Monday, December 12, 2011

I'm Back

For those of you who actually enjoy reading this blog, sorry for the absence over the past week.  I've been in New York visiting my favorite editor and wife-to-be, and appearing on Tru TV's In Session.

There are a lot of different things that I've been wanting to write about, and I will try to catch up as fast as possible.  Things are very interesting around the CJC right now.

In the meantime, feel free to start a new comments chain here.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

So who the Hell is posting on Chron.com as fake Murray Newman and as the Foreman of the 185th grand jury? What a loser sack of shit that person is!

Murray Newman said...

No way of knowing for sure, but my guess would be the EFF UP.

Anonymous said...

Murray,
Welcome back. It had gotten rather boring without you on here.

By the way, can you please interpret "EFF UP" for those of us who are not lawyers?

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Rumblings at the office of Judge Keel appointing a special prosecutor for her grand jury. Sixth floor freaking out. Know what that is about?

Anonymous said...

Judge Ed Emmett got called on the carpet by the Grand Jury

Anonymous said...

http://blog.chron.com/houstonpolitics/2011/12/port-ceo-dreyer-cleared-by-das-office-says-he-plans-to-leave/

Any wonder why there is no corruption in Harris County?

Anonymous said...

According to the Chronicle County commissioners have been subpoenaed by the 185th Grand Jury regarding the Breath Test contracts. Any news about the contempt charges against 2 ADA's and court reporters? Is been over a month.

Anonymous said...

Lykos doesn't like to pursue public corruption cases. Since she is not a Prosecutor, those kinds of cases make her nervous. She has regularly blunted any attempts to investigate much less prosecute public corruption matters.

Anonymous said...

Chris Downey was appointed in the 232nd GJ to investigate the Shirley Cornelius claims of official oppression/tampering with a government document.

Shirley presented a packet to the GJ and asked them to look in to the matter.

Anonymous said...

http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/Reckless-decisions-from-a-misguided-district-2392397.php

Anonymous said...

Chris Downey is a straight-up lawyer and will do the right thing. Wonder which one of Lykos' minions is the target? Lykos usually makes sure she is "layered" enough that she can throw one of her underlings under the bus.

Anonymous said...

News From the Bunker

Item: What Anon 6:36 and Anon 3:44post are true. Sixth floor not happy. Even less happy now that it is out.

Item: All personnel moves, including moving Rachel Palmer are on hold. Per Lykos, she has an opponent and cannot be bothered with running the office and taking time to approve moves.

Item: The Sixth Floor believes that the legislation passed during the Special Session, cutting the annual court terms from four to two and making the terms of court January through June and July through December will cause all grand juries currently sitting, to expire on 12-31-2011. This includes the 185th that has been extended. Not only would this kill all current investigations but any current Grand Jury members would be barred from serving for a year. A division chief inquired about this at show and tell today and was promplty shushed. Perhaps our friend Calvin Hartman could weigh in on this issue. IF it is true, and the sixth floor is laying behind the log, it will create huge problems for the real prosecutors who are planning to get someithing indicted that first week in January. Pity the ADA who wants to take in a Capital on the 89th day only to be told, sorry, no Grand Jury in session. PR bonds would have to be granted then. I doubt the sixth floor is right in their interpretation of the new statute. Our leaders are rarely right about anything.

Item: We have been told via our supervisors that Lykos will not be as forgiving when she wins this election as she was the last time. This is to scare us from supporing Anderson or Fertitta.

End of line.

Mark W. Stephens said...

To: Anonymous December 13, 2011 2:05 PM

"Lykos doesn't like to pursue public corruption cases. Since she is not a Prosecutor, those kinds of cases make her nervous. She has regularly blunted any attempts to investigate much less prosecute public corruption matters."

You are exactly right. It has also allowed City Officials to disband HPD's Office of Inspector General, which was responsible for investigating public corruption allegations.

Removing all aspects of law enforcement from the OIG's office and moving the Inspector General directly under the City Attorney was done for one reason only. To cover-up criminal cases.

The City Attorney's office has been the past target of OIG investigations, yet NOW, the City Attorney gets to decide which allegations get to be investigated. Its insane.

And its exactly what I warned about in my Bradford letter, back when I tried to have then police chief Bradford indicted.

When we discovered Bradford (as police chief) and Lloyd Kelley (as City Controller) were running a law firm together...and apparently running it out of the City Controller's office, at least in part...Bradford threatened to disband the unit and actually had us start briefing the City Attorney's office on all of our on-going criminal investigations.

Almost immediately, the City Attorney's office began interfering in our criminal investigations.

Now, it’s come full circle. Everything I warned about in my letter has come true.

Look at all the allegations against Houston City Council members since the OIG unit was disbanded.

- Jarvis Johnson
- Al Hoang
- Jolanda Jones

How many real investigations? ZERO. How many indictments? ZERO

When you have a District Attorney's office who openly chooses not to pursue public corruption cases, then those bent toward corruption will certainly take advantage.

And those who want to cover-up corruption cases, for political reasons or otherwise, are allowed to do so without fear of repercussions from the DAs office.

Anonymous said...

Oddly, the investigation in the 232 may have more legs than the vat ban one. Wow.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if Pat Lykos actually knows what day of the week it is?

Anonymous said...

The fox is guarding the hen house over at City OIG now.

Anonymous said...

Holy cow Anon 5:15 lays it all out there. Someone is bound to be fired over that one. No doubt polygraphs will be ordered. Somebody will not be forgiven.

Episode Seven: The Voters Awaken - A One Act -Sci-Fi Play

SCENE:  The Death Star orbits over Downtown Houston. [INTERIOR] The Imperial Council Chambers. EMPRESS OGG sits at the head of a long table ...