Thursday, November 15, 2012
Spreading the Dirt
Thanks to support from our readers and some influential writing from our staff, The New Jersey Dirt will be featured in the much talked about project, The Satin Strangler Blogs. Visit the site, and then follow the guided scavenger hunt through the Destiny Blande news story.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Ex-Governor Corzine in Deep Water
Trenton, NJ.
The congressional investigation of the MF Global collapse and subsequent bankruptcy — the eighth-largest in U.S. history — is expected to focus on less senior members of the brokerage’s back-room team.
There is rampant speculation that at least one witness, former MF Global assistant treasurer Edith O’Brien, will plead the fifth at a hearing of a House Financial Services Subcommittee. Despite her pleas to those who might grant it, O’Brien has been denied immunity for her testimony, which will be given under subpoena.
Meanwhile, Jon Corzine, disgraced former head of MF Global (and former New Jersey governor and senator), denied reports he ordered some $200 million worth of funds — possibly including farmer/rancher client money — be transferred to remedy an overdraft in a brokerage account with bank JP Morgan. The directive was supposedly given last Oct. 28, three days prior to the firm’s implosion, and outlined in an O’Brien e-mail that says the $200 million transfer followed Corzine’s “direct instructions.”
This claim flies in the face of Corzine’s testimony before House and Senate legislators last December. During several hearings, Corzine claimed he was unaware of the “misuse” of customer funds, a word he used repeatedly. “I didn’t authorize it, didn’t intend to have it happen,” he told the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Fallout from the loss of some $1.2 billion worth of customer funds due to MF Global actions is not limited to congressional inquiry. In bankruptcy proceedings, client and creditor trustees have butted heads as some 10 class-action court cases have taken shape.
The congressional investigation of the MF Global collapse and subsequent bankruptcy — the eighth-largest in U.S. history — is expected to focus on less senior members of the brokerage’s back-room team.
There is rampant speculation that at least one witness, former MF Global assistant treasurer Edith O’Brien, will plead the fifth at a hearing of a House Financial Services Subcommittee. Despite her pleas to those who might grant it, O’Brien has been denied immunity for her testimony, which will be given under subpoena.
Meanwhile, Jon Corzine, disgraced former head of MF Global (and former New Jersey governor and senator), denied reports he ordered some $200 million worth of funds — possibly including farmer/rancher client money — be transferred to remedy an overdraft in a brokerage account with bank JP Morgan. The directive was supposedly given last Oct. 28, three days prior to the firm’s implosion, and outlined in an O’Brien e-mail that says the $200 million transfer followed Corzine’s “direct instructions.”
This claim flies in the face of Corzine’s testimony before House and Senate legislators last December. During several hearings, Corzine claimed he was unaware of the “misuse” of customer funds, a word he used repeatedly. “I didn’t authorize it, didn’t intend to have it happen,” he told the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Fallout from the loss of some $1.2 billion worth of customer funds due to MF Global actions is not limited to congressional inquiry. In bankruptcy proceedings, client and creditor trustees have butted heads as some 10 class-action court cases have taken shape.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Dharum Ravi Speaks Out
Plainsboro, NJ.
The former Rutgers University student convicted in a webcam spying case says that he was insensitive toward his gay roommate but not biased, and that he doesn’t think he was the reason for his roommate’s suicide.
Dharun Ravi, 20, was convicted last week of invasion of privacy and bias intimidation, a hate crime, after using a webcam to view a snippet of Tyler Clementi’s dorm-room liaison with another man, then tweeting about it. The case gained huge attention when Clementi threw himself off a bridge.
“I didn’t act out of hate, and I wasn’t uncomfortable with Tyler being gay,” Dharun Ravi told The Star-Ledger of Newark in his first media interview since the saga began in September 2010.
Ravi also gave an interview to ABC News’ ”20/20” that’s to be broadcast Friday night. He told the news show he is sad about the suicide but doesn’t believe it was spawned by his actions. “The more and more I found out, it would be kind of obnoxious of me to think that I could have this profound effect on him,” Ravi told ABC. “After all this time and reading his conversations and how and what he was doing before, I really don’t think he cared at all. I feel like I was an insignificant part to his life. That’s giving me comfort now.”
In Ravi’s trial, there was evidence that Clementi, 18, had visited Ravi’s Twitter page repeatedly in the two days before his death.
A jury convicted Ravi of all 15 counts, finding he invaded Clementi’s privacy and tried to cover it up. More significant, he was convicted of bias intimidation, a charge that required jurors to find that he acted out of malice against gays — or that Clementi reasonably believed he did. The jury found on all four bias counts that Clementi reasonably believed he was targeted because of his sexual orientation. It found that Ravi was knowingly intimidating him on three counts and purposefully doing it on two.
The maximum sentence for the two most serious bias intimidation convictions is 10 years in prison. Prosecutors may ask for consecutive sentences, but it would be unusual for such a request to be granted. Before the case went to trial, prosecutors offered Ravi a plea deal that would have called for no jail time.
The ordeal began Sept. 19, 2010, when Ravi remotely viewed part of an encounter between Clementi and a man who’s been identified only as M.B. He later tweeted, “I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.” He told friends two days later that they could see streaming live video that night when Tyler was going to have his guest over again. That second webcast never happened. On Sept. 22, Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge.
Ravi is to be sentenced May 21.
