This is producing unnecessary drama and complications so at this point Im asking you to skip efforts to attend. The case led to a parallel civil rights lawsuit brought by. moving forward. The women turned out to be undercover Alameda County sheriffs deputies running a sting operation. In my national background research, I spoke to families in Washington and Oklahoma who said that reporters who had been committed to investigating guardianship issues, in those states, were suddenly told by their editors to stop. As for Smith, he pled guilty to a federal obstruction of justice charge for covering up theft from his campaign fund. If you have been arrested for public corruption, criminal defense lawyer J. Dallo at Dallo Law, P.C. At that point, I was struggling to keep a grip on my own temper. 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. I called my editor at the Free Press. "I was just thinking that the Biden campaign nurtured the blue wall and cultivated it," said Wielhouwer. Introduction. SF corruption scandal widens: Two business leaders charged with bribing City Hall official. OCSO in the Community. The Kirks were donors to Macomb County Probate Judge Kathryn Georges re-election campaign. In Wayne County's Canton Precinct 2, for instance, the in-person vote broke 58%-42% for Biden, up from the52%-43% Clinton had in 2016. Posted in: Uncategorized Gretchen Rachel Hammond is an award-winning freelance investigative journalist based out of Chicago. Teter gravely asked if I had shared the information with anyone. Most recently, investigations involve Detroit City Councilmembers Andre Spivey, Janee Ayers and Scott Benson. They are all sharp as tacks anyway. Well let me say something to you, we do have the evidence.. Probate Corruption + the Michigan Attorney General + the Detroit Free Press = ? As much as anything, however, the 2020 election in Michigan may have been a simple reversion to the mean, an indication that, even with changing voting patterns within the state, Michigan's overall political nature hasn't changed that much after all. As part of his plea deal, Perez turned states evidence and accused dozens of other LAPD officers of misconduct. After speaking with AG [sic] office they assure me the task force has nothing to do with Oakland County issues, he wrote. For instance, it dropped by 8 percentage points in Emmet County, 9 in Ottawa in west Michigan, nearly 10 in Grand Traverse. Pressures to Raise Wages in Michigan Continue, Michigans Substance Use Vulnerability Index Highlights Wayne County as one of States Most Vulnerable, Rate of Alcohol-Induced Deaths Increasing in Southeast Michigan; White Males Have Highest Rates, Metro-Detroit Economic Indicators: Home Prices Dropping, Personal Debt Increasing, Climate Change in MichiganNow and in the Future. With no due process, or medical evidence presented as to a wards incapacity, shocking judicial overreach led them to be stripped of each of their constitutional, statutory, civil and human rights. The commission had called for the firing of five officers involved in the shooting, rather than the suspension Kirkpatrick, police internal affairs and the police departments executive force review board made. They asked you to jump and, instead of backing me, you did.. The early numbers from the Secretary of State's Office indicate that was down in this election to about 45,000, far closer to normal. 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. Additional Emergency Contact Numbers: PPO - 248-303-1534. The Kirks formed a professional guardianship company and gave it the name Caring Hearts a more palatable title but no less vicious than their Macomb County predecesssor,ADDMS Guardianship Services. Those Oakland and Washtenaw County families whose stories I had the honor of telling knewthat Nessels Frday dictum wasbullshit. At the time, the chief told the lead investigator she was concerned about retaliation, according to the document. Other allegations of misconduct, according to the lawsuit, are commissioners trying to steer resources toward their own neighborhoods, and related threats, bullying and intimidation of two Oakland Police Department employees. As a result, the full extent of Valergas conduct remains unknown. Either way, guardianship is a life sentence which hardly anyone in this country knows or about which anyone has cared to educate themselves. The Truth About Marijuana and the Criminal Legal System, Florida Cops Nearly Sent a Five-Year-Old to Jail, When It Comes to Reporting Deaths of Incarcerated People, Most States Break the Law, M. Forrest Behne, Craig Waleed, Meghan Peterson, and Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, Gay And Trans Panic Is Still Being Used To Justify Anti-LGBTQ Attacks. On July 3, 2000, Batt resigned and blew the whistle on the misconduct he witnessed. So, we started on the topic of the unlicensed group homes my team and I found across Oakland County in which conditions for the wards living there defied any kind of horrific description. However, on Dec. 22, 2000, Judge Jaqueline Connor. 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. 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. Turned out Taylors favorite hobby after Catallos story broke was taking to social media and yammering about both it and her as, ironically, being nothing more but fake news.. L. Brooks Patterson: Well, I always thought that was a red herring. Biden, for instance, did far better than Clinton did in some other areas, and in some of them may have been helped by forces outside hisor Trump's control. About This Work. Oh them! Teter replied, growing visibly impatient. "Everything will have to start a lot earlier. Thatdifference was even more stark in Kent County in west Michigan, where Trump lost,getting 165,318 votes to Biden's 186,753. Angela Ruggiero covers criminal justice and the Alameda County Superior Court. Nov. 2, 2000. Numerous other officers were named during the investigation and trial as having participated in similar abuses. In total, there have been at least 32 public corruption charges since 2016 in Southeastern Michigan that involve either an elected official or a public employee. I was already looking into Macks background when Catallo broke Bob and Barbs story. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. There are also cases tied to contractors and overall public corruption cases in Macomb County, that were not included in these counts. The case against Deanna Barash, 46, is the latest case filed by public corruption prosecutors against a . Much of his bluster was false rhetoric. Lucido seemed equally surprised because, he said, there was supposed to be a press conference about it on March 25. In Wayne County (excluding Detroit), since 2016, there have been four public corruption charges. The litigants are Aretha Franklins family members. Her work has won or been nominated for four successive Chicago Press Club awards, been recognized by the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Journalists (NLGJA), and covered topics such as. Along with my team, I invited three family members of Oakland County wards to send one representative each. The department remains under a federal judges authority and bound by a settlement agreement that details numerous reforms. Metro-Detroit is not unfamiliar with public corruption. But that wasnt on the high level reviews agenda. Its my first and last OpEd so it calls for some trial anderror. Lelands guilty plea stemmed from him being indicted on federal bribery charges and a felony misconduct in office charge for accepting $15,000 in cash and free car repairs in exchange for his vote on a land deal, according to the FBI. The judgesdecided on a sample of 2,278 guardianship and conservatorship cases my team and I reviewed. Barry King was then in his late seventies, still practicing law. OAKLAND Former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the city on Wednesday, alleging she was fired in retaliation for exposing corruption and . The Appeal was unable to contact Neely. Both officers falsely represented themselves as FBI agents during the incident. . If you want to know exactly what Yun, Carney, and Fraser did to earn their brief,moment in the sun Friday, then you are quite welcome to click the links below: These stories goto the heart of both Gretchen Whitmer and Dana Nessels 2018 campaigns for Michigan Governor and Attorney General. Destroying files relating to police misconduct may damage the publics knowledge of police corruption, LaDoris Cordell, a retired Santa Clara County judge and former independent police auditor for San Jose, told The Appeal. 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. 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. Under the Brady rule, prosecutors must disclose material that might help the defense, including information that undermines the credibility of state witnesses. We can do something right now. It wasn't just metro Detroit, however. I was floored. With more likely in the works, it is important to note that strong local journalism, citizen involvement in local government and an understanding of who is being elected can help reduce corruption cases. The families got the same response from Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, the Michigan Attorney Grievance and Judicial Tenure Commissions, state and local police and the Detroit office of the FBI. Under the Brady rule, prosecutors must disclose material that might help the defense, including information that undermines the credibility of state witnesses. She previously covered the Tri-Valley cities of Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore and Danville. In 2000, Vazquez fled the country before he was arraigned on 18 felony counts including kidnapping, assault, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Not with you and not with a publication that falls under the AGs sphere of influence. After we hung up, I immediately sent an email to Rossman-McKinney with no response. Jackson said she felt the commission was vindicated after Warshaws report said there was a lack of leadership on Kirkpatricks part in handling the Pawlik case. In Los Angeles County, the superior courts criminal division retained files for several former officers who were charged in the Rampart scandal, 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. Only one of them Saginaw was among those Trump flipped four years ago, and even then, Biden won it by only three-tenths of 1%. The U.S. Supreme Court has explained that, any favorable evidence known to others acting on the governments behalf in the case, including the police., Not all branches of Californias courts are as aggressive as Alameda County in destroying police corruption files. You lied to me, I wrote back. 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. March 1, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. "we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.". 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. For Coblentz, that is 296 cases involving 345 defendants . "He (Trump) grew his base considerably. But the four kids were kidnapped Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. But the Riders wasnt the only criminal case file involving Oakland police corruption destroyed by the Alameda County Superior Court. The Alameda County Superior Court destroyed Valergas entire case file sometime after his probation ended. Valergas conduct was so egregious that investigators in his own department thought he should be punished to the full extent of the law. Miller recently asked for the misconduct in office and conspiracy to commit a legal in an illegal manner charges against him to be dropped. can stand by your side from the initial investigation onward. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Flowingdata.com Barry and Marion King's 11-year-old son, Tim King, was the last victim of the Oakland County Child Killer. All of them were actively quashed from the public. 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. At least, thats what it says on the professions cereal box. Rather than address the serious issues Chief Kirkpatrick raised, the city of Oakland, through Mayor Libby Schaaf and the members ofpolice commission, fired the most progressive police chief in the citys history for blowing the whistle on the commissions misconduct, said her attorney R. James Slaughter of the law firm of Keker Van Nest & Peters, in a statement. After all, they were out of state, But I never thought it would be. Since Ayers, Benson and their chief of staffs have not been charged with any crimes they were not included in the total number of regional corruption cases since 2016. The allegations include that they frequently abused and harassed Oakland police staff, interfered in day-to-day operations and sought unlawful access to confidential documents. 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. I replied that I had shared our findings with the Detroit Area Anti-Corruption Task Force. Public corruption occurs when anyone who works for the . But it was clear that Democratic voters, especially, heeded the call to vote absentee. He fought back and ended up with a reprimand. And legal experts say that destroying records of police misconduct, even if authorized by state statute, may conflict with the constitutional rights of defendants. It's based on the candidate.". After all, the families had already agreed to go on the record with their stories. The afternoon was led by Assistant Attorney General Scott Teter. OAKLAND Former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the city on Wednesday, alleging she was fired in retaliation for exposing corruption and abuse of power in the police commission. As we moved on to Medicaid fraud allegedly committed by the public administrators, I was asked what bearing it had on the investigation. 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. 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