Wednesday, May 3, 2017

New reports suggest U.S. Sen. Luther Strange might soon replace "Luv Guv" Bentley as Alabama's most embarrassingly and sickeningly corrupt politician


Luther Strange and Robert Bentley
(From usnews.com)
Former Gov. Robert Bentley, who resigned in disgrace less than one month ago, probably stands as the most corrupt politician in Alabama -- for now. But two reports yesterday suggest U.S. Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) might soon be challenging Bentley for that distinction.

First came an article that used the word "stinks" to describe a Jefferson County prosecution that Strange launched while still Alabama attorney general. Then came news that Strange might have violated campaign-finance laws, which could be a felony with a punishment of up to 20 years in prison. Yikes!

Both reports come from Alabama Political Reporter (APR), which suggests once again that the non-traditional press is much more likely than the mainstream media (MSM) to provide hard-hitting analysis and meaningful investigative reporting.

APR columnist Josh Moon focused on the "perjury" case brought against duly elected Jeffco district attorney Charles Todd Henderson. The title of Moon's article is "Something stinks in Jeffco DA indictment."

It's not hard to figure out what stinks about the Henderson case. He had the audacity last November to defeat incumbent Brandon Falls, who had been hand-picked for the position by former governor Bob Riley. One of Falls' duties likely was to protect Riley Inc.'s dubious activities, especially those involving son Rob "Uday" Riley, daughter Minda Riley Campbell, and son-in-law Rob Campbell -- who happens to be a partner at Bradley Arant, the Birmingham law firm that Bob Riley showered with millions of taxpayer dollars during his time as governor.

When Falls hit the exits and Henderson was set to take over, it became clear that a real DA might scrutinize the Rileys. Next thing you know, a Bradley Arant product (Strange) was indicting Henderson for perjury related to his role as guardian ad litem in a divorce case. That has kept Henderson from taking office, so far, and Moon notes that the case against him would have to improve to be thin.

Charles Todd Henderson, the county’s first Democratic DA in decades, was indicted by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office four days before taking office and blocked from becoming the new DA.

His alleged crime: Perjury.

Odd, right?

Well, it gets even weirder. And a whole lot more complicated.

But let’s lay this thing out so you have all the facts.

The facts are as follows:

Henderson served as the guardian ad litem for a child in a divorce case. He landed that role, which basically involves making sure the craziness of the parents’ divorce doesn’t harm the child, after being asked by the mother of the child.

That woman, Yareima Akl, and Henderson knew one another – she had done work on his campaign for DA – and she requested that Henderson serve as guardian ad litem. He accepted and ended up working for approximately five months, January 2016 through May 2016.

He was removed by the judge following complaints from Akl’s soon-to-be-former husband. Those complaints centered mainly on Akl’s work on Henderson’s campaign – a fact that Henderson never denied – and what the former husband felt was a lack of therapy progress.

How weak is the case against Henderson? As Moon shows, it's thinner than cheap toilet paper:

In July of 2016, Henderson, who is single, struck up a relationship with Akl, who was on her way to being single.

In hindsight, it wasn’t the best move. But it’s also not illegal or improper.

Henderson hadn’t served as the GAL in nearly two months. He wasn’t representing anyone in the case.

And yet, this perfectly legal, no-issues-at-all act is supposed to be what Henderson lied about.

This insignificant thing is keeping a duly elected district attorney from taking office.

And it gets worse.

How worse does it get? Moon provides the answer by showing he knows a thing or two about the law -- something you almost never see from an MSM journalist. Virginia Meigs, the husband's attorney, asked Henderson under oath if he had spent the night at Yareima Akl’s apartment while she was campaigning for him. Henderson answered no, and it's unclear if that response was truthful. But this is clear: Judge Patricia Stephens called a recess, and there were no more questions about sleepovers. Here's why:

That was primarily because Stephens told Meigs that the purpose of the hearing was to determine parental custody, and she instructed Meigs to keep her questions to matters involving the child.

That’s important for another reason – a big reason.

You don’t commit perjury by simply lying under oath in court. The lies you tell have to be material to the issue at hand.

In other words, in a murder case, you lies have to be told in an effort to wrongly influence the court about whether the murder took place.

