MY PLEA TO GOVERNOR QUINN: PARDON THOSE CONVICTED BY "OPERATION GREYLORD" JUDGES

Dear Governor Quinn:

I am requesting you pardon and expunge the records of hundreds, if not thousands, of people who were convicted and sentenced by "Operation Greylord" judges. Several Greylord Judges (Courtesty of FBI)The FBI was successful at rooting out the evils of 17 Cook County judges; however, those who were the victims of the judges' convictions and sentencings were completely ignored.

Operation Greylord is the name of an FBI investigation in the 80's that spanned over the course of 3 1/2 years. As you know, Operation Greylord is still recognized to this day as one of the FBI's most successful undercover investigations. The first listening device ever placed in a judge's chambers occurred in the undercover phase, when the narcotics court chambers of Cook County Circuit Court Judge Wayne Olson were bugged. Over 100 people were indicted. The last conviction was that of Judge Thomas Maloney, who was convicted of fixing three murder cases. Maloney was released from federal prison in 2008. A total of 92 people were indicted, including 17 judges, 48 lawyers, ten deputy sheriffs, eight policemen, eight court officials, and a member of the Illinois Legislature. (See Wikipedia for further information.)

As a result of the corruption within Cook County, many people were wrongly convicted and sentenced to crimes they did not commit or they were not given a fair trial because of their attorney and/or judge's involvement in their case.

Judge Ciavarella Your pardoning and expunging the records of these individuals would follow suit of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. On October 29, 2009, the Court ruled that almost all juvenile cases heard by Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella from Jan. 1, 2003 to May 31, 2008 must be thrown out. Judge Ciavearella has been indicted for "taking millions of dollars in kickbacks from owners of private detention centers in exchange for placing juvenile defendants at their facilities, often for minor crimes." Article here.

Over 6500 juveniles will have their records expunged. Many states automatically expunge a juvenile's criminal record; however, Pennsylvania does not. (Here, in Illinois, juvenile records are also not automatically expunged; instead, a petition must be filed and the judge must enter an order to expunge the juvenile record.)

Greylord judges were not juvenile judges but the issue is still the same: like Judge Ciavearella, Greylord judges did not act impartially but instead had a vested interest in cases by getting paid by defense attorneys in exchange for favorable sentence.

For example, one man pleaded guilty to a crime he did not commit because his attorney (whom he met when the attorney approached him in the hallway the first day of court) told him that if he signed over his bond money, the attorney would "make the case go away." Little did the man know that he was pleading guilty to felony probation and would be a convicted felon for the rest of his life.

Each person's story is different, of course, but in the fairness of justice, I believe it is only appropriate to remove the crimes of those convicted by the 17 Greylord judges. Too many lives have been permanently ruined by corrupt judges. The incarceration of the Greylord judges is only one piece of righting their wrongs. The victims in these cases should also be rehabilitated by an pardon and or expungement of any case heard before the Greylord judges.

Governor Quinn, thousands of Illinois residents were affected by the Greylord corruption. The FBI did an incredible job at rooting out the evils within the justice system but rehabilitating the victims somehow was dismissed.

I know you are incredibly busy dealing with other serious matters; however, the power to pardon is an enumerated power given soley to you, our Governor.  Political backlash often follows after a pardon is granted but, in this case, your actions are would be clearly reasonable and justified. I look forward to hearing your response to my request.

Sincerely,

Tamara N. Holder - Attorney for and on behalf of Greylord victims

www.xpunged.com

NEW TEXAS DNA LAW ALLOWS FOR ARREST IN 19-YEAR OLD UNSOLVED RAPE CASE, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS WILL PREVENT MOST ARRESTS

In 1990, Jennifer Schuett was snatched from her bed, raped in a field and left for dead when she was just 8 years old. Her injuries were so severe, doctors told her she would never be able to talk again. CNN article here.

Doctors performed a rape kit after the assault but technology did not allow for a conclusive result.

In 1997, her attacker, Dennis Earl Bradford, was sent to prison for a similar offense. At the time, DNA testing technology was more advanced and his DNA was entered into a database following his felony conviction. (Many states have a similar law: upon conviction of a felony, the defendant shall enter his DNA into a database.)

Last month, on September 1, a new TX law allowed for DNA preserved in old cases to be entered into a database. Blog here: New Texas Law: Old DNA on Cases NOT Prosecuted Can Be Used Against Person

Now, just a month over the passing of the new law, old DNA that was preserved in an unsolved rape can be entered into a database to search for someone who had subsequently been entered into the system, most likely for another conviction. Clearly, this law is working in the way it was intended: to finally bring sexual assault victims justice.

