In The Ind's July 20 cover story, CONVICTed, we introduced Mike Wyatt, a car customizer and small business owner who's been indicted on major federal drug conspiracy charges despite never possessing drugs or trafficking them across state lines.
Wyatt is facing 10-plus years in prison and up to $4 million in fines because the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District in Louisiana has accused him of installing a few secret compartments in vehicles that the government claims he knew would be used to transport mass amounts of contraband.
What Wyatt's story reveals is that secret compartments are legal to install and possess in vehicles, but the false testimony of an admitted drug kingpin, the questionable conduct of a federal prosecutor and haphazard federal drug laws have put Wyatt at-risk of losing his business and, more importantly, his freedom.
Eric Alexander, the drug ring's leader whose damning testimony against Wyatt has been proven false, has been housed in parish jails since at least January 2007, though he pleaded guilty to a lengthy list of federal drug conspiracy and money laundering charges in December 2008.
As part of his plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney's Office agreed to delay Alexander's sentencing until he offers "substantial assistance" in testifying against Wyatt and two other co-defendants who have refused to accept a plea agreement from the government. But coincidentally, less than two weeks after The Ind's cover story hit the stands, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Grayson has asked that Alexander's sentencing take place as soon as possible, before Wyatt's trial in February 2012.
Grayson says in his motion that housing Alexander in a St. Martin Parish jail is straining the budget of the U.S. Marshal's Service, which pays parish jails a fairly high per diem to keep federal detainees behind local bars.
At a $41-per-day fee to house Alexander for more than four years instead of sending him to the budget of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, it's only about $8,500 more than the almost $70,000 the federal government has already paid to keep Alexander close to home — all to ensure the conviction of a family man with no criminal record who was never charged with drug possession.
But whether or not the motive for Alexander's early sentencing request really is about the roughly $8,500, even if Alexander is sent away before Wyatt's trial without first satisfying the government, he can still testify against Wyatt after he's been sentenced and knock off a substantial amount of prison time for doing so.
Wyatt's saga and Alexander's lies under oath are part of what one former federal prosecutor calls an "inherent problem" with a federal criminal justice system that relies on convicts, most of whom are criminals by their own admission.
Read more about it here.
MAY 22 This post was written the day after the second line shooting in NOLA, by Brentin Mock. Mock is a friend of Deb "Big Red" Cotton, a blogger who was shot in the back and was seriously injured. It is a raw, emotional piece of writing, something the writer obviously felt he needed to get off his chest. But it raises questions that can't be easily dismissed, and might give some insight into where the source of these events truly is.
MAY 22 In this Baton Rouge Business Report post, Rolfe McCollister considers the privatization of bus service in Baton Rouge. After decades of under-funding, it is a mess, and although a tax (partially) passed last year, improvement hasn't happened yet. McCollister apparently feels it is time to let private business get in on the transit business.
MAY 22 This post on Bayou Buzz by Jeff Crouere urges the defeat of a bill that would grant modest pay increases over the next several years to the state's judges and clerks of court. The state is in no position to fund pay hikes, Crouere argues, with the pay increases costing a total of $9 million over several years. It sends the wrong message to the (proverbial) hard-working people of Louisiana, he says.
MAY 22 The Advocate reports here that State Treasurer John Kennedy is complaining about a meeting of the corporation that oversees the state's tobacco settlement. The Governor wanted it restructured, and he has some support, but not a lot. The corporation agreed with his plan, but Kennedy didn't, and it appears that the meeting was noticed in a manner completely different than that of all previous meetings. Kennedy's given to hyperbole, but in this case the fish don't smell too fresh.
MAY 22 In this Advocate story, Carencro Police Chief Carlos Stout says the recent federal indictment of a strip club owner is all wrong. The indictment alleges that drugs and prostitution went on with impunity because club staff made arrangements with "local" police. Stout says it never happened, and while his cops do work security in the parking lot, they're not allowed inside.
MAY 22 This amusing post in DIG Baton Rouge recounts an ad that ran on Craig's List recently; the advertiser was seeking tenants for a Beauregard Town house. He knew his market, and wrote an ad that the most ironical hipster couldn't resist. Apparently, he really did know his market, because the ad worked like a charm.
MAY 22 In this post in The Lens, Mark Moseley comments on the rhetoric Gov. Jindal employed in trying to save his tax "reform" package. One interesting point concerns Jindal's use of his brother, Nikesh, in a little story. Nikesh left Louisiana because of his inability to get a decent job, the story goes, but the story won't hold water: Nikesh lives in DC, which has an income tax level comparable to Louisiana, Moseley says. If income taxes caused the dismal situation, it should exist in DC too. Right?
MAY 22 This post by columnist John Maginnis traces the trajectory of the bill that would fund construction at community and technical colleges -- and bypass the Board of Regents and traditional higher ed funding mechanisms. Sure, it will bust the legislature's self-imposed debt limit, but some leges feel that there's more need (because there is more growth) in the community and technical college area than in the university area, he says.
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I compiled allus the numbers, but nevah hit send Author Unknown