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. What is fundamentally clear is that neither the Free Press nor Nessel wanted me there asking anything specific. Therefore, Moody had no jurisdiction over them. After all, less than a week after Nessels office asked to meet with me, the Detroit-area Task Force raided the Taylor, Michigan City Hall and the Attorney General herself released a note congratulating them. Plaintiffs alleged mistreatment at the hands of four veteran officers, known as the "Riders", who were alleged to have kidnapped, planted evidence, and beaten . Edward Ortiz, Officer Paul Harper, Sgt. "That's not happening any more. This was a rare opportunity to press her on the issue in person and, given its name, my questions clearly fell smack in the middle of the Task Forces wheel house. The many decades of deceit, public corruption, evidence contamination, and including the lack of following up on anything. Therefore, I cannot let this particular whole truth just vanish. There were moments when, for example, I tried to raise the subject of Moody and Teter immediately shut me down. 2. 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. 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. The difference? If your case does not appear in the MiFIle efiling system please email efiling@oakgov.com to have it added. The journalists in attendance were, justifiably, appalled and, in the end, Burgio ended up getting far more ink than Nessel. Kinzinger, the attorney, told The Appeal that because the Riders trials ended with hung juries and the court dismissed the cases after 60 days, the retention requirement for the case files dropped to three years from 50. For months, the president had been saying you can't trust absentee, mail-in ballots so his base was not using it. I was already looking into Macks background when Catallo broke Bob and Barbs story. Mack was a Wayne County Probate Court Chief Judge when, again, two attorneys operating out of his court, John Chase, Jr. and Melvin Jefferson Jr, allegedly worked with Wayne County Judge Freddie Burton, Jr. to pilfer the estate of no less than Rosa Parks. 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. Those Oakland and Washtenaw County families whose stories I had the honor of telling knewthat Nessels Frday dictum wasbullshit. The three officers, who patrolled West Oakland together on the graveyard shift in 2000, were accused of violating the civil rights of innocent suspects by illegally detaining them, planting drugs. Corruption in the Oakland County Child Killer case Guarded By Jackals. In Antrim County, where an initial count raised questions and led to a re-tabulation, Trump's margin of victory fell 15%. 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. 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. He joined the . "We're committing Oakland County - our employees, our resources, our programs and services, to making a real and measurable impact in the areas that matter most, All ways, moving forward." County Executive, David Coulter. Just what in the blue fuck was that supposed to mean? There are also cases tied to contractors and overall public corruption cases in Macomb County, that were not included in these counts. to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by 16 womenall of whom were Asian Americanwho said they were victims of Valerga. B ) During the meeting, allow the AGs staff to review, but not keep, the documents. Barry King was then in his late seventies, still practicing law. That played out in other areas all over the state. Smiths felony charges from the Michigan Attorney Generals Office are all in relation to alleged misuse of forfeiture funds. It's based on the candidate.". "He (Trump) grew his base considerably. In fact, the entire day went by with radio silence from both the Free Press and Rossman-McKinney. 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. At least, not in my rose-tinted world. That left about 1.5% for the third party candidates. 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. Daily Kos readers dont tend towards the troll, yet never couch brutal honesty in niceties. Five police departments ensnared in controversy. 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. (Fugitive Apprehension Team/Detective Bureau) Investigative/Forensic Services. "It's a huge reason we got the vote that we did, when you're talking about the numbers of third party votes we had in '16," Dulio said. However, they never faced criminal charges. Required fields are marked *. v. City of Oakland (or the Riders Case or Riders Scandal) was a civil rights lawsuit in Federal District Court regarding police misconduct in Oakland, California which has resulted in ongoing Federal oversight. The AARP didnt want to know either. I called my editor at the Free Press. At the time, the chief told the lead investigator she was concerned about retaliation, according to the document. Nessel, Bernstein and Cavanaugh attended Listening Sessions across Michigan during which seniors and their families could tell their stories, within three-minute reason. Only the Detroit News was at all interested. "The Trump surge came at the end and he couldn't quite catch up to Biden's advantage," he said. In Los Angeles County, the superior courts criminal division retained files for several former officers who were charged in the. 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. And then you did. Yet she, somehow, forgot to mention to them the evidence my team and I brought to her staff and years of complaints to her office, and that of her predecessor, by wards and their families. As for Smith, he pled guilty to a federal obstruction of justice charge for covering up theft from his campaign fund. They wanted his license. Can you supply one?. They asked you to jump and, instead of backing me, you did.. For instance, it dropped by 8 percentage points in Emmet County, 9 in Ottawa in west Michigan, nearly 10 in Grand Traverse. Mohammed Nuru, director of San Francisco Public Works, center, gestures as he leaves a federal . 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. 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. Wayne County, including Detroit, has the highest number of public corruption charges in the region, and the state, followed by Macomb County. When my stories resulted in positive changes, to even a single life, then my salary and the resulting can of Spaghettios was earned. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A high level review of elder care issues?. Theiralleged victims number in the high thousands of Michigan's most vulnerable senior and developmentally disabled citizens, each declared legally incapacitated wards and placed under a court-appointed guardianship and conservatorship. Gretchen Rachel Hammond is an award-winning freelance investigative journalist based out of Chicago. Posted in: Uncategorized The Oakland Police Commission, made up of seven appointed residents, was created to oversee the police departments policies and practices, and the Community Police Review Agency, which investigates police misconduct.. 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. But I will tell you this: I am going to publish. If that's the case, it's not just in Michigan, but in several other states as well, including Wisconsin and Florida, where Trump clearly outperformed most recent polls. An Oakland County man faces two years in prison after he admitted in federal court Tuesday that he was part of a scheme involving trash-hauler Chuck Rizzo Jr. to steal hundreds of thousands of doll Republican voters, though, as well as Democratic ones, are clearly not monolithic. 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. My opinion was, and still is, is that Valerga should have gone to prison, Rullamas said during the deposition. The Oakland police fired Valerga after he was criminally charged. Chapter 1: Police, Prosecutors, the Privileged, and Politics. The fileswhich consisted of thousands of pages of hearing transcripts, motions, and evidencewere the best public record of the longest criminal trial in Alameda County history. And legal experts say that destroying records of police misconduct, even if authorized by state statute, may conflict with the constitutional rights of defendants. Under the Brady rule, prosecutors must disclose material that might help the defense, including information that undermines the credibility of state witnesses. 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. You lied to me, I wrote back. And that's in a county, like Kent, where Trump held a rally on the last day of the campaign, making his case to voters. 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. As to why that should be the case, Porn said, "I think it's unique to the character of Donald Trump and how he is perceived. Delphine Allen et al. Kirkpatrick alleges in the suit that she was fired in February for standing up to the misconduct and reporting it. But I was assured, by Free Press leadership, that in no way had the publication ever allowed outside pressure to interfere with an investigation. These charges have surfaced over the last year or so, and have only driven the total number of public corruption cases that can be accounted for in the last four years. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? My concerns about a possible catch and kill situation didnt come out of nowhere. Last week, Andre Spivey pled guilty to federal bribery charges and admitted he and an aide received almost $36,000 in bribes. 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. The department remains under a federal judges authority and bound by a settlement agreement that details numerous reforms. The press conference was Monday morning. The charges still currently stand against Miller though, and Liston pled guilty to embezzlement charges for improper use of forfeiture funds in September of 2021. During thirteen months in 1976 and 1977, four children were abducted, abused in captivity and then murdered, their bodies tossed by public roadsides. The paper that would never bow to a public official. 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.. Besides, there were Attorney General appointees allegedly engaged in unimaginable elder abuse and that wasn't high level enough? Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? The Riders case is significant for police accountability in Oakland. 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. While my press badge, issued by the Chicago Police Department, pissed off Kojak to no end and at least got me in the door with Teter, maybe it had no weight when it came to last minute pressers. I replied that I had shared our findings with the Detroit Area Anti-Corruption Task Force. can stand by your side from the initial investigation onward. 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 Appeal was unable to contact Neely. Public corruption occurs when anyone who works for the . "But what happened was the Democrats got their voters out it wasn't enough to overcome what they were able to get out in voter-rich southeastern Michigan.". Read more onMichigan politics and sign up for ourelections newsletter. He also saw raw numbers of voters swell in virtually every part of Michigan,which is a testament to his ability to generate additional support where it had seemed it had hit a ceiling. But as Biden was winning a close race at the top of the ticket, Republicans won a trustee seatat Michigan State University and a Board of Governor's seat at Wayne State University (the latter going for former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land). 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. The day after my team met with Teter. 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. 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. 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. Support a worker-led Appeal. Contact Todd Spangler:tspangler@freepress.com. On Nov. 16, 2000, Officer Harper was acquitted of all charges after a month-long trial. The prominent law firm alsorepresents the city of Oakland, Alameda County and the Coliseum Authority, most notably in the ongoing legal battle against the Golden State Warriors over a roughly $40 million debt the authority says the team owes. For Shaw, that is 206 cases involving 256 defendants since February 2009, according to district attorney records obtained by The Times. On August 23, 2019, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that she hadfired three Oakland County Public Administrators, John Yun, Jennifer Carney and Thomas Brennan Fraser and one Macomb County Public Administrator Robert Kirk. I was quite surprised when, almostimmediately I heard back from her Communications Director Kelly Rossman-McKinney asking if my team and I would be willing to meet with a long list of Nessel staff members in order to overview our findings. For instance, look at East Bay Township Precinct 1 in Grand Traverse County. 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