Unfortunately, many people will not be able to seek proper justice because sexual assault cases have a statute of limitations, meaning prosecutors must charge and prosecute a case within a certain number of years. I am assuming that Mr. Bradford's arrest was possible because he is also charged with attempted murder.

www.xpunged.com and www.tamaraholder.com

Interview #1: Tamara in the Polish News: Chcemy Polanskiego (The Roman Polanski Case)

Jaką karę może dostać Polański

Jacek Przybylski , Marcin Szymaniak , Piotr Zychowicz 01-10-2009, ostatnia aktualizacja 01-10-2009 22:00

Eksperci w USA są podzieleni. Jedni mówią, że już nie wyjdzie na wolność, inni – że wkrótce go wypuszczą

autor zdjęcia: Radek Pasterski

źródło: Fotorzepa

Roman Polański

+zobacz więcej

Roman Polański przebywa w szwajcarskim areszcie, gdzie czeka na rozpatrzenie wniosku ekstradycyjnego USA. Jaką karę może mu wymierzyć amerykański sąd? Zdaniem części ekspertów znacznie wyższą, niż gdyby został skazany w 1977 roku, gdy uprawiał seks z nieletnią. W ciągu ostatnich 30 lat amerykańskie sądy znacznie zaostrzyły bowiem kary nakładane na przestępców seksualnych.

– Jeżeli zostanie postawiony przed sądem, może już nigdy nie ujrzeć światła dziennego – powiedział Agencji Reutera Stan Goldman, profesor z Loyola Law School w Los Angeles. Podobnego zdania jest szef policji w tym mieście Bill Bratton, który doskonale zna tamtejsze sądy.

Gwałt na dziecku

– Dzisiaj za stosunek analny z 13-latką, którą się odurzyło alkoholem, dostaje się minimum 18 – 20 lat – mówi Bratton. Dla 76-letniego Polańskiego w praktyce oznaczałoby to dożywocie. O tym, jak poważnie traktowane są w USA gwałty na dzieciach, świadczy fakt, że ostatnio kilka stanów, m.in. Luizjana i Karolina Południowa, przymierzało się do wprowadzenia za to przestępstwo kary śmierci.

Jak przekonują eksperci, sędziowie w takich przypadkach często znajdują się pod silną presją opinii publicznej. – Gdy masz do czynienia ze sprawą gwałtu na dziecku, bardzo trudno jest sprzeciwiać się surowej karze – uważa profesor prawa z Tulane University w Nowym Orleanie Tania Tetlow.

Nie wiadomo również, w jaki sposób sędzia potraktuje fakt, że od dnia popełnienia przestępstwa minęło ponad 30 lat. Może być to okoliczność łagodząca (bo minęło wiele czasu), ale również obciążająca Polańskiego (reżyser przez trzy dekady uciekał przed wymiarem sprawiedliwości).

Amerykańskie sądy znacznie surowiej traktują pedofilów dziś, niż 30 lat temu

Prawników reżysera w trudnej sytuacji postawiło również zaskakujące wyznanie emerytowanego prokuratora Davida Wellsa. Stwierdził on, że wszystko, co mówił w filmie „Roman Polański: Poszukiwany i Pożądany” (2008), było kłamstwem. Wells ze szczegółami opowiadał w nim o swoich sekretnych rozmowach z Laurence’em J. Rittenbandem, sędzią prowadzącym sprawę Polańskiego.

Z opowieści Wellsa wynikało, że Rittenband był silnie uprzedzony do Polańskiego, którego uważał za symbol zepsucia. Negatywny stosunek sędziego do oskarżonego miał się jeszcze nasilić po tym, gdy Polański po 42 dniach opuścił szpital psychiatryczny (nie stwierdzono u niego anomalii). Sędzia uznał to za złamanie ugody, w ramach której Polański miał pozostać na obserwacji przez 90 dni.

Cios dla adwokatów

Reżyser miał się wówczas dowiedzieć o furii, w jaką z tego powodu wpadł sędzia, i uciec do Europy. Rittenband miał się zdenerwować jeszcze bardziej, gdy Wells – jak twierdził w filmie – pokazał mu gazetę ze zdjęciem Polańskiego beztrosko bawiącego się na Oktoberfest w Niemczech. – Ten sukinsyn pójdzie do więzienia stanowego na 50 lat! – miał wykrzykiwać wówczas Rittenband.

Obrona reżysera powoływała się na nagrane w filmie słowa byłego prokuratora. Cała ta strategia teraz legła w gruzach. „To, co powiedziałem, nie było prawdą. To było kłamstwo” – wyznał dziennikowi „Los Angeles Times” 71-letni były prokurator. Jak tłumaczy, wymyślił wszystko, bo był przekonany, że film nigdy nie zostanie pokazany w USA. Wyemitowała go jednak telewizja HBO. „Dlaczego teraz się do tego przyznaję? Jeśli Polański wróci do USA, moje oświadczenie może mieć duże znaczenie” – tłumaczy Wells.

