B ) During the meeting, allow the AGs staff to review, but not keep, the documents. In Oakland County, the state's second largest county, turnout was nearly75%, higher than the 72% seen in 2008; in Detroit which is getting smaller and the rest of Wayne County, turnout was 62%, just under that seen in the 2008 election. Bill Ballenger: The blue AMC Gremlin, child killer. Many of the judges are in cahoots with the Friend of the Court workers. In Los Angeles County, the superior courts criminal division retained files for several former officers who were charged in the. They asked you to jump and, instead of backing me, you did.. "It's back to more typical levels this year.". Daily Kos readers dont tend towards the troll, yet never couch brutal honesty in niceties. Never had I heard of a news organization siding with a public official over a journalist, freelance or not. Whether Moody had jurisdiction over them or not, even after public administrators like Munger had been fired by him in 2017, Munger still took and was taking deceased estate as well as guardianship and conservatorship cases at the Oakland County Probate Court. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years of probation. So, nothing that was said there was going to come from anonymous sources I would need to protect with my life. Of course, the fix is much more complicated than that, and this too will be explored at a later date. In Oakland County, the state's second largest county, turnout was nearly 75%, higher than the 72% seen in 2008; in Detroit which is getting smaller and the rest of Wayne County, turnout . Staff writer David DeBolt contributed to this report. The afternoon was led by Assistant Attorney General Scott Teter. Teter looked me square in the face and asked me who they were. Nothing that was goingto happen in the last couple of weeks was going to change those votes.". took a deep dive into the state's regions, their voting trends and their importance in electing statewide candidates. Indeed, outside Catallo and myself, no one ever wanted to talk to these families. While he pled guilting to this federal corruption charge in January of 2021, he has yet to be sentenced, in part because of his ongoing public corruption case with the State Attorney Generals Office. "I was just thinking that the Biden campaign nurtured the blue wall and cultivated it," said Wielhouwer. He is guardian of her eldest son, Clarence. . Since taking the bench in 2003, George had somehow survived numerous scandals and, like most Michigan probate court judges, knew on which side her bread was buttered. As if I didnt already know, he reminded me that public administrators who took roles as guardians and conservators were acting outside of their job descriptions and as private attorneys. The pollsters were all wrong," saidSusy Heintz Avery, a former Michigan Republican Party chairwoman and co-director of the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University. I was already looking into Macks background when Catallo broke Bob and Barbs story. Journalists are theoretically also supposed to deal in whole truths. That left about 1.5% for the third party candidates. However, on Dec. 22, 2000, Judge Jaqueline Connor overturned the jury verdict. At that point, I was struggling to keep a grip on my own temper. While I was still working Oakland County, Catallo was doing sterling work in neighboring Macomb. Trump couldn't afford it, having beaten Clinton four years ago by just 10,704 votes, or about two-tenths of 1% of the vote. In February 2003, Neely and Richholt pleaded guilty to one count of agreeing to engage in prostitution and received one day in jail and three years of probation, a misdemeanor. The litigants are Aretha Franklins family members. California law also includes a provision that allowed the Riders case files to be destroyed after just three years. Under the guardianship of Macomb County Public Administrator Robert Kirk and his wife Cathy, they were literally fenced inside their own home. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. That's only part of the story to Biden winning Michigan: Even as Trump was adding to his vote totals in every county of the state but one Dickinson, in the Upper Peninsula, where Secretary of State records show he lost 111 votes his margin of victory in several counties long considered friendly to Republicans fell. Those officers have since been fired. One of the firearms found in the car was a shotgun that Neely and Richholt allegedly seized from an East Oakland mans house earlier in the day in a warrantless search. In Macomb County, the recent names making headlines for alleged public corruption are former Macomb County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Smith, former Macomb County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Ben Liston and suspended Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Derek Miller. Corruption in the Oakland County Child Killer case Guarded By Jackals. You cant give that stuff to them. Gretchen Whitmer two years ago). Can you supply one?. After all, they were out of state, But I never thought it would be. The Oakland Police Department has been under a nearly two-decade-long federal oversight program as a result of the Riders case, in which officers were accused of beating and planting drugs on West Oakland residents. For Coblentz, that is 296 cases involving 345 defendants . In Wayne County (excluding Detroit), since 2016, there have been four public corruption charges. The Appeal was unable to contact Neely. J. Dallo is a dedicated and aggressive fighter, both in and out of the courtroom. There are also cases tied to contractors and overall public corruption cases in Macomb County, that were not included in these counts. In suburban Oakland County, meanwhile, Biden's support grew by 91,000 votes though the president isn't making claims about trucks pulling up in the dead of the night there. Some voters are unwilling to admit they are voting for him. Theres a reason why this story is my last as a journalist. Oct 30, 2019. I couldnt vote for her but, damn, was I ever inspired that a fellow member of the LGBT community had so passionately reached to rarely attained heights. It was even apparent looking at the statewide vote for university trustees, which have often been seen as a barometer for partisanship since voters don't give them nearly as much attention as the top of the ticket and may merely have followed their party inclination. But James won over Peters in that county, with 176,356 to 174,147 for Peters. Edward Ortiz, Officer Paul Harper, Sgt. You strung me along for eight months. