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January 22, 2006

"Guilty as hell, Free as a bird"

The Milwaukee five, accused of slashing tires on Election Day 2004, have accepted a plea deal and walked away from their crime with few consequences.

After a two-week felony trial culminating with notes from a conflicted jury, four Kerry-Edwards campaign workers - including the sons of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) and former Acting Mayor Marvin Pratt - had their charges in the Election Day 2004 tire-slashing reduced to misdemeanors and accepted the deal.

The fifth Democratic staffer accused of crippling Republican vans won a jury acquittal by sticking with a fight against the felony charge.

"Any other case like this, they would have made the offer (to reduce charges) right away, but for the people involved," said Adam Essling, attorney for Lavelle Mohammed, one of the four men who made no-contest pleas Friday afternoon.

If they pay a collective $5,317.45 restitution by their April 26 sentencing, Assistant District Attorney David Feiss will recommend all four get probation. Misdemeanor property damage carries a possible maximum penalty of nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine.

(Hat tip: Donkey Cons and Malkin)

This sends a terrible message: attempt to disenfranchise voters and receive a slap on the wrist. It's stories such as this one that make me indifferent to the constant wailing of Democrats about "stolen elections." This was a case where there was solid evidence against these guys, and their purpose was to take votes away from the president. And yet the same Democrats who scream and create elaborate conspiracy theories to explain their election losses stay silent in the face of misbehavior by people who share their party affiliation.

The Democrats' outrage at 'vote supression' would be a lot more convincing if they were not so tolerant of it within their ranks.

posted by Slublog at 04:56 PM

Comments

Great point, but I have a feeling this jury was from the 'hood, and they wouldn't have convicted even with videotaped proof.

Posted by: Dogstar on January 22, 2006 05:28 PM

Hm . . . reminds me of "business as usual" in E. St. Louis. Talk about a culture of corruption.

Posted by: Hal on January 22, 2006 05:40 PM

Mary M, tubino,

I can't believe Democrats would do this.

Posted by: clinton's bulbous nose on January 22, 2006 05:58 PM

The Democrats are "tolerant" of this cheating and criminality because it's so successful, it comprises an important component of such success as they enjoy.

That, and that "plantation" mentality of theirs. Sorry, Hil.

Cordially...

Posted by: Rick on January 22, 2006 06:13 PM

I've lived all my life in Chicago, so the Democrats' bellyaching about "vote fraud" and "stolen elections" amuses me to no end.

I had a good laugh when Al Gore's campaign manager, William Daley - son of Mayor Richard I and brother of Richard II, a man whose very name is synonymous with crooked elections - demanded an "honest accounting" of the Florida ballots. As if his family hadn't forged more ballots and "disappeared" more voting machines than you or I or the federal district attorney for northern Illinois will ever know.

Posted by: Brown Line on January 22, 2006 06:33 PM

Nobody in this area is suprised. Dogstar hit the nail on the head.

Posted by: BrewFan on January 22, 2006 07:31 PM

Who was handling this case? The UN's nuclear non-proliferation agency? Talk about toothless.

Posted by: Russ from Winterset on January 22, 2006 07:40 PM

The Democrats' outrage at 'vote supression' would be a lot more convincing if they were not so tolerant of it within their ranks.

Prosecutors built most of their case on testimony from out-of-state Democratic operatives who had come to work on the Wisconsin campaign alongside the defendants - Michael Pratt, 33, Lewis G. Caldwell, 29, Lavelle Mohammad, 36, Justin Howell, 21, and Sowande Omokunde, 26. The witnesses said the local men boasted about their crippling attack on the Republican vehicles.

Posted by: Steve J. on January 22, 2006 08:30 PM

Ah, I guess that totally explains why the Democratic prosecutor dragged his feet (you know DA's tend to do that when they have multiple witnesses) and why Howard Dean and other Democratic leaders haven't made a peep over this story.

Yeah, that explains it.

Moron.

Posted by: Lee Atwater on January 22, 2006 10:43 PM

I wonder if Olbermann will be dedicating 6 weeks straight of his show to this story like he did between Election Day 2004 and thereading of the electoral votes in the Senate and claiming Ohio was stolen.

Posted by: eddiebear on January 23, 2006 12:02 AM

Is the sentence really that important? Frankly, it gives me one more good reason to stick with the party that promised austerity, and delivered, um, growth.

That's what is important to me, anyway.

Posted by: Tom M on January 23, 2006 12:14 AM

As a Milwaukee ex-pat, I have been following this and have to say that I am not suprised.

What you have to know is that "the machine" in Milwaukee is so powerful and corrupt, it makes the Chicago analoge look like a tea party.

Posted by: Sinner on January 23, 2006 08:35 AM