"Prominent defense lawyer faces US charges; Robert A. George goes on trial today on charges of conspiring to launder money" by Milton J. Valencia |
Globe Staff
May 29, 2012
In a recent trial in federal court in Boston, well-known
lawyer Robert A. George stood before a jury for his closing arguments,
and spoke directly.
“When you’re innocent, you have a right to stand up and say
something,’’ he declared in defense of his client, a Dorchester nurse
and a mother of five charged with distributing prescription drugs.
But George might well have been speaking for himself - because he, too, is about to stand trial.
The
57-year-old father of three is accused by federal prosecutors of
conspiring to help a former client launder drug money, and of
restructuring bank deposits in violation of tax laws. Jury selection is
slated for Tuesday. The case is a fight for his career and his
livelihood.
The arrest of George in March 2011 caused a stir in
the legal community, and defense lawyers descended on the Moakley
courthouse to show their support.
In the year since FBI agents first swarmed his home, George,
known for his testy exchanges with prosecutors, has represented clients
just as aggressively as he did years ago when he defended Mafia figures
and, later, the trash collector who maintains he was wrongly convicted
of murdering Cape Cod fashion writer Christa Worthington.
George has also fought for a new trial for a former Stoughton
police chief after finding information about one of the jurors that
could have excluded her from serving on the panel in that extortion
case. That request is pending in state court.
See: Massachusetts Justice: The Stench of Stoughton
He has been working on his own case with two of the state’s better
known defense lawyers, Robert M. Goldstein and Kevin R. Reddington. With
them, he has filed repeated motions.
George has accused prosecutors of retaliating against him, being
vindictive because of his defense of a man accused of plotting to kill a
federal prosecutor several years ago. He has questioned the propriety
of the government’s use of a confidential informant in his case, a man
with a lengthy criminal history....
Oh, no! That means NOT GUILTY!
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I didn't attend the trial:
Prominent defense attorney Robert A. George goes on trial in federal court
Robert George’s lawyer says witness against him issued threats
Witness threatened violence against lawyer George
Video captures lawyer Robert George discussing alleged money-laundering deal
Lawyers say witness hounded George
Jury is coming back in:
"Attorney Robert A. George found guilty in money laundering case" by Milton J. Valencia |
Globe Staff, June 08, 2012
Robert A. George, a prominent attorney well known for his testy
clashes with the government, was convicted in federal court in Boston
Friday in a sweeping verdict that found he helped a client launder
$200,000 in profits from crimes and pocketed $20,000 for his work.
All along, the former client, Ronald Dardinski, had been cooperating with the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
George,
a 57-year-old father of three, appeared emotionless, staring ahead as
the guilty verdicts were announced after only four hours of
deliberation. Family members, who sat in support throughout the two-week
trial, shook their heads in disbelief....
So am I.
The arrest of George caused quite a stir within the state’s legal community.
In 2006, he defended the convicted trash collector who maintains his
innocence in the death in Cape Cod of fashion writer Christa
Worthington. He has represented Mafia figures, and his work on behalf of
his clients last year also exposed the FBI’s scandalous use of New
England Mafia capo Mark Rossetti as an informant.
OOOOOOOOHHH!!
That's why the GOVERNMENT SET HIM UP!
Lawyers in all areas, ranging from civil courts to white-collar
crimes public defender, attended the trial and many descended on the
courthouse to show support when George was arrested in March 2011.
George has practiced law in Massachusetts for more than three decades.
His lawyers questioned whether he was targeted in the investigation,
and they attacked the credibility of the government’s key witness,
Dardinski, an admitted Mafia enforcer and career criminal whom they
accused of setting up the attorney to retaliate against him for a past
financial dispute. They also questioned the DEA’s use of such an
informant, who admitted to committing crimes while working for the
agency.
Un-flipping-f***ing-believable!
A mortgage broker, Michael Hansen of Dover, also began cooperating
with authorities after they confronted him about the dealings with
Dardinski.
Hansen then recorded a conversation in which he paid George $20,000
for the scheme. George had not received any money until then.
Hansen was never charged with money laundering, and he pleaded guilty
in a deal with prosecutors to a lesser charge of tax violations. He is
slated to be sentenced next month.
