Showing posts with label sentence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sentence. Show all posts

PostHeaderIcon Sex with a horse brings a five-year sentence



On Wednesday, November 4, 2009, Rodell Vereen, a 50 year old man from Longs, South Carolina was sentenced to three years in prison in violation of a probation. He pleaded guilty of engaging in equine intercourse in 2007. He was first charged and convicted of buggery and trespassing at that time after a woman, a horse owner in Conway, SC found him in her barn at Lazy B. Stables on Thanksgiving day.

With a video tape to prove the crime, the woman caught Vereen having sexual intercourse with Sugar, a 21-year-old female horse. Expressing regrets, the man said:

"I'm sorry about what I've done,'' Vereen said. "I didn't mean to do it. It's my fault. I'm sorry for what I've done to myself.''----http://wvgazette.com (11/04/09)

This time, for the second offense, according to the verdict, Vereen who works in a landscaping company will have to spend three years in jail and undergo probation for another two years. Registered as a sex offender of animals, he will be required to have psychiatric treatment. (Photo Credit: ridingmagazine.com) =0=

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PostHeaderIcon Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced 18 months more





Burmese Nobel Prize awardee Aung San Suu Kyi received a sentence to serve 18 months of house arrest after the military found her “guilty” of violating her house arrest rules. The added punishment came after an American John Yettaw swam to her residence and stayed there for two days. Yettaw was sentenced to 7 years in jail for violation of Myanmar’s (Burma) immigration laws and trespassing into Aung’s home.

"British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "saddened and angry" at the verdict and called the sentence "purely political." The European Union, Australia and France have also condemned the sentence." ---Voice of America (08/11/09, Bayron, H.)

Aung San, the 64 year old political detainee who was unjustly incarcerated for 14 years was returned to her home after the new verdict, originally for three years, was commuted by top general, Than Shwe to 18 month amidst domestic and international outcry in support of Aung San’s human rights and freedom.

In 1990, The lady political leader and heroine of democracy won the election under the National League for Democracy, but the abusive Burmese military did not allow her to govern. Aung San's recent sentence was considered a way to stop her from participating in the forthcoming elections. (Photo Credit: Totaloutnow x 2) =0=

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PostHeaderIcon King Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff gets max of 150 years in jail



After irate testimonies from his victims, the financial whiz Bernard Madoff who defrauded his clients of some $65 billion in a Ponzi scheme, the largest in recorded history, was sentenced to 150 years in prison. It was the maximum that could be handed for a crime of such magnitude. The sentence was far more than the 12 years his lawyer asked for the reviled deceitful defendant. He stole huge money from trusting investors all across the globe right under the noses of government regulators.

US District Judge Denny Chin of the Manhattan Federal Court in New York handed the verdict to the cheers of a crowd that included his disgruntled clients from all across the social economic spectrum----investors from all races--- rich and poor, young and old, known and incognito who have lost their life savings and humiliated in a spurious money operandi masterminded by Madoff.

"Here, the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil," Chin said. "This kind of manipulation of the system is not just a bloodless crime that takes place on paper, but one instead that takes a staggering toll."---Judge Denny Chin (06/29/09, New York Daily News (06/29/09, Zambito, T, Martinez;Siemaszko, C.)

Some of Madoff’s Victims
------------------------------------------Description---------------------Amount
Fairfield Greenwich Advisors-----investment firm--------------$7,500,000,000
Banco Santander------------------Spanish bank-----------------$2,870,000,000
Bank Medici-------------------------Austrian bank----------------$2,100,000,000
HSBC--------------------------------- British bank-------------------$1,000,000,000
BNP------------------------------------French bank-------------------$431,170,000
New York University------------------University--------------------$24,000,000
Korea Teachers Pension----------Korean Pension Fund---------$9,100,000
Marc Rich------------------------------fugitive financier--------------Not available
Yeshiva University---------------------NY private university--------$14,500,000
Int’l Olympic Committee--------------Olympic organizer----------$4,800,000
Zsa Zsa Gabor-------------------------actress------------------------$10,000,000
Diocese of St. Thomas--------------Cath. Church (Virgin Is)-----$2,000,000
Source: http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/st_madoff_victims_20081215.html


In a statement Madoff’s wife Ruth who was not charged of a crime spoke of her shame and embarrassment, saying she too was betrayed. Most of those who followed the case, including the victims believe, Madoff who lived an extravagant life, got what he deserved.

