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. Just like Caring Hearts, ADDMS was founded by attorneys who had donated to Georges 2003 campaign. The Alameda County Superior Court destroyed Valergas entire case file sometime after his probation ended. If you have been arrested for public corruption, criminal defense lawyer J. Dallo at Dallo Law, P.C. Court records were gathered for the claims. 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. 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. So, I never took for granted the honor of telling someones story and elevating a voice; especially if they had suffered from injustice or been discarded by society. 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. Throughout the day, I tried to call the AGs office and was repeatedly told that the entire communications team was In a meeting.. The Friend of the Court workers are not accurate in their reporting of the facts and they are defrauding children and their parents of justice. Anyone with information about public corruption anywhere in Michigan should report it directly to FBI Detroit special agents and analysts at MichiganCorruption@fbi.gov. Public corruption occurs when anyone who works for the . Two leaders of an Oakland construction management firm pleaded guilty Thursday to felony charges in the far-reaching San Francisco City Hall corruption scandal centered . This year, Biden won 60%-40% and there were 1,500 voters. In addition, outside law enforcement . 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. 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. He joined the . Staff writer David DeBolt contributed to this report. What I am about to relate is not an attempt to shame my fellow reporters, nor is it sour grapes as I was able to to find a form of resolution in that the story got told. I was fundamentally clear to him that, if Lucido was right about his dates, it was vital that I attend. For instance, the vote inblue-collar Macomb County, north of Detroit,has predicted the statewide winner for governor or president in the last sevenelections and 17 of the last 20. 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. Sgt. "He (Trump) grew his base considerably. Introduction. High-Ranking Ventura County Gang Member Linked to Mexican Mafia Sentenced to . But I will tell you this: I am going to publish. However, on Dec. 22, 2000, Judge Jaqueline Connor overturned the jury verdict. Oakland County Courts are known for their corruption and their extortion. In the 1960s, Oakland became the birthplace of the Black Panther movement after growing police harassment and brutality, and in 1968, anger at OPD boiled over when cops killed a 17-year-old member. The difference? Along with my team, I invited three family members of Oakland County wards to send one representative each. This time it was defined by a Republican senators big mouth. Because it isnt worth it., I dont imagine any appeals to your conscience or journalist integrity are worth it, I added. Smiths felony charges from the Michigan Attorney Generals Office are all in relation to alleged misuse of forfeiture funds. Its really hard toconfer a whistleblowing case when no one knew the whistle had been blown, Jackson said. The Oakland Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigation has dedicated resources to unraveling the truth behind the extensive web of corruption, which Mohammed Nuru presided over, during his tenure leading the San Francisco Department of Public Works," said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Pearson. Detroitography.com At least, thats what it says on the professions cereal box. But I was assured, by Free Press leadership, that in no way had the publication ever allowed outside pressure to interfere with an investigation. 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. In 2008, Oakland paid $2 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by 16 womenall of whom were Asian Americanwho said they were victims of Valerga. Record turnout of 5.5 million, larger than that seen in the election of 2008,drove his victory, predicted the statewide winner for governor or president in the last sevenelections and 17 of the last 20, And that's in a county, like Kent, where Trump held a rally on the last day of the campaign, the former accounting for 6% and the latter 5% in the Free Press' last poll of the campaign, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. In 2015, the Superior Court in Alameda County, California, quietly destroyed the criminal case files for three former Oakland police officers, known as the Riders, who stood trial for beating, falsely arresting, and framing dozens of African American men in the late 1990s and early 2000s, The Appeal has learned. 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. But he won three more counties than Clinton did and did better in those he didn't win than Clinton did in a state known to be more Democratic-leaning than Republican in presidential elections. Four years ago, its 974 votes broke 61%-35% for Trump. Contact Todd Spangler:tspangler@freepress.com. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. 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. Can you supply one?. If you prefer to do so anonymously, you can call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov. You strung me along for eight months. Chapter 5: The Runaway. Nov. 2, 2000. Indeed, outside Catallo and myself, no one ever wanted to talk to these families. Only the Detroit News was at all interested. What may be the most remarkable part of Biden's victory in Michigan, however, is the way in which the entire process unfolded amid the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to members of the Detroit City Council being investigated for possible crimes related to public corruption tied to City towing policies, so are three members of the Detroit Police Department. 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. Kirkpatricks lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of monetary damages for loss of pay, benefits and loss of future earnings. Prior to the Task Force presser, Nessel moved to dismiss Gellers lawsuit while I repeatedly emailed my teams findings to Michigan Supreme Court Director of Communications John Nevin with no response. can stand by your side from the initial investigation onward. Chuck Rizzo whose rags-to-riches story of becoming a millionaire businessman in the trash industry only to lose most everything readily admits his guilt in a public corruption scheme. When police searched Richholt and Neelys rental car, they found potential evidence of other crimes, including cash, zip-top plastic bags of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, and firearms. In Wayne County (excluding Detroit), since 2016, there have been four public corruption charges. "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. The press conference was Monday morning. An outspoken, genuine sort of bloke, he pushed back on the notion that nothing had been done about alleged probate corruption. Metro-Detroit is not unfamiliar with public corruption. Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper: "The Senator does not appreciate your constant attacks on the Attorney General." Michigan Sen. Peter Lucido: I can't help you. Originally, the oversight was to last five years, but the police department has been slow to achieve reforms. Charges were filed by the Los Angeles District Attorney against Sgt. County officials say Eric Smith sentencing shows public corruption will not be tolerated Macomb County officials said Eric Smith's conviction on public corruption charges should restore the. Third parties. to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by 16 womenall of whom were Asian Americanwho said they were victims of Valerga. As for Smith, he pled guilty to a federal obstruction of justice charge for covering up theft from his campaign fund. Still, as Rossman-McKinneys stock climbed ever higher, the Elder Abuse Task Force set out to boldly go where two other Task Forces had never gone before. 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. 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. It included Nessels press conference announcement which noted that only credentialed members of the press who had RSVPd to a Nessel communications team member would be allowed to attend. With this plea he is required to testify against Smith if requested to do so. The meeting was set for March 12. that ended in 2003 with the Oakland police being placed under a federal consent decree. Oct 30, 2019. The Biden campaign knew it, telling reporters Trump would have to top 62% of the in-person voting in order to overcome the advantage. Both officers falsely represented themselves as FBI agents during the incident. 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 . In May, 2019, she paid a visit to an elderly couple, Bob and Barb. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. B ) During the meeting, allow the AGs staff to review, but not keep, the documents. 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. His case file remains in the archives of Los Angeless court system. I felt like Adlai Stevenson staring down Ambassador Zorin. So, prior to the meeting, my team and I reached a decision that if Moody was going to get involved, our best course of action was to provide the proof of our findings but protect the alleged victims and their families by: A) Redacting the names and case numbers from documents. The subjects of Nessels proclamation were alsocentral figures in my investigation alongside attorney Jon B. Munger (fired in 2017), Oakland County Probate Court Chief Judge Kathleen Ryan and her colleagues Linda Hallmark, Daniel A. OBrien and Jennifer Callaghan. Moreover, she had pledged to support the the downtrodden and, her meeting request looked like a desire to keep that campaign promise. In 2015, the Alameda County Superior Court destroyed the case files for Neely and Richholt, erasing the only public record of the incident aside from media reports. 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. Far from it, at Listening Tours, she told the audience that if she found a public administrator was up to no good, she would have no compunction in firing that person.Of course not. Far from the Michigan election being stolen from Trumpas he claims, the president did a remarkable job of energizing support, especially, but not only, in older industrial and rural parts of the state. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! 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. The Attorney General has created an Elder Abuse Task Force, he told me. OAKLAND COUNTY. 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. After she was fired, Kirkpatrick told this news organization that she believed she was terminated as a result of retaliation for refusing a police commissioners request to be reimbursed for towing fees. J. Dallo is a dedicated and aggressive fighter, both in and out of the courtroom. I replied that I had shared our findings with the Detroit Area Anti-Corruption Task Force. Under the guardianship of Macomb County Public Administrator Robert Kirk and his wife Cathy, they were literally fenced inside their own home. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, alleges that the Oakland police commissioners routinely abused their power, and corruptly looked for special treatment by the police department. 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. ", ames Ryan Jr.'s company Public Affairs Associates (PAA) has longstanding ties to Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer and was among the, Gretchen Rachel Hammond is an award-winning freelance investigative journalist based out of Chicago. As a result, this activity has continued unchecked for at least three decades, with probate court audits covered up by Nessel and her predecessors, the Michigan Supreme Court and the State Court Administrator's Office. Clinton won the Democratic-leaning region 55.8%-39.9% for Trump four years ago. Much of his bluster was false rhetoric. That piece concluded that history indicated that anytime a Democratic presidential or gubernatorial candidate won betterthan 56% in metro Detroit defined as Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties he or she would win the state. My opinion was, and still is, is that Valerga should have gone to prison, Rullamas said during the deposition. Your email address will not be published. As for the morning being a "high level review of elder care issues," either Rossman-McKinney lied to my editor or he lied to me. OCSO in the Community. He left a few staff members behind to hear them, but the families were devastated. Edward Ortiz, Officer Paul Harper, Sgt. For instance, look at East Bay Township Precinct 1 in Grand Traverse County. Anuradha Mittal, Oakland Institute Executive Director and author of the Stealth Game report Abdinoor Dima Jillo, member of the Borana Council of Elders in Isiolo County, Kenya Isaiah Biwott, community member Tugen community, Baringo County, Kenya Violet Matiru, Executive Director, Millennium Community Development Initiatives, Kenya Host: Andy . the jury verdict. 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. It spoke generally to the strength Democrats showed in growing suburbs as well as in areas where retirees from southeastern Michigan are moving into Up North. When including public contractors that number rises to about 40. If you valued this article, please help us produce more journalism like this by making a contribution today. The Free Press: Thats what it says on the cereal box. 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