tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post747437994125068443..comments2023-10-22T09:32:13.417-04:00Comments on Big Trial | Philadelphia Trial Blog: Spanier Seeks Recusal Of Judge For Undisclosed Conflict Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116104602505815614noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-8957372827750602992018-07-17T22:06:53.657-04:002018-07-17T22:06:53.657-04:00Our Republic and its press will rise or fall toget...Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together," Pulitzer wrote. "An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery. A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself. The power to mould the future of the Republic will be in the hands of the journalists of future generations.<br />Joseph Pulitzer<br /><br /><br />Its its too late for moulding, I do believe all is lost. Joseph Pulitzers predictions have come true. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-10386267151850499842018-07-17T15:24:25.178-04:002018-07-17T15:24:25.178-04:00Former President Obama warned in a speech he gave ... Former President Obama warned in a speech he gave today in South Africa that the denial of facts and the rise of the strongman could be the undoing of democracy. He was talking about Trump but those words could describe a prosecutor who lies.<br /><br />Hiding or denying facts as well as using strong-arm techniques fits the bill as prosecutors put winning before facts,harming democracy.<br /><br />Prosecutors can not be the only people who have a voice, the media need to allow those that have suffered at the hands of the prosecution to be able to relate their harrowing experiences and to listen , really listen to facts. Bullying and propaganda thrive at the justice department. <br /><br />We have a president who sold us out we don't need the media to do it as well. <br /><br />Respectfully I disagree with you on the tapping of phones, I believe they do it regardless of whatever material they possess. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-61251932869572172402018-07-16T16:14:03.416-04:002018-07-16T16:14:03.416-04:00Prosecutors don't have to "tap into commu...Prosecutors don't have to "tap into communications between lawyers and clients to gain critical evidence" because the defense has to turn over any evidence they find to the prosecutors. For example, in the Schultz case, Schultz was given his Sandusky file by a secretary who stole it from his old office. Schultz's lawyer turned the file over to the prosecution. <br /><br />I agree with you that prosecutors often cheat but more usually by hiding exculpatory evidence from the defense or threatening witnesses to say what the prosecutors want them to say or face charges themselves. We saw the latter when prosecutor Frank Fina got Cynthia Baldwin to testify against her former clients. Fina had threatened to charge Baldwin with obstruction. Instead, Baldwin blamed Curley, Schultz and Spanier for the obstruction. Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-64637611361550274812018-07-16T14:47:09.785-04:002018-07-16T14:47:09.785-04:00Russians hacked into the DNC computers to gain acc... Russians hacked into the DNC computers to gain access to emails and opposition research on Trump, then feed on the fears of select groups of Americans to instill hatred and rage posing as other Americans expressing the same viewpoints. The Russian aim was to influence the outcome of our elections, cause chaos and undermine our resolve. <br /><br />The feds use the Inky and other mainstream media outlets to influence public opinion to change the outcome of a trial. Feds tap into private communications between lawyers and clients to gain critical evidence a defendant needs for their defense, the feds then are prepared for the evidence to discredit it. They can't maintain their winning average if they don't cheat.<br /><br />The Inky works hand in hand with the feds to instill fear in citizens on some trumped up corruption scandal or politicians gone wild, out to ruin their way of life.<br /><br />Mainstream media reporters serve as a select group of Americans used to influence the thinking of the reading public, most are ill informed on evidence and facts that present during a trial and are force feed the prosecutions "facts".<br /><br /> When did mainstream media ever question an edict from the prosecution?<br /><br />When did an Inky reporter ever have an opinion that differed from the prosecutions?<br /><br />Our government wants to manipulate our opinion on anyone they feel threatened by or see a becoming to powerful, in Russia they kill the opposition, in America we indict them.<br /><br /> How is this any different from what the Russians are continually attempting to do. Mainstream media silences any opinion that differs from the governments. Nothing in my opinion is more dangerous than supposedly open minded journalist who blindly side with the prosecution time after time, who feel compelled to malign and disgrace other Americans. The only "truths" we read about are government backed "truths". Its downright un-American to disagree with the prosecution. <br /><br />Imagine finding fault with a federal prosecutor or an FBI agent, its borders on heresy, our government is here to protect us from evil doers, not members of the government, who enjoy total immunity. <br /><br />The Russians don't have to work to hard to turn Americans against their own government, just let the Justice Department keep running the show and we will have no loyal citizens who believe in their government. <br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-53896250744590736632018-07-16T11:35:04.338-04:002018-07-16T11:35:04.338-04:00Then he was cooperating with the government,its th...Then he was cooperating with the government,its the only way he came out unscathed by both the feds and Inky.The Inky follows the feds orders.