Blog

I am telling the story of a federal criminal case I was in many years ago. I had been told by many people that the Government had to find me guilty and that I didn’t need to prove my innocence. I didn’t believe it when I heard it and as time passed, I believed it … read more

I am describing my criminal prosecution experience from years ago. I was sitting firmly in the witness chair, next to the judge looking out at the sea of people: the jury, the prosecution’s table, and the supporters/observers in the audience. The first thing I decided to do was ignore everyone but whoever was in front … read more

My attorney, Dan, wanted the jury to understand who I was. At this point in our one and a half year relationship, I knew that Dan knew who I was. He knew I was innocent and that made this case so hard for him. I was struggling all the time, but my struggle was to … read more

I am writing about my criminal trial many years ago. When this whole debacle first began, I said that if it came to it that I would testify in my own defense. Part of me hoped and prayed it would never come to that, fortunately, as time passed another part of me became stronger, and … read more

I am taking a reprieve from my normal blog to comment on the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If you ever wanted a person in the justice system to quietly inspire you, Ruth Bader Ginsburg might have been on that shortlist. I was drawn to her mindset to serve justice selflessly. She was the type … read more

I am writing about my criminal trial from many years ago. If the defense feels the prosecution has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, there is a timely action to make. A “Rule 29 Motion,” based on Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29, is typically made twice during a federal trial – first, … read more

I am writing about my federal prosecution trial many years ago. Primarily, I was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. I didn’t conspire with anyone and I didn’t receive any financial benefit from being a fund manager. The prosecution rested and the defense table breathed a heavy sigh. There was no more wondering who … read more

I am telling the story of my criminal prosecution and this blog is a summary of the prosecution’s witnesses. Per their charges, the prosecution was supposed to prove that I was in a conspiracy to launder money. Money laundering is defined as the concealment of the origins of illegally obtained money, typically by means of … read more

I am presenting information on my criminal trial from many years ago. This section includes my view of the prosecution’s case. In my last blog, I shared the testimony of the only witness that implicated me whatsoever in anything potentially controversial during the trial and he still admitted that he wasn’t sure. The owner of … read more

I am presenting information on my criminal trial from many years ago. This section includes my view of the prosecution’s case. In my last blog, I shared the testimony of the approximately 10 Fund investors that testified. As hard as it is, I am doing my best to not present a one-sided case. As I … read more

I am describing the prosecution’s presentation to the Court at my criminal trial. The prosecution had about 10 witnesses at trial who were investors in a Fund that I administrated as part of a five-person committee. None of the witnesses were people I knew or had asked them to invest. Some of them I talked … read more

(I am writing excerpts from my criminal trial.) After the initial shock of being in the courtroom and seeing first hand what it’s like to be “on trial”, I had to own that given the circumstances, it’s where I chose to be. Now, I had to behave my way through it. I wasn’t quite sure … read more

Freedom is something I sat and thought about more than ever this year around July 4th. There were more than enough reasons to do so. I get a bit overwhelmed by how important and fragile freedom has become to me. There was a stretch of time when I was being prosecuted for a crime I … read more

After over a year, the inevitable took place. I was going to trial. You prepare for it for what seems like forever, but the day before it begins you can’t imagine that you are ready or that it is actually happening. The problem is that you will never be ready. It seemed like I was … read more

I have learned a lot since my plea deal. Most adults, probably every adult, breaks the law at some point in their lives. I had never given it a thought. Arguably, people knowingly or unknowingly break the law every day and no one cares or gets caught. Sure, it might be for minor things or … read more

Curious, I looked in the dictionary for the definition of a plea. If it’s unrelated to “law” it is, “a request made in an urgent and emotional manner”. If the definition of “plea” is related to law, a plea is defined as, “a formal statement by or on behalf of a defendant or prisoner, stating … read more

I am a common-sense kind of person so I am trying to understand what the plea deal was intended to be, if it is working or if something else could work better. My understanding is that a plea deal is necessary because the court system could never handle all the cases if trials were necessary. … read more

After you are charged, the plea deals come pretty quickly. It’s the way we do justice in the US. It is estimated that 98% of cases charged end in a plea deal, so it is expected that you will plead. You will plead. It is a dance between your criminal defense attorney and the prosecutors. … read more

We submitted our second Motion to Dismiss due to a Government witness lying to the Grand Jury. DENIED. The reason we were denied was that it was so difficult to separate the lies from the rest of the testimony and one person’s testimony from others. I was told that for the most part, Scott, the … read more

I was so terribly green at what the whole criminal justice system was, but not afraid to ask most questions that popped up in my head as they occurred. The Grand Jury sounded almost “royal” to me, untouchable and all-knowing. As I dug deeper and asked my questions, I got very concerned, not just for … read more