
Watts Press Release:
For the last five months I have been exploring a race for the United States Senate because I believe that our junior senator, John Cornyn, has let Texas down and is more concerned with his cronies and friends in Washington than with what’s best for Texas.
After spending the last several months putting everything into this campaign, I have seen the toll this effort has taken on my young children. For these reasons, my wife and I have made the decision that I will not be seeking the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate in 2008. I was brought up to believe that public service is a noble endeavor and I will continue to be involved at some level in the future. However, I realize that my time now should be devoted to serving my children so they may grow up in a healthy environment with both parents at home to meet their needs.
The reasons for creating my exploratory committee still exist. As I have criss-crossed the state and met and talked with tens of thousands of good Texans, it is evident how much the people of Texas want and need a Senator who will fight every day for their interests and not the special interests. We need to elect a new Senator in Texas and I will personally do everything possible to support the Democratic nominee.
It is hard to express the gratitude I feel for all the support my family and I have received as we have pursued this effort. I know that our vision for the future of Texas is one that all of our friends and supporters share. It’s been one of the greatest blessings of my life for their faith in me, and for all of their hard work over the past months. While the decision not to seek the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate has been a difficult one, I know that it is the right one for my family at this time.
The article talks about alot of shady contributions to Democrats, but no Mikal Watts directly...
and since many would not believe that I have been noble, having been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, I am making a lousy excuse to quit my run for the Senate. I'm not a Hillary or a Bill otherwise I would stay in this run and pretend this situation never existed.
Seems to be lot of this sloppy, inane writing these days.
Almost as much fun as the Phil Gramm campaign had in 1984 running ads about the contribution his opponent got that was raised in a gay night club by stuffing bills into the G-strings of male dancers.
That’s Rick Casey’s MO - has been for over twenty years. He’s been bouncing continuously between Houston and San Antonio, always one step ahead of the pink slip.
Badge, law work defended in court
May lawsuit provides view into dealings of man accused of posing as lawyer
By Dan Kelley
Originally published 03:43 a.m., October 25, 2007
Updated 03:43 a.m., October 25, 2007
CORPUS CHRISTI — Sworn statements in a Zapata County lawsuit provide a view into the world and business dealings of Mauricio Celis, the embattled law firm operator accused of impersonating a lawyer and sheriff’s deputy.
Those statements by Celis in May claim that he is, indeed, a sheriff’s deputy, that he has the clearance and credentials to practice law in Mexico and that he has found legal means to operate a law firm in Texas.
Celis, a major donor to Democratic causes in South Texas and nationally, was relatively unknown to the public until a series of bizarre events thrust him into the limelight last month.
On Sept. 17, a nearly nude woman fled his Kings Crossing home and Celis, 35, appeared on the scene flashing a Duval County sheriff’s badge, asking that the woman be turned over to him, according to police reports. Celis’ law enforcement credentials expired in 2003.
Then, local trial lawyer Thomas J. Henry began airing television commercials alleging Celis was not licensed to practice law anywhere.
Celis, a Rockport-Fulton High School graduate, has repeatedly declined interviews.
The Zapata County lawsuit stems from another lawsuit — involving a 2004 house fire — settled by McAllen attorney Jaime Gonzalez for what another lawyer describes as “a lot of money.” Celis says he is entitled to at least $1 million for his share of the settlement.
A law firm Celis once worked for had loaned a plane to The Huerta Law Firm of Corpus Christi. The Huerta Law Firm, pressed for time, used the plane to travel to McAllen and obtain a signature on a legal services contract from a hospitalized woman injured in the fire, then referred the case to a law firm owned by Mikal Watts, who then referred the case to Gonzalez, according to Celis’ testimony.
Celis is suing Gonzalez, Watts and Huerta to recover a portion of proceeds in the McAllen fire case. Watts, who ended a U.S. Senate bid Tuesday, is among Democratic recipients of campaign donations by Celis.
Under oath, Celis testified that he is not licensed as a Texas attorney, and he never registered his diploma in Mexico — something he calls a formality. But, he testified, he nevertheless is allowed to practice law in Mexico because he graduated from law school there. When a lawyer accused him of breaking Mexican law, Celis responded:
“Are you going to dictate Mexican law to me? You are going to tell me about Mexican law? Are you a Mexican lawyer?”
He said operating his law firm in Texas is allowed because of legal rules in Washington, D.C., that permit non-lawyers and foreign lawyers to operate there. Once established in Washington, the right to operate is transferable, according to Celis’ attorneys.
Asked if he ever obtained a written opinion as to the legality of that structure and whether it permitted him to operate in Texas, Celis replied: “I don’t know if it’s written, but we certainly obtained it.”
Asked if he ever obtained an opinion about the legality of the firm’s structure from the Texas Bar Association, Celis claims a lawyer working for him obtained one over the phone.
“Lawyers in the case asked Celis if he knew it was illegal to hold himself out as a lawyer.
“I do.” Celis replied. “I’m a Texas peace officer. A deputy, a reserve deputy sheriff. So I do know that, sir.”
Celis’ peace officer license lapsed in 2003.
Celis has flashed a badge or claimed to be a police officer more than once in encounters with police, according to court documents.
Police reports show that Celis was pulled over for speeding in 2001, driving a black Mercedes Benz convertible at 54 mph near the 600 block of Doddridge Street. When asked for his driver’s license, Celis reportedly showed a law enforcement identification card.
When the officer gave him a ticket, Celis asked: “It doesn’t help if I’m a deputy?” Two days later, the officer called Duval County and was told Celis did not work for Duval County.
In 2002, police reports say, Celis forced his way into the apartment of a woman who worked at a strip club. When the woman locked herself in the bathroom, Celis told her that nothing would happen to him because he is an attorney and he knows people, according to the reports.
A few months later, a man told police Celis pointed a gun at him during a confrontation at the same strip club. When police arrived, police reports indicate, Celis was “identified as a reserve deputy from Duval County.” The report does not specifically say that Celis displayed a badge to police.
As Celis left the scene, he threatened to sue the man.
In 2004, during another incident in which Celis was stopped for speeding, he claimed to be an officer with Duval County, according to a police report. But when asked if he commuted from his Kings Crossing home daily, according to the report, Celis responded: “Yes, and I’m also an attorney.”
Contact Dan Kelley at kelleyd@caller.com or 886-4316.
Copyright Caller Times Publishing Company
www.caller.com
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