To nic nie zmieni

Część ekspertów twierdzi jednak, że wyznania emerytowanego prokuratora niczego nie zmienią. – Sądzę, że gdy Polański zostanie przewieziony do Ameryki, sędzia puści go wolno – mówi „Rz” adwokat Tamara Holder.

Według niej pomimo zaskakującego wyznania Wellsa i tak wiadomo, że w procesie doszło do nieprawidłowości. Ofiara Polańskiego mówi zaś, że nie chce, żeby reżyser szedł do więzienia. – To wszystko przemawia na jego korzyść. Najgorszą rzeczą, którą zrobił Polański, była ucieczka. Mógł wrócić choćby w tym roku, gdy sędzia sugerował, że jeśli pojawi się w sądzie, jest gotów do ugody. Ale on nadal uciekał – dodaje Holder. Mimo apelu szefów dyplomacji Francji i Polski w sprawie reżysera nie będzie interweniować amerykańska sekretarz stanu Hillary Clinton. Jak powiedziała dziennikarzom w Nowym Jorku, ekstradycja Polańskiego to sprawa dla sędziów, a nie dla dyplomatów. Bernard Kouchner i Radosław Sikorski napisali wcześniej list do Clinton, wzywając do uwolnienia reżysera. Jak podkreślił w artykule redakcyjnym „Washington Post”, nic nie usprawiedliwia czynu Polańskiego, a gwiazdy Hollywood nie mają racji, starając się zbagatelizować jego winę. „Człowiek ten przyznał się do seksu z 13-latką, (...) nie słuchał, kiedy przerażona powiedziała: «nie»” – napisała gazeta. Podkreśliła, że od czasu ucieczki ze Stanów Zjednoczonych Polański „żyje bezkarnie i w luksusie”.

 www.xpunged.com and www.tamaraholder.com

ROMAN POLANSKI CASE SIMILAR TO ONE OF MY CASES - SHOWS ABSOLUTE POWER OF JUDGE AND PROSECUTORS

Roman Polanski (AP)This weekend, the Swiss arrested Roman Polanski, for possible extradition to the United States. In 1977, Polanski was accused of raping a 13-year old at Jack Nicholson's house after getting her drunk and drugging her with a Quaalude. 

Polanski Case

Polanski's defense attorney and the prosecutor worked out a plea agreement whereby he would plead guilty of one of six counts, unlawful sexual intercourse, and he would spend 42 days in prison.  After he was released, Polanski learned the judge would not agree with the agreed-plea, sentence him to additional time to prison and require him deported. As a result, Polanski fled to France where he has lived ever since. Article here.

My case

I currently represent a young man who was accused of sexually assaulting a few girls at an Illinois high school where he was their assistant track coach.

His defense attorney and the state's attorney - THE state's attorney, not the assistants - agreed to reduce the felony charges to misdemeanor battery. Just days before the plea agreement was to be presented to the judge, the state's attorney handed the case over to one of her assistants. Then, on the day the plea was to take place in court, the assistant state's attorney pulled the entire deal.

Thus, my client was forced to take the case to trial, unless he wanted to plead guilty to felony charges, which would guarantee his deportation. While the jury was deliberating, my client fled the United States because he suspected he would be found guilty. Interestingly, he was found not guilty on felony charges of sexual assault against two of the three girls. See Article here.

The Power of the Judge and State's Attorney Often Leaves Defendant Powerless

In both my case and the Polanski case, two people who were accused of a crime and who had reached an agreement with the prosecutors, were forced out of our country.

A very typical response is, "Good thing he fled! He needs to leave our country and never come back!"

But that's not the issue.

The issue is that we have a system where prosecutors and defense attorneys are allowed to work out deals in cases where a defendant is probably guily of some sort of illegal conduct but the state's case is probably not airtight. Think about it: if the guy is totally innocent, the defense attorney will take it to trial. Same for the prosecution: if the guy is clearly guilty and he was found with "blood on his hands" then the prosecution will not offer any plea deals.

Granted, a deal is revocable at any time and a judge always has the discretion whether or not to go along with a plea agreement. I completely respect a judge's discretion.

But, it's unfair when a person, who is a legal resident of our country, is offered a deal and then it is revoked, leaving him with no other choice but to flee.

It did not make sense for the men to stay. If he stayed and did his time, he would have been deported after he fulfilled his prison sentence. So why do the time and waste all those years in prison when you cannot stay in the country after you've done your time? What would you do? You would leave before you were placed in prison and go to your native country if you are safe from extradition the United States.

Unfortunately, the deportation laws give no discretion for people who actually contribute to society. Polanski has contributed immensely to America. My client had received his college degree and had been accepted to a fine university for graduate school.