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press. Mohammed Nuru, director of San Francisco Public Works, center, gestures as he leaves a federal . At least two other cases identified by The Appealone involving officers Eric Richholt and Mark Neely Jr., the other involving Richard Valergahave also been destroyed. Leland admitted to accepting the cash when he pled guilty. Corruption cases have long riddled the Metro-Detroit region and in an upcoming post we will detail the ones that have been brought to the public eye since 2016. The sole remaining court record of the Riders case is related to officer Frank Vazquez, known to his fellow officers as Choker because he frequently grabbed people by their necks. In 2016, more than 75,000 people in the state cast ballots but didn't vote for any presidential candidate. I patiently reiterated that the wards had been placed in these homes by public administrators and was about to say the name Moody again when Teter lost his temper and told me I was twisting his words. At the time, the chief told the lead investigator she was concerned about retaliation, according to the document. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. There are lessons within it, for me most of all, but I hope also for those journalists who choose to stay on the ship, maybe of what not to do, even as the last few chords of Nearer My God to Thee play out in New York and Washington DC. By Nate Gartrell | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group. The Appeal was unable to locate Valerga for comment. In 1945, Michigan was racked with corruption. Instead, the county-by-county breakdowns which may change slightly as officials finalize tabulations but are unlikely to vary by much tell usa lot about trends that have been underway in the state for some time, including where certain areas appear to be trending more toward Democrats and others toward Republicans; it also tells us about how willing voters may be to split their tickets, despite what are often viewed as intransigent partisan leanings on the parts of voters. "We have no specific instances of wrongdoing.". Recent headlines have been focused on several public officials, including four from the Detroit City Council, three from the Detroit Police Department and three from Macomb County. The case against Deanna Barash, 46, is the latest case filed by public corruption prosecutors against a . I told Lucido that I had heard no mention of a Task Force at all. Maybe this tells us '16 was an outlier.". Moody, you know about. He said hed received no announcement but would check with his colleagues on the government beat. Not with you and not with a publication that falls under the AGs sphere of influence. While Republican businessman John James lost the race statewide to U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., 49.8%-48.3%, he ran ahead of Trump in some areas. In fact, the entire day went by with radio silence from both the Free Press and Rossman-McKinney. Circuit Civil/Criminal - 248-466-4260. Former LAPD officer Rafael Perez was convicted in 2000 on state felony charges for stealing eight pounds of cocaine from an evidence locker. This is producing unnecessary drama and complications so at this point Im asking you to skip efforts to attend. Valergas conduct was so egregious that investigators in his own department thought he should be punished to the full extent of the law. - John F . On Sept. 26, 2002, narcotics unit officers Richholt and Neely were arrested at a beauty salon after offering $160 to several women in exchange for oral sex. With Detroit having turnout not seen in 20 years and turnout upsignificantly in both Oaklandand Wayne counties relative to 2016, Biden's margins in those counties he won in Oakland 56%-42%, compared with Clinton's 52%-34% and in Wayne 68%-31% to Clinton's 67%-29% more than made up the difference. Under Kirkpatrick, five previously achieved tasks were brought out of compliance. Getting those voters to voice their support in public opinion polls isn't easy. Teter had certainly not brought it up either at our meeting or any time afterwards. Since Moody was good friends with a select few of the public administrators he appointed, he alerted them to the complaining families who then suffered staggering retaliation in a probate court. The book exposes the history of police brutality on Oakland, but it is a familiar and perhaps even universal story people can bear witness to in countless communities that stretch around the world. Macks defense of Michigan probate judges and the guardianship system itself has been so unyielding that in more direct attorney circles, he has since become knownas Mack the Shield.. The destruction of his court records means that there is no longer any public documentation of the criminal investigation against him, excluding media reports and a brief summary in the courts online database. A public administrator was clearly just a title with no more consequences of its removal than telling the Duke of Edinburgh that he could no longer be a duke. Throughout the trials, the Oakland Police Departments internal culture was examined in detail, as were political decisions by city leaders to undertake a zero tolerance crackdown on drug dealers, which community activistsand even the Oakland police unionblamed for stoking violence by street cops. James Rullamas, who helped investigate Valergas sexual misconduct, said in a 2007 court deposition that the former officer received lenient treatment from the legal system. Moreover, she had pledged to support the the downtrodden and, her meeting request looked like a desire to keep that campaign promise. Support a worker-led Appeal. But even as Trump added some365,000 voters to his totals in Michigan from four years ago in Tuesday's general election, his opponent, Democratic nominee Joe Biden, didfar better, running up surging vote totals in urban and suburban areas and narrowing Trump'sedge in key counties, including Macomb,Kent and Livingston. by Nicole Audrey Spector Sure, the president of the United States wields immense power, as does the average member of the Senate and House of Representative, but when it comes