<br /><br />Much like Bernice DeAngelis, the former Administrative Judge during most of the investigations of Traffic Court, who took calls from the "Chief", how is it that she and her husband, a former Fumo aid were able to slither away ? <br /><br />During the trial one of the defendants questioned a reporter as to why DeAngelis was not indicted, there was an immediate ban on defendants from having any communication with the press. <br /><br />DeAngelis could not be indicted, she was the road to Crooked Castile and her part in the scheme would have been exposed. <br /><br /> You would think a journalist/prosecutor would question why she was not indicted but why do that when they already had their marching orders. <br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-2186038086825595012018-07-15T01:02:10.033-04:002018-07-15T01:02:10.033-04:00 The DOJ and FBI were well aware of Jim Kenney, ... The DOJ and FBI were well aware of Jim Kenney, when Fumo Chief of Staff, of taking bribes and fixing cases in many Courts incl. Traffic Court.<br /><br /> Quite remarkable that the Inky never covered those criminal acts when destroying Vincenzo.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-9523590197176855232018-07-14T12:58:30.135-04:002018-07-14T12:58:30.135-04:00The ex-FBI agent most visibly involved in the Sand...The ex-FBI agent most visibly involved in the Sandusky scandal obviously acquitted himself very poorly, namely Louis Freeh. At least two of the Freeh Report's recommendations were for greater transparency at Penn State but then Freeh joined Penn State in court to fight for the public release of his source documents. Penn State even fought in court to prevent their own trustees from seeing Freeh's documents. Not a peep from Freeh, or the news media, that Penn State was not following his recommendations. <br /><br />Another former FBI agent, Frank Noonan, then the head of the PA State Police, vilified Paterno for moral failures even though his state troopers did an inept, and slow Sandusky investigation that allowed Sandusky to abuse boys while they were investigating. Noonan then fought transparency by refusing to allow any state troopers to speak with Moulton for his report on the Sandusky investigation. Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-48744797469752912072018-07-14T10:14:27.619-04:002018-07-14T10:14:27.619-04:00Strzok seems to have held his own during the proce...Strzok seems to have held his own during the proceedings, did his personal feels influenced his work, he seems to think they did not. Evidence will prove him right or wrong,everything is out in the open, there is discussion and debate on it.<br /><br />The FBI agent who testified at the Philadelphia Traffic Court trial misdeeds were hidden by the media, he is a risk to national security, the security that Americans thought they had in the FBI.<br /><br /> As the agent was working for the prosecution one can only assume he had aspirations of future job promotions in the bureau.<br /><br />The rights of all citizens were trampled upon by the Inky for not reporting accurately. If we can't trust the FBI how are the Russians actions different from what this agent and the Inky did to our rights.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-87706199848828598532018-07-13T18:59:11.078-04:002018-07-13T18:59:11.078-04:00 Watching the performance of FBI Stooge Peter S... Watching the performance of FBI Stooge Peter Strzok testify before Congress is a chilling example of the corrupt frauds who exercise power.<br /><br /> Frank Fina and Strzok would make great cell mates.<br /><br /> Can you guess how many more of these cretins are out there?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-37492584258439826832018-07-12T16:58:24.853-04:002018-07-12T16:58:24.853-04:00The Inky worked hand in hand with Crooked Castile&...The Inky worked hand in hand with Crooked Castile's hand picked Administrative Head at Traffic Court, private confidential information was front page news.<br /><br /> Journalist/prosecutors helped in defrauding the Commonwealth of millions and millions of dollars that were bound for the states coffers but the DOJ and the Inky did not want what could have been a very simple solution to remedy any improprieties that may have been taking place.<br /><br /> Their intent was to gain glory, not in helping to solve an issue, but to incriminate people and ruin lives,reputations and bankrupting defendants, separating them from their families and their loved ones, that is the American way.<br /><br />During the Traffic Court trial when a politicians name was mentioned Inky reporters darted out the door to report the news but when their accomplice, the lying FBI agent was caught repeatedly lying, no one heard a word,the public was kept in the dark about the outrageous violation of ethics of the agent.