Cheney, Gonzales Indicted for Prisoner Abuse in South Texas

weslinder · Nov 18, 2008

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6119394.html

Vice president, former AG, state senator indicted

McALLEN, Texas — A South Texas grand jury has indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on charges related to the alleged abuse of prisoners in Willacy County's federal detention centers.

The indictment criticizes Cheney's investment in the Vanguard Group, which holds interests in the private prison companies running the federal detention centers. It accuses Cheney of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees by working through the prison companies.

Gonzales is accused of using his position while in office to stop an investigation into abuses at the federal detention centers.

Another indictment charges state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. with profiting from his public office by accepting honoraria from prison management companies.

The indictments were first reported by KRGV-TV.

rimrocker · Nov 18, 2008

Interesting.

My first thought is that this is a Rove planned event that gives W. an avenue to pardon all those who built and participated in the torture infrastructure.

weslinder · Nov 18, 2008

OK, I did a little reading. Here's an article on the DA. I'm not sure we should be surprised.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/MYSA022207_01A_DA_guerra_127c61e_html20155.html

Willacy DA wants to be jailed — again

RAYMONDVILLE — With a statute of Don Quixote on the table and a picture of Pancho Villa on the wall, Juan Guerra was in appropriate company this week during a bizarre protest outside the Willacy County Sheriff's Department.

"Just about every time someone goes out the door, he asks to be arrested," Sheriff Larry Spence said of the longtime Willacy County district attorney. "He wants to be in jail. He thinks he can rally the inmates and make the people march up and down the street. It's not going to happen."

Guerra, the local prosecutor since 1996, was arrested Feb. 11 and charged with interfering with police trying to execute a search warrant of his courthouse office. Police took all the office computers as well as many records.

Also charged with three counts of theft by a public servant, Guerra has been out on bond after spending one night in jail.

"These are ridiculous lies. I stole nothing," said Guerra, of the charges that he tried to extort $10,000 from a bonding company, privately resold a seized car and claimed $800 in false expenses.

"They were so eager to arrest me, (so) put me in jail. I've been charged with serious crimes," said Guerra, whose efforts to be jailed again have thus far failed.

That could change Friday with his first court appearance.

Because Guerra has boasted of going to Mexico since his arrest, he could be jailed on charges of violating the terms of his release. Or, after hearing rebuttal evidence from Guerra's lawyers, the judge could decide to set Guerra free.

His lawyer, Gilberto Hinojosa did not return a call seeking comment.

In the meantime, Guerra has taken his case to the public and media.

An American flag flies from the top of the RV he is staying in outside the sheriff's office. Signs taped outside read: "New Office of The Willacy County District Attorney," and "Jesus Still Loves Guerra."

And a menagerie of farm animals around the RV is growing.

"I've got a rooster and some goats. I brought a horse yesterday and I'm bringing a donkey today," said Guerra on Wednesday, adding, "I feel better surrounded by animals than these jerks."

Most galling to Guerra during the investigation was the appointment of Gus Garza as special prosecutor, a man he defeated three times at the polls and considers his nemesis.

"When the judge appointed Garza, I realized she wanted a circus. So let's have a circus," he said.

The sideshow aside, Guerra is in the most dangerous fix of his controversial career. Before he was arrested, he had clashed repeatedly with other county officials, including the sheriff, county clerk, district clerk and district judge, and alienated some voters.

"I believe he is obsessed with power. He claims he is the top law enforcement officer in the county, and that he runs the county," said District Clerk Gilbert Lozano, who Guerra tried to call as a grand jury witness. "I believe his days are numbered. The word I hear is that people are fed up."

But few are counting Guerra out. He has won his last three elections and enjoys strong popular support. His younger brother, a county commissioner, said he will survive.

"There is no merit to the allegations. Whether or not the judge dismisses the case will determine if this political fiasco continues," Keeter Guerra said.

Juan Guerra was a 1989 graduate of the now-defunct Reynaldo G. Garza School of Law in Edinburg, which went out of business that year after a five-year struggle.

In 1991, the county commission appointed Guerra as district attorney despite his meager experience. He soon made headlines by dismissing hundreds of drunken driving cases, earning the sarcastic nickname as "The Great Emancipator."