Both men were accused of committing crimes that were clearly flawed; hence, the reason for the plea agreements. Had the plea agreements been accepted in both cases, both men would still be living in America with their friends and family and would be able to contribute to our society.

www.xpunged.com and www.tamaraholder.com

RE-LAUNCH OF WWW.XPUNGED.COM - CLEARING YOUR ILLINOIS CRIMINAL RECORD

I just want to remind you that I re-launched my website www.xpunged.com last week.  We are really trying to get the word out that IF YOU HAVE EVER BEEN FINGERPRINTED BY THE POLICE, YOU HAVE A RECORD THAT IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC! There is no such thing as your record disappearing if your case was dismissed, or if a certain period of time has passed. No matter what someone has told you, even if that someone was a judge or a lawyer, you have a record unless it has been expunged, sealed or pardoned.

I have a page with tons of info on expungement here and pardons here. Please visit our new page and allow us to pull your record and identify how we can clear it!

www.xpunged.com and www.tamaraholder.com

POSSIBLE FOUL ON WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SLAM DUNK CASE

Picture of meth user's arms from the (www.anti-meth.org)Two people were arrested after police found a meth lab inside the home. Not only was an entire meth lab discovered, but a loaded gun was found nearby the basement dwelling of the couple where 5 kids also resided.
According to Boise's "Beacon Journal" staff writer Ed Meyer, "

The children — identified by Akron police as 11, 7, 5, 4 and 2 years old — and the 17-year-old were placed in the custody of Summit County Children Services. They are currently in the agency's care as officials consider foster homes, Akron Police Capt. Dan Zampelli said.

The couple, Ronald Lee Copeland, 37, and Sasha Marie Archer, 27, are being held at the county jail on drug and child-endangering charges. A jail official said bonds for both were set at $100,000.

On its face, the case looks like a slam dunk. Police acted on a tip, knocked on the door, and the couple gave them consent to search the house.

Last night, additional details were reported by a law enforcement official working the case.
1. The man’s aunt and uncle answered the door and allowed the police inside of the home.
2. A local meth lab tacitical team had known about this home for a week or so.
3. The police were acting on a tip from an informant.
4. Family services had recievied complaints at this home approximately 9 times.
5. The aunt and uncle cared for a sick relative in the upstairs portion of the home.
6. The couple and the children lived in the downstairs dwelling of the home.
7. The man allegedly consented to the search of the downstairs area of the home and the search also revealed his mail with his name on it ddressed to that location.

To the average person, this case looks like a winner for local prosecutors. But not so fast. I have a serious problem with this case: Where was the warrant???

A warrant can be obtained within minutes. All that needed to be done is that nvestigators go to the judge, they provide the judge with the information from the informant and any information they obtained in their WEEK-LONG investigation. Now, with the "consent" to come into the home, the "consent" issue may be a big battle for prosecutors. It would have been so simple for them to get a warrant. Silly that they did not.

Also remember that Family Services personel were called to that house allegedly 9 times. Police could have gotten a warrant based on alleged child endangerment alone...meth lab aside!

The couple is charged with numerous drug offenses and child endangerment. If convicted, they are looking at spending decades behind bars.

BUT, if defense attorneys file motions to suppress the evidence, which they may, any "fruits" of the illegal search can be tossed out of court. Then, certain charges might have to be dismissed.

It's this kind of thoughtless behavior on the part of the police that allows the bad guys back on the streets. Many people are found "not guilty" because of crappy police work, not because they didn't commit the crime, thanks to the American justice system.

Click here for pictures of what meth can do to you. Disgusting!

www.xpunged.com and www.tamaraholder.com

PLAXICO BURRESS TO TESTIFY BEFORE GRAND JURY TODAY IN HIS OWN CASE

Plaxico Burress (AP)

Plaxico's attorney says the decision for Plaxico to tesitfy before the Grand Jury is a result of the prosecutor speaking to the press about the case.

This is silliness. What a prosecutor says to the press cannot be used against Plaxico in a court of law. Statements could be used to argue "change of venue" if Plaxico seeks a jury trial but otherwise, KEEP YOUR CLIENT OUT OF THE GRAND JURY.

Everything Plaxico says today will be on the record, may be incriminating and may be used against him at trial. We know Plaxico possessed a gun and shot himself in the leg. There is no reason Plaxico should testify at this initial stage of the criminal process!

The grand jury is NOT the proper place to tell your side of the story, if you are the person being charged. I strongly disagree with Plaxico's lawyer's decision to put him on the stand. NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM HIS TESTIMONY! It's the prosecutor's burden to put forward enough evidence for an true bill of indictment from the grand jury.

Plaxico needs to keep his mouth shut!

Here are my other blogs on Plaxico:

The Gun-Toting Plaxico Burress: Professional Athletes Continue to "Shoot Themselves in theFoot"

UPDATE: "STATUS" DATE FOR NFL PLAYER PLAXICO BURRESS ON GUNCHARGE

www.xpunged.com and www.tamaraholder.com