It seems Assistant Attorney General Melissa Mandel fell head over heals over Rex Gutierrez today during the final stages of the trial. The angry Ms. Mandel was pretty intense from what we hear, even attacking Rex’s wife during closing arguments.
Adam Aleman
Are you listening US Attorney? San Bernardino County is in crisis. It is a crisis that mocks our justice system; one that distorts the truth; and one where integrity is a forgotten. Bringing about justice is no longer the highest priority of our county prosecutors; winning at any and all cost is their goal—a goal that has little to do integrity, truth or . . . justice.
There are many lesser-known stories of justice gone awry in our county. Ours starts with a little-known manager at the local Outback Steakhouse who went on to make headlines. His name is familiar to all of us. It is Adam Aleman.
Aleman caught the attention of then-Supervisor Bill Postmus many years ago. He eventually left Outback Steakhouse to become a member of Postmus’ Board of Supervisors staff.
“I am always troubled when the publicity regarding a case exceeds the evidence,” Levenson said. “It creates these incredibly high expectations, and it’s very damaging to the defendants, and we don’t even know if the evidence will support the charges.”
Laurie LevensonFormer Federal Prosecutor and Professor of LawLoyola Law School(Excerpt from article printed in The Sun on 08/26/2010)
Sunday, September 26, 2010 – 3:00 p.m.
What a difference six months can make.
After nearly a year and a half of making claims of political retaliation. The facts seem to be coming home to roost.
The defendants in the alleged conspiracy case involving the $102 million dollar settlement between the County of San Bernardino and Colonies Partners have now received substantial evidence in the case, including the grand jury testimony of current and former county supervisors, former county administrative officer Mark Uffer and his moral compass, various county staffers, and other witnesses.
I guess I had what some might call an epiphany this week. Many of our readers would say it is about time.
You see, for the first time since the corruption scandal started, I genuinely want to see Mark Kirk, Gary Ovitt, Greg Devereaux, and others led away in handcuffs, booked and serve some jail time. Do I believe it will happen? No, I don’t. I still feel the Colonies Settlement is clean.
Everything else in the Fourth District office, however, is not so clean. But the problem is that neither Mikey and Moonbeam or the FBI will look at the real dirt. Mikey and Moonbeam are too busy accepting campaign donations from SEBA and SBPEA. The FBI isn’t interested in the kind of real corruption that goes on in this county.
In this instance, it is simply not the sort of thing the FBI will get involved with. I’m not suggesting there will not be arrests made, just not arrests of the county’s most corrupt individuals, except possibly Mikey.
The ongoing saga involving San Bernardino County supervisor Paul Biane and his apparently former chief of staff Matt Brown just keeps getting better and better.
During our last update we informed you that Brown was reportedly balking at taking a position in the Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office.
Sources at the time were telling InlandPolitics.com Brown wanted his legal bills paid for by the county.
A little less than two weeks ago California Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown was poking at Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman over the millions she had spent to date, and the fact he still had a 5 point lead in a recent poll.
Remember the invite Meg to tea comment?
Then came last Wednesday. The widely respected Field Poll had Whitman and Brown in a statistical tie. Brown stopped laughing.
So much for that lead. A lead Brown will likely never see again.
How do you know San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor is saying something stupid? Her lips are moving.
San Bernardino Sun reporter Mike Cruz today reports the following:
Gonzales said she has always been willing to cooperate and anticipates the board will approve thee waiver Tuesday. Continue reading
Now that the trial of Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman Rex Gutierrez has been continued to June 1st, focus now shifts to a lesser publicized case with even greater potential to inflict major damage to the professional and political career of San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos.
The trial in question involves former District Attorney Investigator Christopher Cardoza.
At the last court appearance former Assistant Assessor and Chief of Staff Jim Erwin made in front of Judge Duke Rouse, arguments were heard to have an evidentiary hearing to recuse the District Attorney’s office from Erwin’s case. During those arguments, the deputy Attorney General assisting in the prosecution suggested to Judge Rouse that Erwin wants to be given “special” treatment. This particular statement highlights the ignorance of the Attorney General’s office in reference to the political corruption in San Bernardino County. Continue reading