And in a child custody hearing, if Henderson lied, those lies would have to be aimed at intentionally swaying the court on the custody issue.

Meigs never asked if the child was present when Henderson stayed the night. And Stephens even said she didn’t care about the relationship between Akl and Henderson if the child wasn’t involved.

So, why is the AG’s office all wrapped up in a petty divorce case – the sort of case in which law enforcement never intervenes?

The answer to that question is clear -- at least to me. The Rileys did not want a potentially unfriendly DA in Jefferson County, and Luther Strange was willing to be their water boy by bringing a bogus case against Henderson.

Charles Todd Henderson
(From wvtm13.com)
If we had a real justice system, Strange would go to prison for bringing the indictment against Henderson. That's not likely to happen, but he could wind up in prison for other reasons. As Bill and Susan Britt report in an article titled "SOS: Senator Strange, this may be a problem," Big Lutha has campaign-finance issues, and they could be serious. From the report:

Recently appointed Senator Luther Strange, only a few months into his new job, has potentially committed two major campaign finance violations, according to Secretary of State John Merrill.

Campaign finance records show that Strange transferred campaign contributions between his US Senate campaign account and his Alabama Attorney General account, outside of the legal window. The contributions also exceeded the legal limit on account transfers.

Each of the violations could be prosecuted as felony offenses if the State Ethics Commission takes up the case and refers charges. Former Gov. Robert Bentley faced possible felony charges for a similar transfer that took place outside of the legal time frame.

Strange transferred $1,418.27 from his U.S. Senate campaign to his state campaign, exceeding the $1,000 limit. The transfer also came outside a 120-day post-election window allowed by state law. As a former AG, you'd think Strange might know a thing or two about Alabama's campaign finance laws. But you might be wrong, and such ignorance could cost Strange dearly. The Britts write:

According to Strange’s FCPA and his FEC filing, he exceeded the $1000.00 limit by $418.27. Each violation could be prosecuted as a felony. Violation of the 120-day rule is a Class B Felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The $1000.00 statute is a Class C felony which carries up to 10 years behind bars. Transactions show that Strange for Senate “reimbursed” Alabamians for Luther Strange as reported on both the FCPA Report (Receipts from other sources) and his Senate report.

Asked about the transfers by The Alabama Political Reporter, Merrill responded to a request for comment.

“That is not a permissible expense and it exceeds the amount that could be given even if it were within the correct time frame,” Merill said of the transfers. “There are two violations there.”

Many Alabamians were outraged when Strange reached an apparent quid pro quo with Bentley to be appointed to a Senate seat vacated when Jeff Sessions became Trump attorney general. Wouldn't it be ironic if Big Lutha's power grab helped cause him to wind up in the slammer?

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's hope Luther's corrupt deal with Bentley comes back to bite both of them in the ass.

Anonymous said...

Must be killing Jessica to see Lutha in DC, while she stays at home in Birmingham, raising her kid. Surprised she hasn't put the boy up for adoption.

Anonymous said...

Do prison cells come in "extra long"?

Anonymous said...

The Henderson case is a joke. Any real judge would have dismissed it already. As I recall, he was indicted for supposedly committing perjury, but the charge didn't say what he lied about.

Anonymous said...

You nailed it, Schnauzer. The Henderson case is all about the Rileys, and Luther Strange's willingness to kiss their ass. I wonder if they did some favor to help him become senator in exchange for the Henderson indictment.

legalschnauzer said...

@12:37 --

Interesting point re: Rileys doing a favor for Strange in exchange for Henderson indictment. My understanding is that Bob Riley was highly pissed at Lutha for the Hubbard prosecution. But they might have calmed things down when Henderson beat the water boy, Brandon Falls. Perhaps the Rileys saw a need to get back in Lutha's good graces.

Anonymous said...

Very good reporting job by APR on this campaign-finance issue. I haven't seen it anywhere in mainstream press.

Anonymous said...

Something tells me Mike Hubbard smiled when he read about this -- Lowell Barron, too.

Anonymous said...

Alabama State Motto:


"So many corrupt politicians, so little time."

Anonymous said...

"You don’t commit perjury by simply lying under oath in court. The lies you tell have to be material to the issue at hand."