Peter Manso - who wrote a book, “Reasonable Doubt,’’ about the
Worthington case and who befriended George during that trial -
maintained his support for him Friday.
He questioned the DEA’s decision to pay Dardinski about $27,000 for
his work as an informant, more than George received for helping him
launder money.
“It goes beyond justice,’’ he said. “How much money has gone into this investigation? It’s unreal.’’
That's YOUR TAX MONEY at WORK, Americans!!
That's why your SOCIAL SERVICES are being SHREDDED!
And INVESTIGATE REAL CRIMES like WALL STREET LOOTING, WARS BASED ON LIES, and TORTURE?
NOPE!
He added, “The operative question is, ‘Why have they gone after Bob George?’’
Oh, I THINK WE KNOW WHY! He BLEW the COVER of an INFORMANT!
Related: A Bulging Boston Globe
Hey, it's okay when the government uses the mob for murder, right?
One juror, who asked to remain anonymous because of the publicity
surrounding the case and because of the mention of Mafia figures
involved, said the panel came to a quick conclusion about George’s guilt
based on the recorded conversations between him and Dardinski.
The juror said that Dardinski was clearly a questionable figure, but
George knew what he was talking about in the recordings. He is a lawyer
who knows about money laundering schemes, the juror noted.
“There was a substantial amount of evidence against the defendant,’’
he said. “It was evidently clear that he did have an understanding of
where [the money] came from.’’
In their closing arguments Friday, federal prosecutors denied that George was targeted.
“These are the words from the defendant’s mouth,’’ Assistant US
Attorney Laura Kaplan told jurors, holding up a CD of the recorded
conversations. “This is evidence that is not susceptible to lying, to
bias, to motivation. The tape can’t lie.’’
Actually, IT CAN!!
See: When Seeing and Hearing Isn't Believing
You Can Not Trust Your TV
And if they are willing to phony up the 4th of July what makes you think they would have a second thought regarding what we all thought we saw on 9/11?
--more--"
Also see: Troubled inmates’ care to improve
The State of Massachusetts is Mentally Ill
That's "liberal" Massachusetts for you.
"Boston immigration lawyer's clients face deportation" by Maria Sacchetti |
Globe Staff, May 24, 2012
Enedino Neto thought his prayers were answered in 2001
when he walked into a downtown Boston law office overflowing with
illegal immigrants like him, all in a frenzied rush to apply for newly
available work visas that could someday lead to US citizenship. Everyone
said lawyer John K. Dvorak was the one for the job.
But now, 11 years later, the government is sanctioning the lawyer, and Neto is being expelled from the United States.
Last week, Dvorak’s Massachusetts law license was suspended for 18
months, following federal sanctions in March for failing to provide
accurate information in immigrants’ visa applications. Advocates say
Neto is one of potentially hundreds of immigrants swept up in a broad
investigation that led to a temporary penalty for the lawyer, while
altering the lives of immigrants who say they used his services in good
faith....
The controversy stems from a period in 2001, when the government
temporarily allowed certain illegal immigrants to apply for visas
through others as a path to legal residency.
Under the rules of the program, the immigrants had to seek the visas
through relatives or employers who acted as sponsors. Employers were
required to certify that they wanted to hire the immigrant applicants
for jobs they couldn’t fill with American workers. And the immigrants
had to produce letters from former employers in their home countries who
could vouch for their qualifications.
Seeking guidance in assembling the complex applications, dozens of
cooks, cleaners, and other immigrants went to Dvorak. Hundreds received
visas.
Eight years later, in 2009, sponsors began receiving letters from
federal officials, saying they had found “fraudulent information’’ such
as fake work letters in a “significant number’’ of Dvorak’s cases and
that they were revoking work visas.
In March, the Board of Immigration Appeals suspended Dvorak from
practicing before the board, immigration courts, and the Department of
Homeland Security. The board said Dvorak failed to manage his workload,
provide competent representation, and “misled, misinformed, or
deceived’’ US officials because the petitions in 14 cases “did not
contain accurate information and documentation.’’
Just getting a taste of their own medicine.
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