Comments on: Brent Wilkes “The Leader of a Criminal Enterprise” http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/ Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:48:32 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: bmaz http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46996 bmaz Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:05:54 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46996 <p>Heh Yep Saltzman is interesting case. There are any number of ways for things to dribble off the face of the earth; I would certainly not be shocked if that happened with TK; wouldn’t be surprise if he actually went to Club Fed for a while and then was early released; who knows. You almost have to believe something weird will result …</p> Heh Yep Saltzman is interesting case. There are any number of ways for things to dribble off the face of the earth; I would certainly not be shocked if that happened with TK; wouldn’t be surprise if he actually went to Club Fed for a while and then was early released; who knows. You almost have to believe something weird will result …

]]> By: chrisc http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46978 chrisc Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:14:21 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46978 <p>from the SDUT <a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20080121-1930-bn21wilkes.html" rel="nofollow">article</a></p> <blockquote><p>In a related matter, the judge set a Feb. 4 hearing for a change of plea for John Michael. He is a New York mortgage broker who was indicted with Wilkes on obstruction of justice and other charges. The order did not say what Michael will be pleading guilty to, and his lawyer declined to comment.</p></blockquote> <p>:</p> <p>from<a href="http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/grandolddocket.php" rel="nofollow"> TPM<br /> </a><br /> </p><blockquote>Michael was scheduled for to begin trial on September 18th. However, his trial date was moved after he was hospitalized for illness. His jury trial, set for January 29, 2008, was postponed because Michael intends to change his plea.</blockquote> <p>I don’t think you saw it anywhere and forgot about it bmaz. TPM quietly put it in their reference section and the blurb in the SDUT article is the only other reference I know of.</p> <p>As to TommyK, I am really struck by the similarities of his case and that of <a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4189/is_20010309/ai_n10164847" rel="nofollow">Arnold Saltzman</a> who also pleaded guilty and never ever showed up to his sentencing hearings until they faded away under the cloak of secrecy. There are several weird coincidences besides the fact that Tommy K and Saltzman live in the same neck of the woods and share the same lawyer. Both were supposedly too sick to show up to their sentencing, and they share a penchant for fraud, shmoozing with influential politicians and entrepreneurial enterprises in what was formerly USSR.</p> from the SDUT article

In a related matter, the judge set a Feb. 4 hearing for a change of plea for John Michael. He is a New York mortgage broker who was indicted with Wilkes on obstruction of justice and other charges. The order did not say what Michael will be pleading guilty to, and his lawyer declined to comment.

:

from TPM

Michael was scheduled for to begin trial on September 18th. However, his trial date was moved after he was hospitalized for illness. His jury trial, set for January 29, 2008, was postponed because Michael intends to change his plea.

I don’t think you saw it anywhere and forgot about it bmaz. TPM quietly put it in their reference section and the blurb in the SDUT article is the only other reference I know of.

As to TommyK, I am really struck by the similarities of his case and that of Arnold Saltzman who also pleaded guilty and never ever showed up to his sentencing hearings until they faded away under the cloak of secrecy. There are several weird coincidences besides the fact that Tommy K and Saltzman live in the same neck of the woods and share the same lawyer. Both were supposedly too sick to show up to their sentencing, and they share a penchant for fraud, shmoozing with influential politicians and entrepreneurial enterprises in what was formerly USSR.

]]> By: bmaz http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46954 bmaz Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:46:18 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46954 <p>BSRH @5 - Nataline parents, the Sarkisyans, need to get an experienced and respected medical malpractice attorney; which is not Mark Geragos, irrespective of his somewhat questionable record of results in high profile criminal cases.</p> <p>Chrisc @10 - Yes there is an automatic enhancement for failure to accept responsibility built into the Guidelines. I have said all along that there is some very weird symbiotic collusion going on with the Feds and TommyK; really, that is incontrovertible at this point. He may end up in a Club Fed, or he may well end up pissing away time while this mess continues to sort out (as he has been doing and that does NOT happen without it being the direct product of the Fed’s desires) and then dropping off the face of the earth with no fanfare; neither would surprise me. Michaels pled out?? Did I know that and forget, or did I not know that? Either way, specifics pretty please!</p> <p>Obsessed @19 - 1) Ahem; yeah. 2) Not too late for Wilkes to roll as long as he has not been sentenced. Not impossible, but very difficult after sentencing for a lot of procedural reasons and presumptions. 3) With any luck we will soon see about Foggo.</p> <p>Neil - The girls give you all the breaks…..</p> BSRH @5 – Nataline parents, the Sarkisyans, need to get an experienced and respected medical malpractice attorney; which is not Mark Geragos, irrespective of his somewhat questionable record of results in high profile criminal cases.