Praise the Lord for someone pointing this out. We probably could wait a lifetime for al.com to point this out.

legalschnauzer said...

This is from the Code of Alabama:


Section 13A-10-101

Perjury in the first degree.

(a) A person commits the crime of perjury in the first degree when in any official proceeding he swears falsely AND HIS FALSE STATEMENT IS MATERIAL to the proceeding in which it is made.

(b) Perjury in the first degree is a Class C felony.

e. a. f. said...

another point for the non traditional media! the non traditional media has very little to nothing to loose in reporting the truth. MSM does. they not only sell news but they sell advertising. It is that advertising which keeps them frequently from producing the real news or news of importance or news which is uncomfortable for the elites and/or those paying for advertising.

In British Columbia, Canada, its the bloggers/non traditional suppliers of news who tell the real truth and expose corruption and excessive spending. You won't read it in the corporate media or see it on t.v. Want to know who is donating to the ruling political party? check the blogs. want to know what those contributors got in return? check a blog.

it would appear Alabama and elsewhere is no different. pretty much around the world its bloggers and non traditional news media who break the big stories, who tell the truth, etc.

good on you for reporting on this issue along with other non traditional media.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like Mr. Henderson and Ms. Akl could bonk 10 hours a day, and it would not be material because he was not GAL at the time. How does Luther Strange get away with bringing such a BS case?

Anonymous said...

Are the Rileys so stupid that they think a statement that is not material to the matter at hand is perjury? Isn't Rob Riley a lawyer? Shouldn't he know better?

legalschnauzer said...

@5:46 --

I can answer that one. The Rileys aren't stupid, but they think you are stupid, and I am stupid, and the rest of the public is stupid. I know from first-hand experience that Rob Riley does not care one iota about the actual law. He had me arrested and thrown in jail for five months because of a civil case (defamation), and there is zero support under the law for such action. In fact, the law specifically says no defamation defendant can be subject to a preliminary injunction -- and thus, possible incarceration. But Rob Riley sought a preliminary injunction anyway, and got one from a corrupt judge named Claud Neilson.

Under the law, defamation cannot be found by a one-man censor/judge, but must be determined at trial, by a jury. Rob Riley didn't even ask for a jury trial because he knew my reporting was accurate, and jury would see right through his bogus lawsuit.

Rob Riley either is the most ignorant lawyer on the planet or he's a complete thug. I submit he is the latter. He also is a reptile; he even looks like a reptile when you see him up close. He's got the most reptilian eyes I've ever seen on a human being, with my former criminal/neighbor Mike McGarity a close second.

Yes, no one with a conscience would pursue a case against Henderson. But I'm not sure there is a functioning conscience among all the Rileys.

Robby Scott Hill said...

The Republican Party has to own the loss of the DA's Office. When the State Legislature keeps stacking Blacks & Poor Whites into one or two huge districts, you're going to get Democratic DA's & judges in the more populous areas because most of the folks are Black & Poor White. The GOP has no one to blame but themselves. Hell, we almost had a Democrat get State Senator up here in Northeast Alabama last cycle because they fucked up & stacked all the N-Words, Wetbacks & Poor White Trash into one district. Goddamn districts up here look like a motherfucking octopus an' shit!

Anonymous said...

Moon is a sensationalist hack. On the other hand the campaign fund transfer issues appear to have some serious legs.

legalschnauzer said...

You think the Henderson perjury prosecution is legit? Have you checked the law? Have you considered the timing? Are you aware that perjury prosecutions hardly ever are brought, even in the most blatant circumstances?

Anonymous said...

