http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=6866182 July 31, 2007 Michael Vick may face new indictment Michael Vick may ultimately be charged with racketeering. The prosecutor says he intends to seek a new indictment against Vick next month. It is not uncommon, especially in complicated, high-stakes cases, for the government to present a series of charges to the grand jury before it settles on a theory of the case. In the OxyContin case against Doctor Cecil Knox, for example, the prosecution went back to the grand jury six times before it was satisfied with the allegations. None of those charges stuck. The superseding indictment sometimes simply adds factual information. It can also add criminal counts and include additional co-defendants. Tony Taylor, Vick's co-defendant who pled guilty yesterday, might help the government make a case for racketeering against Vick. The "Summary of Facts" Taylor signed says: "Taylor agrees that Bad Newz Kennels qualifies as a 'business enterprise' that engaged in a continuous course of conduct and series of transactions in furtherance of...dog fighting...." Experts on criminal trial procedure, both prosecution and defense, agree: that language suggests that the feds plan to bring racketeering charges.
Interesting...so they plan to bring racketeering charges, but there is a solid chance they won't stick because the feds aren't doing it necessarily to convict him of the charges, but just to bring in more evidence and witnesses? Is my understanding of that article right?
This is where I got that from. It says none of the additional charges stuck, then goes on to say sometimes the superseding indictments just add factual information or co-defendants (which I misread as witnesses the first time). I guess I got confused.
that was in that case. the writer is trying to illustrate, i think, that the feds sometimes change their indictment to get to the theory they really want to bring the case on. part of the reason why i keep saying that the dog fighting stuff is a bit of a distraction to the legal case. it presents really disgusting fact allegations...but dog fighting, in and of itself, doesn't carry hugely steep penalties with it. now running an illegal dog fighting/gambling ring across 9 states?? that's a different story. given what i've looked at (and posted yesterday), i think this pretty well qualifies as a RICO case. i'm certainly not a RICO expert, though.
You were right on both parts. I see the point of the black community that there is defintely race involved. I tend to lean towards his celebrity being the driving factor more than race. I do think that I might be wrong about that, though. If he were white, I don't think there would be such an uproar. I don't pretend to understand what black people go through on a daily basis. I'm jewish and have dealt with some anti-semitism but I'm also white. I don't get pulled over for the hell of it. I don't get followed in stores, etc., etc. If Vick did it, he should go to jail. I can't blame Nike for suspending sales. It's simply bad for business to continue selling his products while this is going on. If he is found innocent, they should be right back on the shelves. He should be right back on the practice field with the Falcons.
And another: "Signs of hypocrisy: In his debut for Y! Sports, Michael Silver explores the public's quickness to vilify Michael Vick while being less outraged when crimes against humans are committed." http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...slug=ms-morningrush081307&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Goodell's points below are what I've been saying. The dog fighting, while disgusting, is distracting from what causes the most danger to Vick's career and freedom from this case. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...45nYcB?slug=jc-vick081207&prov=yhoo&type=lgns Sources: Vick suspension near By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports August 12, 2007 Two NFL sources said that commissioner Roger Goodell likely will announce this week or next the suspension of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for the 2007 season. "That's the direction it's going and has been from the time this started," one of the sources said this week. In July, Goodell told Vick not to report to training camp in the aftermath of a federal indictment for his alleged involvement in dogfighting on a property he owned in Virginia. Vick has since been arraigned on the matter and is facing trial in November. What is unclear is whether Vick will be allowed to return to the Falcons this season if he is acquitted. This offseason, Goodell suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones for the entire season but added stipulations that could allow Jones to return earlier if he clears his record. Said the other source: "The plan was to make sure it was announced before the season. Given what everybody has seen from what (league) security found and what the feds are telling us, there's really no choice." From a public relations standpoint, the NFL would like the matter dealt with before the opening week of the season. The feeling is that if the league can resolve the matter now, any further news on Vick will not detract from the buildup to the season. The NFL has examined the indictment against Vick at length and has conducted a quasi-investigation of its own. The league has not interviewed anyone associated with the case, but it has pored over as many public documents as it could find. The most careful element of the suspension is how it will be worded. Under the league's new personal conduct policy, there is some belief that Vick could escape punishment because this is the first time he has been charged with a crime. However, Goodell hinted last week that because Vick was charged with multiple counts, including gambling on dogfights, the league may have a way around that. In an interview with USA Today, Goodell said that while he was disturbed by the dogfighting accusations, the gambling aspect is just as meaningful. "Listen, we're sickened by the allegations and the predicament Michael put himself in," Goodell said. "But there are a lot of things in the indictment that concern the NFL that may not be of a greater concern from a law enforcement standpoint." The NFL's gambling policy, which was established long before the personal conduct policy, has resulted in the suspension of players in the past. Both Paul Hornung and Alex Karras were suspended for the entire 1963 season after admitting they placed bets on NFL games. Players can be banned for life for illegal gambling.
It's not hypocrisy. The difference is that MV took pleasure in his killing. If people revel in the actual killing while hunting then they are no better. But at least when you hunt the animal becomes food. Hunting for the sheer pleasure of killing is a sickness. MV killed for no other reason than the love of killing.
just curious...i don't plan arguing with you on it... but do you not see a distinction between breeding dogs for fighting, and then fighting them as has been described.... and hunting?
well, first of all, I think on canned hunts the animals are bred, so I don't think there is a difference there. secondly, no I don't see the difference between hunting for pleasure and dog fighting. now if you want to argue the alleged executions and hangings I'm not going to even get into that but as far as hunting and fighting animals, no i don't see it.
ok....i disagree with you, but i'm examining my own views on that to see if i'm being a hypocrite. i don't hunt. i'm not comfortable hunting. not comfortable with guns, generally. but i don't have the same negative feelings about it that i do about dog fighting. maybe because i sense that most hunters work to minimze suffering with the kill. but dog fighting is about drawing it out...watching them suffer and fight through it. i understand i might feel that way because i've been exposed to more people who hunt...and have never been exposed to the dog fighting stuff.
Wow, 2 co-defendants plan to enter pleas and testify against Vick. Vick has until Friday to accept plea bargain or face additional jail time. This certainly doesn't make his case any easier. They now have seven witnesses testifying against Vick.