His clients had been hurting since the discovery of the fraud. The 71 year-old former Nasdaq chairman apologized for his wrongdoing which ruined the finances of many. After a 6-minute statement of regret, the king of Ponzi was led by gurards to a solitary maximum security seclusion at the Manhattan Federal jail. More investigation had to be done to uncover the money trail in the confusing gargantuan scam. (Photo Credit: GiganticPanda) =0=

RELATED BLOGS: "Bernard Madoff, accused top Ponzi scheme artist is allowed bail" Posted by mesiamd at 1/13/2009; "Ponzi wiz Bernard Madoff sent to prison" Posted by mesiamd at 3/13/2009

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PostHeaderIcon Widening gap of justice, abuse of presidential pardons, & the poor who are left in jail




It has been said that about 3 out of 4 prisoners in the Philippines are victims of judicial errors Many of them are poor and vulnerable. They are forced to admit guilt so that they can move to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) where food and living conditions are better than the crowded jails in the country. Poor prisoners in other penal colonies languish longer and are treated badly during incarceration than their rich counterparts, making the public believe justice in the country is a farce.

"Inmates are dying in our city jails at an alarming rate. They are suffering from boils, tuberculosis, chicken pox and other simple but highly communicable diseases. In the Quezon City Jail alone, there are two to five deaths per month. The sad fact is that they are dying before being sentenced." ---Raymond Narag (ex-prisoner)

The widening gap of justice truly exists in the country, but almost no one complains about it. In this backdrop Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo commuted the two life terms of Romeo Jalosjos for raping an 11 year old girl in 1996. For his horrible crime which include lascivious acts, the Zamboanga del Norte congressman who shows no remose, enjoyed extensive prison privileges while in jail for only 13 years. Jalosjos put his money and influence to full use----building a tennis court, a gym, and bakery in the NBP.

These “benevolent actions” by Jalosjos which led to the shortening of his prison stay can’t escape the scrutiny of Emmi de Jesus, secretary-general of the militant women-group Gabriela, who sees gross errors in how justice is carried out. De Jesus who believes Jalosjos’ pardon is a payback to the political help given to Pres. Arroyo said:

“Marso ngayon ano, supposedly Buwan ng Kababaihan. Mukhang ito yung mockery of justice na binibigay ni Ginang Arroyo. Walang remorse, walang pag-amin sa kasalanan niya (Jalojos). Paano na yung mga kababaihan na humihingi ng katarungan na ngayon ay vulnerable sa various forms of violence?" .

[Jalosjos’ release, which happens this Women’s Month, seemed to be a mockery of justice by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. (Convicted rapist) neither showed remorse nor admission of guilt. What about the welfare of the women who are vulnerable to various forms of violence?]---GMA TV News (03/19/09, Dedace, SM)

Quezon Representative Lorenzo "Erin'' Tañada III is alarmed by President Arroyo‘s exercise of presidential clemency which leads to more rich and powerful inmates being set free. Palawan Representative Abraham Mitra also airs the same concern when he urged Arroyo to use executive pardon "judiciously and carefully."

But politics and favor-peddling have a lot to do with these kinds of decision. It is easy to understand that a prisoner who donates infrastructures in a prison compound may have motives beyond being altruistic. Special treatment is one thing that rich detainees can work on so they get protection from their friends in the system. It's one of the easiest ways to cultivate influence and get the graces of prison officials.

After a tedious and costly court battle that eventually convicted Pres. Joseph Estrada of plunder, Arroyo wasted no time in pardoning the felon---a decision that continues to divide and hurt the entire nation. Estrada didn't serve in a traditional jail, but in a well-furnished comfortable seclusion.

In total disregard of the gravity of the crime and the unresolved questions related to the Ninoy Aquino-Rolando double murder case, Gloria freed the 10 remaining military men convicted of the airport murders. Since 1983, few Filipinos took genuine heart on the significance of Ninoy's death, ignoring the loss and suffering of the country under Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. Like Jalosjos and Estrada, the 10 convicts in Ninoy's assassination never expressed guilt or remorse--- basic requisites of pardon.

Mostly left in the crowded prisons are the poor and those who have no influence in lording over the weaknesses of the corrupt system. Many are young and defenseless. Filipinos who disdain the unpopular president can only express their cynicism and apathy towards the poor state of the penitentiary. They feel they can’t do anything about the injustice that goes on there. (Phtoto Credit: Suntoksabuwan; planetradio x 2) =0=



RELATED BLOG: "90% of RP crimes are solved in less than 1 year: a lie that can make you cry?" Posted by mesiamd at 12/19/2008; "Pardon and (In)justice: Ninoy’s killers freed" Posted by mesiamd at 3/05/2009



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