Roger: Recently my wife posted pictures of me on her face book page that were taken while I was onboard the CVA 43 Coral Sea in 1972. Someone contacted her inquiring if I had known a pilot named Major McDonald who is listed as MIA. She was looking for a picture of his aircraft. My wife told her that I did not remember the incident, but I would look for a picture of his aircraft. When I googled his name, I realized that I knew him. He was one of 4 pilots and 38 enlisted personnel who deployed from VMA AW 533 in Japan to the Coral Sea in March 1972. We were never informed of his failure to return. I remember other aircraft losses because they were announced over the intercom. The crew from VMA AW 533 departed the Coral Sea on June 12 1972. I have pictures of the Russia ships in Hong Kong.
McDonald and Ben Moody were Pilot and Navigator of the same aircraft but were not together when the plane crashed.
I have a picture of a/c 155708 with the blue vulture on the tail. where did it come from. I believe a/c 155709 was never onboard the Coral Sea. I have decided to include this event in an Eliza Battle Tale, hoping some of your readers begin asking Questions. But! The issue of my tale raising false hope in grieving families may develop.
The Major Cathcart and Ben Moody in the Tales are alive and have Facebook pages. There will be two tales. You are a journalist and will know what to do with my Tales. The only fiction will be the ghost saying McDonalds a/c flew to Clark Air Force Base. signed your friend, Marshall David Williams Auburn Alabama

Anonymous said...

Aboard the Eliza Battle the crew was assembled to appoint some one Captain.The Stranger in The Shadows was playing a game of solitaire. Admiral Tyron asked the Stranger if he could handle a ship as big as the Eliza Battle. The Stranger replied that he had worked on the flight deck of CVA 43. The Admiral nodded his head in approval and asked the Stranger if he could command a ship. The Stranger replied that he had been a non commissioned officer at the time.Every one agreed that the Stranger should be Captain. Sheldon asked the status of the war. The Captain replied that he and mike were communicating by carrier pigeon and Mike had informed him that the war was having a Mexican Stand-off. The Captain informs the crew that since joining the Ghost of the Eliza Battle, he has been having a dream where he is talking to a Marine on a small craft that transports troops from ship to shore and vise versa. Recently the Captain was viewing pictures of his deployment on the CVA43 Coral Sea in 1972 and realized the Marine in his dream was Lt McDonald who was assigned from VMA AW 533 To VMA AW 224 in 1972 aboard the Coral Sea. The Captain remembered the date of the boat trip in his dream was May 15 1972 and the place was Hong Kong. The captain said that he Googled Lt McDonalds name and discovered that his A-6 A Intruder b/n 155709-NL 501 was lost on May 3 1972 over North Vietnam and he is listed as MIA. The Captain asked the crew to to go into the spiritual world on the other side and gather information. The next morning the crew informed the Captain that the Lieutenant could not be found but the flight operations officer said his flight plan called for a two a/c sortie to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines and the A-6a and A-6B Intruders were carrying external fuel tanks. Sheldon asked the Captain if he was sure he was in Hong Kong because the VMA AW 224 web site lists the only Port Call in May for the Coral Sea was May12-13 in the Philippines. The Captain replied that he remembered the May12-13 Port Call also because a mysterious A-6A Intruder b/n 155708 NL500 with a blue vulture painted on the tail had appeared on the flight deck. The Captain said he was positive because he had taken pictures of the 3 Russian Ships with was supplies for North Vietnam were anchored near the Coral Sea. The aircraft of VMA AW 224 had mined Haipong Harbor on May 9 and the Russian Ships could not enter the harbor. The Captain said that when he came ashore, the Russian sailors were rowdy. The Captain met a British girl with a Chinese friend and they went to the Chinese section of Hong Kong to elude the Russians, The next day the Captain made his way back to the small craft to be ferried to the Coral Sea. Admiral Tyron said that he checked the Navy records of the Port Calls CVA43 took from 1965 to1975 and the year 1972 did not list any Port Calls. Bob Yancey replied that the Navy must be hiding something. The Captain continued by saying the only aircraft missing from the Coral Sea was A-6B Intruder b/n 155584 NL507 and that A-6A Intruder b/n 155708 was assigned to VMA AW 225 in El Toro California in 1972 and VMA AW 225 was deactivated in May 1972. A-6A intruder b/n 155709 that is listed as the aircraft Lt McDonald was flying when he went MIA was assigned to VA 34 in the Atlantic Fleet in 1971. The Captain said he had read the book "Afterburner Naval Aviators and the Vietnam War"by Sherwood and learned that the commander of VMA AW 224 had been relieved of his Command because he secretly flew to Cherry Point N.C. to attend his daughter's high school graduation in mid May 1972. The Commander would have been with at least one other A-6 Intruder on that trip. Who was the pilot of the second aircraft? How did Lt McDonald get shot down in an aircraft that was never aboard the Coral Sea?

