May 22, 2012

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UPDATE: Griesedieck pleads guilty in federal court

April 13, 2012 By

The St. Louis attorney indicted alongside former Governor Roger Wilson has also pleaded guilty to missappropriating funds to make a donation to the Missouri Democratic Party.

Edward Griesedieck has admitted he is guilty of taking $5,000 from the Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Company.

Griesedieck has agreed to surrender his law license for a year and a half as part of his plea.

Wilson pleaded guilty yesterday.

Both will be sentenced in July, facing up to one year in prison and up to $100,000 in fines.

For background, read U.S. Attorney says Wilson case ‘a one-time incident’ and Former Gov. Wilson indicted.

 

 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, News

Senate votes to make deadbeat renters criminals (AUDIO)

April 13, 2012 By

The state senate says renters who refuse to pay and refuse to move out should be considered criminals.       Landlords lose a lot of money waiting for deadbeat renters to get out of their properties including the costs of a lawyer to file ouster proceedings in court.  But even after the eviction order is issues, some renters will not leave.

Senator Kevin Engler of Farmington has won senate approval of his plan to put deadbeats in jail for as much as six months and fine them as much as $500. 

Engler says many people think landlords are rich, but many of them are small business people who are put into financial jeopardy when renters don’t leave and months without rent payments while the landlord runs up legal bills trying to get them out. He says the renters are “essentially stealing” from the landlord by staying and not paying.

He says his bill  puts some teeth in the law, although they’re just baby teeth. The bill has been sent to the House. Five weeks are left in the session for the bill to be sent to the governor.

AUDIO: Senate debate 22:06

Filed Under: Business, Crime & Courts, Featured, Human Interest, News

U.S. Attorney says Wilson case a ‘one time incident’ (AUDIO)

April 12, 2012 By

Former Governor Roger Wilson has pleaded guilty to misappropriating $5,000 to Missouri Democrats.

“I don’t think you can make more of this case than it is,” U.S. Attorney Rich Callahan says. “It’s a one time or at least one season incident and it’s pretty clear that the instigator was Chairman of the Board Douglas Morgan, but he ended up drawing Attorney Mr. Griesedieck as well as Attorney Roger Wilson into his scheme.”

Callahan is the former Cole Co. prosecutor. When asked if he recalls similar cases while serving in the Capitol City, he says there have been a couple of cases where people didn’t report where contributions came from, “…But you know, generally speaking, in recent years it seems that the United States Supreme Court, United States Congress and even the Missouri Legislature have been much more friendly about anonymous contributions. In fact, two years ao, in Senate Bill 844, the legislature made it when you conceal the source of a donation, a first time offense is not even a crime.”

He says in this case against Wilson and Griesedieck, it isn’t so much the concealment of the source of the donations as it is using $5,000 of a company’s money without the permission of the board of directors.

AUDIO: Jessica Machetta interviews Callahan (3:12)

 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Featured, Legislature, News, Politics & Government

Former Governor Wilson pleads guilty

April 12, 2012 By

Former Governor Roger Wilson has pleaded guilty to misappropiriating $5,000 from the Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance company.  The plea comes about 24 hours after he was indicted by a federal grand jury.  Wilson will be sentenced July 9. He could get as much as a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. 

Wilson is one of two people who had been accused of misappropriating money from MEM and giving it to the Missouri Democratic party. The indictment also charges St. Louis lawyer Edward Griesedieck, whose law firm handled legal work for the company.

Wilson was the Chief Executive Officer of MEM, a workers compensation insurance operation established by the state in 1990s.

The indictment charges that MEM board chairman Douglas Morgan told Griesedieck to have his law firm donate $5,000 to the Missouri Democratic Party, then add that amount to the bill for legal services the law firm provided to the insurance company. The indictment says Wilson approved that bill although he knew $5,000 of it was for reimbursement to the law firm for its donation.

The indictment says Morgan and Griesedieck arranged for a $3,000 donation to the party, with reimbursement coming from MEM. But the company’s general counsel questioned the bill during a routine review of legal matters. Wilson reimbursed the law firm from his personal funds

Morgan, the chairman of the board at the time, has since died.

Wilson served briefly as governor after the death of Mel Carnahan in October, 2000 until the inauguration of Bob Holden in January, 2001.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Featured, Insurance, News, Politics & Government

House passes proposal to authorize veteran’s courts in Missouri

April 9, 2012 By

Representative Jay Barnes (picture courtesy, Missouri House Communications)

The Missouri House of Representatives has approved an idea to create an alternative to jail or prison time for veterans accused of relatively minor crimes. The proposal would create “veteran’s courts,” much like drug courts, that challenge a defendant to go through a rigorous rehabilitation program rather than go behind bars.

Its sponsor, Representative Jay Barnes (R-Jefferson City), says it will offer a veteran the substance abuse or mental health programs he or she might need after serving in combat. “We know that veterans are capable of being productive citizens, and the point of our criminal justice system where we know somebody who’s a first time offender might have some mental health issue or something that is preventing them from fulfilling their full potential … we need to put them on the right track.”

Like drug courts, the judge, prosecutor and defendant in a case would have to agree on the veteran’s court option. The defendant would then enter treatment programs run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Those treatment programs take into account their experiences. The VA obviously has a lot of experience with (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and substance abuse problems of soldiers.”

Barnes adds, “We want to get folks into those programs who need help. They served our country, they deserve our help.”

Veteran’s courts will not be an option for those who are accused of heinous crimes. “We’re talking about (driving while intoxicated), we’re talking about a bar fight offense, we’re talking about drug possession for personal use … things like that.”

See the legislation, HB 1110

Veterans would only get one shot to participate in the program. Barnes says, “We can’t expect Missourians to give opportunity after opportunity after opportunity after opportunity, because when somebody knows there’s always the possibility that they get help again, they’re much less likely to actually turn things around.”

Barnes expects the veteran’s court option will also be as challenging for a defendant as drug courts. “Serving your time is easier than going to drug court. That might be hard for some folks to believe, but I’ve seen it … the defendants that are willing to go into the program have recognized they’ve got a problem and they want help.”

He is optimistic the idea would help some who truly need it. “Hopefully they go into that VA program, they get the help they need, they turn their life around and live a productive life for the rest of their years.

The bill has been sent to the Senate for consideration.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Law Enforcement, Legislature, Military, News, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , ,
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