<br /><br /> Two Inky journalist/prosecutors were present during the closing arguments when the agents behavior was called in question over and over but since they were part of the scheme to defraud and malign the defendants, no chance of the public reading the truth.<br /><br /> What was witnessed in the courtroom never made it to the reading public, reading their account one would wonder what courtroom they were in during the trial.<br /><br />We are all aware that prosecutors hide exculpatory evidence from defendants defense attorneys to incriminate them but what is it called when mainstream media journalists/prosecutors are in the on scheme to defraud, incriminate and hide the truth from their colleagues and the public ? <br /><br />Journalist rely on their colleagues to inform them as well as the public of the truth, these reporters failed miserably on both accounts.<br /><br /> No one at the Inky, who was not already in on the scheme, was aware of the misdeeds of the FBI agent, thanks to the manipulated public opinion, which is criminal and the public should know of the reporters/prosecutors deceit. <br /><br />Its no wonder people do not believe the press, we are not reading what we are seeing. Its the same type of person who get themselves elected to community boards or homeowners associations, to advance their own agendas.<br /><br />I never realized that if you work for the Justice Department or the Inky you are endowed with rights other citizens are not entitled you, rights that enable you to condemn fellow citizens making their lives unbearable, disgracing entire families for generations, separating innocents from their families, taking pensions for a lifetime of work, journalist/reporters should face the same fate, get something wrong and its jail time and no pension and disgrace for you and your family. <br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-28196719356032131232018-07-12T15:41:54.796-04:002018-07-12T15:41:54.796-04:00The EWOC charge indirectly involved the 2001 showe...The EWOC charge indirectly involved the 2001 shower incident because the prosecution contended that incident should have made Spanier aware that Sandusky was an ongoing danger to children. <br /><br />Logically, that unidentified boy from 2001 could not be the one he was charged with endangering. The abuse allegedly witnessed by McQueary happened before Spanier was notified, and there was never any evidence presented that the unidentified boy was abused after that night. If there had never been another victim after that date, there could have been no EWOC charge.<br /><br />I think the argument Spanier's lawyers are making about the date of the unidentified boy's 20th birthday being significant has to do just with the SOL extension. If the unidentified boy was more than 14 years 11 days old on Feb. 9, 2001, then the SOL would have expired well before Spanier was charged in 2012. <br /><br />The prosecution definitely blamed Spanier unfairly, even accusing him of endangering children between 1998 and 2001 based on the 1998 investigation that cleared Sandusky. <br /><br />Victim 5, who became the anonymous victim testifying against Spanier was also very, very suspect. The Sandusky jury didn't believe him on the most serious charge. He claimed Sandusky touched him once in the showers at age 13, and he had too young to know what an erection was. He originally said the abuse happened in 1998, when he would have been 10.<br /><br />It certainly seemed like he moved up the date of his single incident of abuse so it was after Feb. 2001 to qualify for a larger settlement. Spanier's lawyers should have cross-examined him about the date. <br /><br />Spanier appears to have been convicted of endangering a boy who was abused a couple years before the McQueary-witnessed incident. Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-87585628757355607262018-07-12T13:03:00.961-04:002018-07-12T13:03:00.961-04:00But the EWOC charge that Spanier's lawyers are...But the EWOC charge that Spanier's lawyers are appealing for re-argument definitely involves the 2001 McQueary shower incident.bigtrial.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188557653424544411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-53568678093218615952018-07-12T13:02:04.986-04:002018-07-12T13:02:04.986-04:00Perhaps the confusion is over this: Spanier was ch...Perhaps the confusion is over this: Spanier was charged with two charges of EWOC, one a felony, the other a misdemeanor. The Commonwealth lost on the felony charge, and a contention that Spaneir had engaged in a continuing course of conduct, as in ignoring the threat posed by Sandusky to the other boys, so maybe we're dealing with the misdemeanor charge, because that was the one the jury convicted on.bigtrial.