Anonymous said...

Aboard the Eliza Battle Admiral Tyron asked the Captain for his assessment of the situation. The Captain replied that it was his belief that the Russians abducted two Marine pilots and Richard Nixon and The U S Marine Corps turned their backs to these Marines to prevent a war with Russia. Bob Yancey inquired as to how it could be proved. The Captain replied that he could not prove anything but the internet would allow him to expose a lie. I will start with the web site MISSING IN ACTION- Mofaks Joseph William McDonald
The Tribute by Donald Cathcart has to be read as if it is secrets from the grave. Commander Cathcart and McDonald fly to Clark AFB to ferry an A-6 Intruder that does not have any operational electronics back to Japan at night . While in The Philippines they went to Angles City. This tells me The Commander of VMA AW 224 and McDonald flew to El Toro California to ferry a A-6 back to Philippines. Also they drove to Los Angles. The book " Afterburner : Naval Aviators and the Vietnam War" by Sherwood tells us that the Commander of VMA AW 224 went to Cherry Point N.C. for his daughter's high school Graduation in mid May 1972. The A-6 b/n 155699 Cathcart flew to Clark AFB with McDonald ended up in the a/c bone yard. The A-6 b/n 155702 Cathcart and McDonald flew back, came from VMA AW 225.
Cathcart says the flight down took 4 hours and 25 min and the flight back took 3 hours and 12 min . This tribute was written at least 20 years after this event but notice the details. A trained eye can discover more coded messages in this tribute.
With the two Marines abducted, the Coral Sea needs to lose a A-6 Intruder. They can not "Lose" 155584 NL507 because there is a record of it crossing the Pacific. They call the Naval Repair facility and have them change the paper work to VMA AW 224 being assigned 155709 in 1971 instead of 155584 And Grumman's A-6 b/n show this. But they make a mistake. 155584 had tail number
NL507 and they assigned 155709 tail number NL501. VMA AW 224 already has 155646 NL501 on the flight deck and no one ever notices because the A-6 McDonald is recorded to have been flying when he went MIA was never aboard the Coral Sea.
The Poughkeepsie NY Journal has an article dated May 4 1972 that McDonald is MIA. In the Tribute, Cathcart writes that he got a classified message from the Coral Sea on May 3 that McDonald was missing. This article can not be authentic. McDonald went missing much later. How could this be in the newspaper the next day.
Go back to the tribute and look at the picture of the mountains with fog. There is an explanation that maybe there was a collision between The A-6 And a Air Force F-4. But U S Aircraft losses show only one other aircraft lost that day due to A/A fire . The pilots became POWs.
to be continued....

Anonymous said...

Aboard the Eliza Battle The Captain continued his assessment. A photo of A-6 155709 upon the deck of the Coral Sea is impossible to find. But a photo of A-6 155584 NL507 which is not supposed to be on the Coral Sea can be found with a little luck. The photo was taken by Ben Moody- Lt McDonalds navigator who by luck was not with McDonald when he went missing. This photo can be found on the AOA decals website. The sheet is called Intruders from the sea. The Tribute to Lt McDonald anticipated The Marine CorPs trying to correct their error with the tail number NL501 by saying that McDonald was flying !55584 NL507. This a/c is a A-6B anti radar missile carrying aircraft. It does not contain the tracking and ballistics computers for all-weather bombing of a bridge. A pilot might drop cluster bombs if he can see the target but no way is he going to destroy a bridge as described in the Tribute. I believe a trained military investigator will uncover the truth.

Robby Scott Hill said...

Dear Mr. Williams. Thank you for providing us with valuable information on the United States Navy & Marine Corps.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Robbie And there is more to this story. "Vulture 1 " of VMA AW 224 went to work in the Marine Division of the Pentagon trying to recover these fallen Marines. I personally believe the Eliza Battle should Keel Haul Senator John McCain.

Anonymous said...

Let me rephrase the vulture 1 comment. Charlie Carr from VMA AW 224 went to work in the Marine Corps Division of the Pentagon. The Eliza Battle has accomplished her mission of getting this published. Thanks Roger.