Chrisc @10 – Yes there is an automatic enhancement for failure to accept responsibility built into the Guidelines. I have said all along that there is some very weird symbiotic collusion going on with the Feds and TommyK; really, that is incontrovertible at this point. He may end up in a Club Fed, or he may well end up pissing away time while this mess continues to sort out (as he has been doing and that does NOT happen without it being the direct product of the Fed’s desires) and then dropping off the face of the earth with no fanfare; neither would surprise me. Michaels pled out?? Did I know that and forget, or did I not know that? Either way, specifics pretty please!

Obsessed @19 – 1) Ahem; yeah. 2) Not too late for Wilkes to roll as long as he has not been sentenced. Not impossible, but very difficult after sentencing for a lot of procedural reasons and presumptions. 3) With any luck we will soon see about Foggo.

Neil – The girls give you all the breaks…..

]]> By: Neil http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46949 Neil Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:38:22 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46949 <p>Oh… and mentioned she went to law school with Melanie Sloan, follows her work.</p> Oh… and mentioned she went to law school with Melanie Sloan, follows her work.

]]> By: Neil http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46944 Neil Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:12:29 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46944 <p>yeah some people, not her, not you. i got together two years ago with her and others from ‘85. we were a motley crew from south college in the day. she gave me a rash of shyte about something that happened twenty years ago. wouldn’t let it go.</p> yeah some people, not her, not you. i got together two years ago with her and others from ‘85. we were a motley crew from south college in the day. she gave me a rash of shyte about something that happened twenty years ago. wouldn’t let it go.

]]> By: watercarrier4diogenes http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46943 watercarrier4diogenes Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:51:30 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46943 <p>Would be nice if this kinda woke up the Telecom lobbyists in their never-ending quest to get their masters exonerated… There needs to be a big yellow line across the front of Jello Jay and Harry’s doorways marked ‘cross at your own 60 year risk’.</p> Would be nice if this kinda woke up the Telecom lobbyists in their never-ending quest to get their masters exonerated… There needs to be a big yellow line across the front of Jello Jay and Harry’s doorways marked ‘cross at your own 60 year risk’.

]]> By: emptywheel http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46942 emptywheel Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:49:43 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46942 <p>People let you get away with stuff?</p> People let you get away with stuff?

]]> By: Neil http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46939 Neil Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:26:40 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46939 <p>I have a friend from college who’s a Federal Public Defender in Seattle, used to be Denver. I dunno for sure but I bet she’s excellent… doesn’t let me get away with anything.</p> I have a friend from college who’s a Federal Public Defender in Seattle, used to be Denver. I dunno for sure but I bet she’s excellent… doesn’t let me get away with anything.

]]> By: bmaz http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46938 bmaz Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:00:39 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46938 <p>Oh no Freep; these are Federal Public Defenders, and they are very good. Last I looked, they were doing a quality job considering what little they had to work with.</p> Oh no Freep; these are Federal Public Defenders, and they are very good. Last I looked, they were doing a quality job considering what little they had to work with.

]]> By: freepatriot http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46935 freepatriot Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:37:29 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/22/brent-wilkes-the-leader-of-a-criminal-enterprise/#comment-46935 <blockquote><p>he’s got a public defender,</p></blockquote> <p>well, if you was gonna sell somebody up-river, why bother to spend money for the guy who does the deal ???</p> <p>public defenders got lots of experience in pleading guilty</p> <p>they’re real good at it</p> <p>still, wilkes is better off with a DPD</p> <p>geragos sucks REAL bad</p> <p>can’t understand why the nutjobs keep hiring this clown</p>

he’s got a public defender,

well, if you was gonna sell somebody up-river, why bother to spend money for the guy who does the deal ???

public defenders got lots of experience in pleading guilty

they’re real good at it

still, wilkes is better off with a DPD

geragos sucks REAL bad

can’t understand why the nutjobs keep hiring this clown

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