Sources are telling iePolitics that the lead prosecutor of the Public Integrity Unit, Lewis Cope, who is prosecuting the Jim Erwin/Bill Postmus and the Greg Eyler/Bill Postmus cases may be leaving the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office very soon. Rumor has it that Cope wants out badly and has applied for a judicial appointment.
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.
If my health holds up this weekend, there will be stories about what happened today and about the criminal case all weekend long. I thought I would share a few more tidbits.
Lewis Cope is a Mormon. I have found most Mormons to be good people. But then there are those that try to force their church’s bigoted attitudes on everyone else. When one is a District Attorney, they should be enforcing state law, not church law. Cope has a different view.
I could have subtitled this “My morning with Bill” because being friends with Bill Postmus never leaves a dull moment. This morning was no exception. There will be several entries detailing all that happened this morning.
A few days ago Bill asked me if I would attend his preliminary hearing today. He simply wanted a little moral support for a change. I’ve been sick all week, and this morning was no exception, but I managed to make it to the courthouse before the hearing started.
I had no intention of blogging about today as I was there as a friend. I did not have a computer with me and I only planned to observe. But the District Attorney’s office had other ideas.
Bill and Jim had a hearing on the case they share just before Bill’s preliminary hearing with Greg Eyler. We were all waiting in the hall but the hall had to be cleared to get a chain gang from another courtroom, so the bailiff allowed us to sit in Judge Smith’s courtroom where the preliminary hearing was scheduled to be held.
Yesterday’s arrest of former San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus was not much of a surprise to anyone close to this case. What was more of a surprise was how blatantly the San Bernardino County Public Integrity Unit (PIU) went out of their way to keep from having to present their case at the preliminary hearing.
The first trick up Deputy District Attorney Lewis Cope’s sleeve was to present the defense with “new” evidence from with the previous 48 hours. Well that was the story. But the story changed. Here is the new story according to the Sun:
Prosecutor Lewis Cope expressed disappointment Thursday that he was unable to proceed with the preliminary hearing.
The new report provided to defense attorneys, Cope said, will not change the way he plans to present his case.
“It’s unfortunate in this case that the timing worked out this way, because we would have liked to have moved forward,” Cope said.
The hearing was postponed until September 23, 2010, giving the district attorney more time to investigate the same old stuff even more. But that’s not what they said, you say. And you would be quite gullible if you believe what Cope claimed. His actions yesterday spoke much louder than anything he stated.
Former San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus and former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin were arragined today in Department S23 of the San Bernardino district of the Superior Court of California where Judge Michael M. Dest entered pleas of “not guilty” for both defendants. In addition to Raj Maline, counsel for Erwin, and Steve Levine, counsel for Postmus, Steve Harmon was present as a new member of the defense team.
On advice of attorneys, the “not guilty” pleas were entered with the condition they could later be withdrawn. As stated repeatedly on iePolitics, there simply is no evidence that a criminal act has been committed as the elements of Forgery, Bribery, and Extortion are not present. It is expected that the pleas will be withdrawn and a motion made for the case to be dismissed. The case is set for a dispo hearing on June 3, 2010. Continue reading