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188557653424544411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-61816540441514470412018-07-12T13:00:11.496-04:002018-07-12T13:00:11.496-04:00In the brief from Spanier's lawyers, they spec...In the brief from Spanier's lawyers, they specifically reference the 2001 shower incident allegedly witnessed by McQueary, as explained in this footnote:<br /><br />As the majority acknowledged, for the exception in Section 5552(c)(3) to<br />apply, the Commonwealth would have had to prove that the victim was<br />under 20 years of age when the statute was amended on January 29, 2007 to<br />extend the limitations period under the exception to a victim’s 50th<br />birthday. See Maj. Op. 11-12. If the victim turned 20 before that date, the<br />limitations period would have expired before the statute was amended and<br />the prosecution would have been time-barred, even under the un-asserted<br />exception in Section 5552(c)(3). See Commonwealth v. Harvey, 542 A.2d 1027,<br />1030-31 (Pa. Super. 1988). Thus, on the only date any witness purported to<br />see the victim, February 9, 2001, the victim had to be less than 14 years, 11<br />days old. The scintilla of evidence the Commonwealth presented on this<br />issue, on which the majority relied to uphold Dr. Spanier’s conviction, was<br />presented solely to prove the uncontested fact that, on February 9, 2001, the<br />child was under 18, a required element of the child-endangerment charge.<br />See 18 PA. C.S. § 4304(a)(1).<br /><br />I do recall that at the Spanier trial, the contention was that Spanier had endangered the other alleged victims by not dealing with the McQueary shower incident.bigtrial.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188557653424544411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-3041024934892374492018-07-12T11:42:01.870-04:002018-07-12T11:42:01.870-04:00Ray - I think there is big difference in having a...Ray - I think there is big difference in having an unidentified body in a murder case and having no identified victim for sex abuse charges. A dead body and an autopsy provide clear evidence there actually was a murder victim. There is nothing but McQueary's changing testimony that the boy in the shower in 2001 was abused or, as you point out, that the victim even was a child. <br /><br />I always thought that Sandusky's lawyers should have gotten photos of some young-looking 18 year olds and asked that McQueary estimate their age after projecting their photos on a screen for a few seconds. There was never any evidence that McQueary had the knack for accurately guessing a boy's age after a 1 or 2 second glance,<br /><br />I have often posed the question online of whether anyone except Sandusky has ever been convicted of sexual abuse of an unidentified child and never got an answer. Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-36482081080787235722018-07-12T11:28:12.551-04:002018-07-12T11:28:12.551-04:00The prosecution contended that Spanier endangered ...The prosecution contended that Spanier endangered up to 4 boys allegedly abused after the 2001 shower incident, not the unidentified boy seen by McQueary. They had zero evidence the unidentified boy in the shower in 2001 was ever abused after that. They had a single, anonymous victim to testify at Spanier's trial possibly because he was the best crier, because prosecutors had some leverage on him to get his cooperation or because he was the only one who agreed to it. <br /><br />That victim kept changing the date of his abuse in his testimonies. Originally, it was before the 2001 shower incident but I don't believe Spanier's defense even cross-examined him at all.<br /><br />Not reported much at all was that one or two victims claimed they were abused by Sandusky after AG Tom Corbett took over the Sandusky investigation in March 2009. I think that makes Corbett, Fina, Noonan, Sassano and the rest of Corbett's investigation team guilty of child endangerment.Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-83135449397218806972018-07-12T11:13:49.179-04:002018-07-12T11:13:49.179-04:00Katrina - Where do you get your information that S...Katrina - Where do you get your information that Sandusky's wife gets half his retirement money? Legally, it all goes to Sandusky until his death. It's his choice whether he gives her 0% or 100%. Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-68501345262570140782018-07-12T11:09:48.976-04:002018-07-12T11:09:48.976-04:00The exception to "the victims are always as p...The exception to "the victims are always as pure as the driven snow" is when it contradicts the politics. A good example is the current Ohio State doctor sex abuse scandal, where a powerful GOP Congressman is accused of ignoring the abuse. The news media has numerous reports attacking some of those victims for crimes or legal disputes in their pasts. <br /><br />You heard little of the criminal pasts of some of the Sandusky scandal victims and little of the extensive criminal record of Billy Doe. Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-81595682177069730102018-07-12T10:22:43.700-04:002018-07-12T10:22:43.700-04:00In the case of the altar boy, politics played a bi...In the case of the altar boy, politics played a big part. The church was always evil, and no story they printed could ever diverge from that narrative. <br /><br />They have ignored the entire Billy Doe scandal, even though the lead detective came forward to testify about prosecutorial misconduct, and they let the Catholic school teacher who was convicted of raping little Billy out of jail nearly 12 years before his sentence was up.<br /><br />You have to be willfully blind to ignore those two bombshells. The kind of willful blindness outlined on "The Newsroom" page on philly.com.<br /><br />bigtrial.