Government

US Attorney, DOJ Blast Conditions at Cook County Jail in Chicago

Conditions at a Chicago jail run by Cook County are so substandard that prisoners are at risk of physical abuse and even death, a federal prosecutor and the Department of Justice say in a report released yesterday. Long criticized as overcrowded and understaffed, the huge facility is also characterized by…

Jul 18, 2008 4:21 PM CDT

Nice Work: California City Hires Law Firm for $50K Per Month

A small practitioner in Claremont, Calif., will reportedly be bringing in $50,000 per month for the next five years, under a five-year contract approved Tuesday by the Rialto city council. It is with the Law Offices of Jimmy Gutierrez. “The retainer could exceed $600,000 per year when factoring in billable…

Jul 18, 2008 3:36 PM CDT

Top Deputy in US Watchdog Agency Quits, Objects to ‘Political Agendas’

The top deputy to the chief of a government watchdog agency has resigned and accused his boss of putting “political agendas and personal vendettas” ahead of his mission. James Byrne is resigning effective tomorrow from his post as deputy to Scott Bloch, chief of the Office of Special Counsel, the…

Jul 18, 2008 2:53 PM CDT

Overworked Florida PDs Try to Turn Away Clients

Faced with a crushing workload of, on average, nearly 400 felony cases per attorney, the Miami public defender’s office is taking a drastic step. Like at least two other public defender’s offices in the state, it is seeking court permission to turn away clients, because the overworked lawyers in the…

Jul 17, 2008 11:18 PM CDT

We Didn’t Torture, Ex-AG John Ashcroft Tells House Panel

In a House Judiciary Committee hearing today, former Attorney General John Ashcroft disavowed the reasoning behind controversial legal memos created by Department of Justice attorneys that critics say justified torture of terrorism suspects. But, in the ninth hearing on the tactics the U.S. used, after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist…

Jul 17, 2008 9:53 PM CDT

How is Detroit Mayor Paying $1M in Personal Legal Bills?

The embattled mayor of Detroit will probably rack up some $1 million in legal bills, observers predict, just defending himself in a criminal case related to his testimony in a civil police whistleblower case. A controversial $8.4 million secret settlement in the civil case has created a political firestorm that…

Jul 17, 2008 9:03 PM CDT

Prosecuting Official for Funds Misuse Led to Texas DA’s Downfall

Elected six times as district attorney of Rockwell County, in Texas, Ray Sumrow didn’t expect his career move to be a prison cell. But that is where he is now spending his time after 22 years in office, serving a 15-year term for stealing public money. The architect of his…

Jul 17, 2008 8:03 PM CDT

Cross on House Brings $80K Tax Break

For George Michael, a cross placed on the side of his $3 million lakefront mansion in suburban Chicago resulted in a tax break of almost $80,000. But now officials in Lake Bluff, where it is located, say he owes $115,000 in fines for failing to get the village’s permission to…

Jul 17, 2008 7:43 PM CDT

200 Letters Sent, Mostly to NY Lawyers, Whose Dual Service Raises ‘Red Flags’

Concerned that professionals are double-dipping into public payrolls, New York’s Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has sent 200 letters throughout the state letting individuals know that their employment arrangements have raised “red flags” to investigators and may be improper. Newsday reports that more than half the letters went to lawyers and…

Jul 15, 2008 8:27 PM CDT

Feds Delay IndyMac Foreclosures

Bad news at the failed IndyMac bank is apparently good news for at least some of its struggling mortgage borrowers. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which has taken over IndyMac’s operations and opened the bank under federal oversight today, is temporarily halting the foreclosure proceedings on past-due loans within its…

Jul 14, 2008 10:00 PM CDT

Mexico to Amp Up War on Drugs By Doubling Federal Police

In an effort to control increasingly violent conflict between Mexican authorities and the drug traffickers on whom the country’s president has declared war, the government is planning to double the size of its federal police force. By doing so, it will lessen the role of the military in drug enforcement…

Jul 11, 2008 9:56 PM CDT

12 Indicted in Ongoing Pa. Capital Political Corruption Probe

In a major political corruption case that is still being investigated, the Pennsylvania attorney general has announced charges against 12 Democratic insiders in the state’s capital of Harrisburg, including a former House Democratic leader and a current lawmaker, and indicates that more are in the pipeline. “The scandal littered with…

Jul 11, 2008 6:13 PM CDT

8 Victims Get $11M for Delayed Reporting in Foster Child Sex Abuse Case

Eight foster children, aged 5 to 12, who were sexually abused for an additional 18 months because of delayed follow-up by authorities are to get an $11 million settlement from three government agencies and the convicted abuser’s wife. Although Wendy Young wasn’t charged (her husband, Ronald, was sentenced in 2005…

Jul 10, 2008 9:42 PM CDT

Lawyer Says His Job Was to Keep Mayor’s Text Messages Secret

A Michigan lawyer testified in a deposition yesterday that his job was to keep the wraps on embarrassing text messages between Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and an aide. William Mitchell III of Southfield said he contacted SkyTel to air his concerns about release of the messages between Kilpatrick and his…

Jul 10, 2008 1:40 PM CDT

XYP Alert in Flint, Mich., as Cops Police Saggy Pants

A new interim police chief in Flint, Mich., is trying to encourage some residents to examine their pants. In a June 27 memo, Chief David Dicks seeks to educate his officers about the standards of appropriate attire, as he sees them: Pants that sag completely below the wearer’s buttocks, revealing…

Jul 9, 2008 11:57 PM CDT