to unchecked lawlessness, abuse of authority and corruption, they've got nothing over the county sheriff. In addition, outside law enforcement . In the early 2000s, several women accused Oakland patrol officer Richard Valerga of holding them against their will in his squad car while he harassed and molested them. But it was 56%-45%. Both officers falsely. Gretchen Rachel Hammond is an award-winning freelance investigative journalist based out of Chicago. It is one of the 80 key precincts identified by Tim Kiska, an associate professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn who does election analysisfor the Free Press, as representative of the direction the state may take in a given election. On July 3, 2000, Batt resigned and blew the whistle on the misconduct he witnessed. We have concerns that the First Amendment right of access to court records may be violated by a statute providing for so short a period before records are destroyed, Kinzinger, whose firm serves as general counsel for the First Amendment Coalition, wrote in an email. For instance, it dropped by 8 percentage points in Emmet County, 9 in Ottawa in west Michigan, nearly 10 in Grand Traverse. With over 300,000 apartments destroyed in Turkey, fingers are already being pointed at below-par building codes and corruption in construction quality and enforcement. And while Trump won Macomb, his margin, 53%-45%, was well below the 54%-42% Trump beat Clinton by there four years ago. When including public contractors that number rises to about 40. But Biden got 40% to Clinton's 36%. It wasn't just metro Detroit, however. I didn't quote him at the time but there were more than a few moments I wanted to blurt out "Well let me tell you, with a trespass on credulity that excels your best, that we do have the evidence. Not only did he flip Kent, where Grand Rapids is located, he cut Trump's margin in Ottawa County, in one of the most Republican parts of the state, by 9 percentage points. and corruption in Contra Costa County. In 2000, Ortiz, Liddy, and Buchanan were convicted by a Los Angeles County jury of framing gang members and planting evidence. Most recently, investigations involve Detroit City Councilmembers Andre Spivey, Janee Ayers and Scott Benson. But he kept it up, and it worked to a great degree. that ended in 2003 with the Oakland police being placed under a federal consent decree. My opinion was, and still is, is that Valerga should have gone to prison, Rullamas said during the deposition. Kirkpatrick was also recently criticized in her handling of the police fatal shooting of a homeless man, Joshua Pawlik, who was found armed and sleeping in 2018. Its the easiest job in the world for Nessel; like telling Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York that she cant be a Duchess because all those weight watchers commercials were a bridge too far. , where anti-gang officers in a downtown precinct were accused of unprovoked shootings and beatings of suspects, as well as planting evidence and stealing drugs then turning around and selling them on the street. Recently backsliding has left the department, as of February, eight tasks short of full compliance with the court. Last week, Andre Spivey pled guilty to federal bribery charges and admitted he and an aide received almost $36,000 in bribes. I truly believe that they dont see what theyre doing as being corrupt. Mabanag and officers Jude Siapno and Matthew Hornung were tried in the case twice. Since 2016 there has been two public corruption cases in Oakland County and one in St. Clair County; no other county in the region has had any cases come to light. For instance, the 2020 election showed its share of vote-splitters. However, some legal experts, including Cordell and Stanford University law professor Robert Weisberg, believe that records of police prosecutions should be maintained longer because they also constitute official histories of institutional corruption. This request came because, according to news reports, Millers attorney claims there was no criminal intent with his interaction related to the larger case of alleged misuse of forfeiture funds by Smith. Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community. And one. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? Kirkpatricks lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of monetary damages for loss of pay, benefits and loss of future earnings. Rather than sticking to the letter of Michigan statute or Michigan Court Rules, the Oakland County Judges make up their own rules as they go along. Leland admitted to accepting the cash when he pled guilty to federal bribery charges and he. Any time afterwards oakland county corruption, Judge Jaqueline Connor overturned the jury verdict but california has followed... Trends and their importance in electing statewide candidates, she had pledged to the. Prison, Rullamas said During the deposition overturned the jury verdict 40 % to Clinton 's %... 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Batt resigned and blew the whistle on the misconduct he witnessed has left the department as. That number rises to about 40 not with you and not with you and not with a public over! Pledged to support the the downtrodden and, her meeting request looked like a desire to that! Macomb County public Administrator Robert Kirk and his wife Cathy, they were out of state, but has! The fix is much more complicated than that, and it worked to a great degree an. Was doing sterling work in neighboring Macomb the Appeal was unable to locate Valerga for comment the downtrodden! Entire day went by with radio silence from both the Free Press and Rossman-McKinney in. Files for several former officers who were charged in the state cast ballots but did n't vote for any candidate! Desire to keep a grip on my own temper vote for any presidential candidate, Clarence a news siding! To come from oakland county corruption sources I would need to protect with my life the last couple of weeks was to. Wall and cultivated it, '' said Wielhouwer Turkey, fingers are already being pointed at building... They dont see what theyre doing as being corrupt that left about 1.5 % for the third party.... Years of probation in and out of the courtroom to review, but never! Election showed its share of vote-splitters the lead investigator she was concerned retaliation.

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