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188557653424544411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-73436960224654739432018-07-12T09:16:46.500-04:002018-07-12T09:16:46.500-04:00While I don't think it's necessary to have...While I don't think it's necessary to have an identified victim in every case (in the Green River Killer case, some of the bodies found weren't identified), but to make an EWOC charge the Commonwealth would have to have the identity of the person to ensure that it was actually a child. <br /><br />Interestingly, Mike McQueary told the police in November 2010 that he would be unable to identify the child. And guess what? The police never came back to McQueary after they had obtained photographs of the victims circa 2001 and asked him if any of the children might have been the shower victim.<br /><br />That tells me that the police were not all that interested in finding the victim because the case wasn't really about finding victims. It was about finding people who would implicate Spanier. The timeline of subpoenas and interviews in the case bears that out.Ray Bleharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14557326921056183979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-56705575297312568882018-07-12T09:16:18.433-04:002018-07-12T09:16:18.433-04:00In the two biggest sex abuse scandals in perhaps t...In the two biggest sex abuse scandals in perhaps the history of Pennsylvania, both Billy Doe and the boy in the Penn State showers are imaginary characters, created by prosecutors and immortalized by the media.<br />bigtrial.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188557653424544411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-64419152752623452552018-07-12T09:14:32.363-04:002018-07-12T09:14:32.363-04:00In the matter of prosecutors, the Inky doesn't...In the matter of prosecutors, the Inky doesn't want to bite the hand that feeds them. They trumpet every indictment as though it was a conviction. They are part of the prosecution machinery, and so that's why they don't question prosecutors or judges. bigtrial.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188557653424544411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-16149239487229473432018-07-12T09:10:20.472-04:002018-07-12T09:10:20.472-04:00Ralph,
The Philadelphia Inquirer is "owned&qu...Ralph,<br />The Philadelphia Inquirer is "owned" by the corrupt Pennsylvania government -- their failure to report the facts or look into these miscarriages of justice has little to do with their political persuasion.<br /><br />For example, Craig McCoy and Angela Coloumbis knew that Frank Fina and his band of thugs threatened Kathleen Kane in March 2013 if she followed through on her investigation of the Sandusky case. <br /><br />See: https://www.law.com/thelegalintelligencer/almID/1202590895115/?mcode=0&curindex=0<br /><br />March 2013 was before any of the shenanigans started with the alleged leaks (by Kane) to the Inquirer the Mondeshire case -- and then Fina's leaks about the Ali case. However, the Inquirer (and the rest of the corrupt PA media) never mention that initial threat by Fina in their timelines of Kane's case.<br /><br />To be clear, Kane didn't have a vendetta against Fina, as has been widely reported. In her election bid, she clearly was criticizing Tom Corbett for slow walking the case and didn't mention Fina at all. It was Fina and his cohorts, who were ogling porn instead of investigating Sandusky, who made the first threat and then leaked the Ali information as a pre-emptive strike to undermine the Moulton investigation.<br /><br />The Inquirer, like the rest of the corrupt PA media (PennLive, Pgh Post Gazette) didn't express much interest at all in porngate, even though the case clearly showed the judiciary had been compromised through ex parte communications between judges and prosecutors. In fact, PennLive characterized the case as boys will be boys and juvenile behavior rather than the very serious matter that it was.<br /><br />And now we have a matter of a conflict of interest in the Spanier case -- and guess who hasn't made a peep about it? The PA media!<br /><br />The only coverage of the recusal so far is BigTrial.Net and Law360<br /><br />Ray Bleharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14557326921056183979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-81713268310323448682018-07-12T08:51:02.916-04:002018-07-12T08:51:02.916-04:00The point of the post was to confirm that Sandusky...The point of the post was to confirm that Sandusky was NOT EMPLOYED by PSU in 2001. Louis Freeh and the Commonwealth attempted to argue that Jerry's retirement benefits, such as having an on-campus office and campus phone line, a computer system account, and having access to campus buildings made him an employee. <br /><br />The court found that the assertions of Freeh and the Commonwealth were false.Ray Bleharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14557326921056183979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-36284736970395845232018-07-12T06:49:32.357-04:002018-07-12T06:49:32.357-04:00
http://www.philly.com/philly/about/newsroom-staff...<br />http://www.philly.com/philly/about/newsroom-staff-beats-list.htmlbigtrial.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188557653424544411noreply@blogger.com