After losing his first election to Garza, he has been district attorney ever since.

Since then, according to some, Guerra has earned a reputation for being a very lenient prosecutor.

"From a defense attorney's point of view, he's very reasonable. He'll work with us on giving us deals. Almost everyone gets probation," said a veteran Rio Grande Valley defense lawyer who asked not to be named.

"His weakness is that he'll either not be prepared for trial or not be capable of having a trial. So the ultimate trump card is to push it to trial. And I've never had to try a case with him," the lawyer said.

Guerra defends his approach to law enforcement, saying that putting people behind bars is not his ultimate goal. Instead, he said he focuses on counseling and abating family violence.

And despite banging heads with a slew of county officials during the last year in a dispute over a bail bond company that Guerra wanted to shut down, things didn't get serious until a grand jury went to a district judge about him.

According to a record of that January meeting, jurors complained that Guerra was abusing his office and was trying to investigate and indict several county officials.

Jurors were so unnerved about a matter that it led to Guerra's indictment, according to the meeting minutes.

"The District Attorney demanded $10,000 from a bail bond company. The grand jury suspected that a person was indicted for a sex offense in retaliation for nonpayment of the $10,000 demanded," read the notes.

Guerra denies the allegations. He says state District Judge Migdalia Lopez violated the sanctity of the grand jury by meeting with it privately.

"Migdalia has totally taken over the county. She's a tyrant, for lack of a better word," he said. "I'll be exonerated as soon as they bring in a neutral judge and a special prosecutor from another county who has no bias. They'll laugh at these charges and throw them out immediately."

Guerra said he plans to run for another term in two years. But perhaps more than ever since he took office, Willacy County voters are divided over their homegrown district attorney.

"He's an idiot. I think this is the worst government anywhere in South Texas other than Crystal City," C.D. Hall, 73, said outside a local grocery store.

But not all have lost faith in Guerra.

"I think he's just being victimized but he does not allow himself to be bullied," said a woman in the grocery store parking lot. "I think he's a very good DA. They just want to tear him up. It's all a political vendetta."
Click to expand...

basso · Nov 18, 2008

weslinder said:

With a statute of Don Quixote on the table and a picture of Pancho Villa on the wall, Juan Guerra was in appropriate company this week during a bizarre protest outside the Willacy County Sheriff's Department.]
Click to expand...

Hear me now
Oh thou bleak and unbearable world,
Thou art base and debauched as can be;
And a knight with his banners all bravely unfurled
Now hurls down his gauntlet to thee!
I am I, Don Quixote,
The Lord of La Mancha,
My destiny calls and I go,
And the wild winds of fortune
Will carry me onward,
Oh whithersoever they blow.
Whithersoever they blow,
Onward to glory I go!

Rashmon · Nov 18, 2008

basso said:

...
Click to expand...

And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Red Chocolate · Nov 19, 2008

But, but, Obama will bring us change!

glynch · Nov 19, 2008

It is hard to say what is going on with the DA. Obviously there is some politics going on. From talking to my wife's relatives they are quite lenient down there when it comes to first time offenders and non-violent crime. That is a good thing. One of the reasons is that people in poor counties don't have the money to waste constantly locking people up for long periods like folks in Harris County like to do. Also, in a smaller environment the jurors tend to have a better idea which neigbors are actually a threat to society. It seems strange to us in Harris County who are used to executing more folks and probably having longer sentences than just about anywhere else in the US and hence the developed world.

The private prison system and its inevitable abuses in the drive to make more money is a disgrace.

JuanValdez · Nov 19, 2008

Dude sounds crazy, which wasn't a surprise given the indictment. You can't realistically hope to prosecute the VP in a county court. I hope to God this man doesn't make more money than me. I'd be depressed.

"He's an idiot. I think this is the worst government anywhere in South Texas other than Crystal City," C.D. Hall, 73, said outside a local grocery store.
Click to expand...

Lol!

ghettocheeze · Nov 19, 2008

weslinder said:

OK, I did a little reading. Here's an article on the DA. I'm not sure we should be surprised.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/MYSA022207_01A_DA_guerra_127c61e_html20155.html
Click to expand...

Beware of this man, you're next Guerra!

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