The former Rutgers University student convicted in a webcam spying case says that he was insensitive toward his gay roommate but not biased, and that he doesn’t think he was the reason for his roommate’s suicide.
Dharun Ravi, 20, was convicted last week of invasion of privacy and bias intimidation, a hate crime, after using a webcam to view a snippet of Tyler Clementi’s dorm-room liaison with another man, then tweeting about it. The case gained huge attention when Clementi threw himself off a bridge.
“I didn’t act out of hate, and I wasn’t uncomfortable with Tyler being gay,” Dharun Ravi told The Star-Ledger of Newark in his first media interview since the saga began in September 2010.
Ravi also gave an interview to ABC News’ ”20/20” that’s to be broadcast Friday night. He told the news show he is sad about the suicide but doesn’t believe it was spawned by his actions. “The more and more I found out, it would be kind of obnoxious of me to think that I could have this profound effect on him,” Ravi told ABC. “After all this time and reading his conversations and how and what he was doing before, I really don’t think he cared at all. I feel like I was an insignificant part to his life. That’s giving me comfort now.”
In Ravi’s trial, there was evidence that Clementi, 18, had visited Ravi’s Twitter page repeatedly in the two days before his death.
A jury convicted Ravi of all 15 counts, finding he invaded Clementi’s privacy and tried to cover it up. More significant, he was convicted of bias intimidation, a charge that required jurors to find that he acted out of malice against gays — or that Clementi reasonably believed he did. The jury found on all four bias counts that Clementi reasonably believed he was targeted because of his sexual orientation. It found that Ravi was knowingly intimidating him on three counts and purposefully doing it on two.
The maximum sentence for the two most serious bias intimidation convictions is 10 years in prison. Prosecutors may ask for consecutive sentences, but it would be unusual for such a request to be granted. Before the case went to trial, prosecutors offered Ravi a plea deal that would have called for no jail time.
The ordeal began Sept. 19, 2010, when Ravi remotely viewed part of an encounter between Clementi and a man who’s been identified only as M.B. He later tweeted, “I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.” He told friends two days later that they could see streaming live video that night when Tyler was going to have his guest over again. That second webcast never happened. On Sept. 22, Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge.
Ravi is to be sentenced May 21.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Ravi Found Guilty of Hate Crime
New Brunswick, NJ.
Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi, 20, was found guilty Friday of charges including privacy invasion and bias intimidation, a hate crime, for spying on his roommate's intimate encounter with another man in September 2010. The roommate, 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, committed suicide shortly afterward and brought the case national attention.
Prosecutors said Ravi tweeted about seeing his roommate kissing a man and tried to catch him in the act again two days later. A half-dozen students were believed to have seen the live video of the kissing.
Within days, Clementi realized he had been watched and leaped from the George Washington Bridge after posting one last status update on Facebook: "Jumping off the gw bridge, sorry."
"Freedom of expression, tolerance, the right to personal privacy and the open discussion of ideas are integral parts of any university community," Rutgers said in a statement issued after the verdict. "This sad incident should make us all pause to recognize the importance of civility and mutual respect in the way we live, work and communicate with others."
Ravi, 20, could get 10 years and be deported to his native India, even though he has long lived in the United States.
Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi, 20, was found guilty Friday of charges including privacy invasion and bias intimidation, a hate crime, for spying on his roommate's intimate encounter with another man in September 2010. The roommate, 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, committed suicide shortly afterward and brought the case national attention.
Prosecutors said Ravi tweeted about seeing his roommate kissing a man and tried to catch him in the act again two days later. A half-dozen students were believed to have seen the live video of the kissing.
Within days, Clementi realized he had been watched and leaped from the George Washington Bridge after posting one last status update on Facebook: "Jumping off the gw bridge, sorry."
"Freedom of expression, tolerance, the right to personal privacy and the open discussion of ideas are integral parts of any university community," Rutgers said in a statement issued after the verdict. "This sad incident should make us all pause to recognize the importance of civility and mutual respect in the way we live, work and communicate with others."
Ravi, 20, could get 10 years and be deported to his native India, even though he has long lived in the United States.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Rutgers Case Trial Begins
New Brunswick, NJ.
Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi, 20, faces charges including privacy invasion and bias intimidation, a hate crime, for spying on his roommate’s intimate encounter with another man in September 2010. The roommate, 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, committed suicide shortly afterward and brought the case national attention.
Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi, 20, faces charges including privacy invasion and bias intimidation, a hate crime, for spying on his roommate’s intimate encounter with another man in September 2010. The roommate, 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, committed suicide shortly afterward and brought the case national attention.
Monday, April 25, 2011
McGreevey Can't Become a Priest
Newark, NJ.
James McGreevey, our former governor who declared himself a "gay American" and resigned, went on to study at the General Theological Seminary, where he earned a masters degree in Divinity.
According to the NY Post, the Episcopal Church denied McGreevey's bid to become a priest.
"It was not being gay but for being a jackass - [McGreevey] didn't come out of the whole divorce looking good," said a source with the Episcopal Church of Newark.
Another source said "he was sort of looking for every angle to make a complete redo of his professional life. He ran to the church for some kind of cover, which isn't fully appropriate. Even if he's a good guy, he should wait five to 10 years to get over his issues."
It looks as though we will have to wait at least a few years for Father Jim.
James McGreevey, our former governor who declared himself a "gay American" and resigned, went on to study at the General Theological Seminary, where he earned a masters degree in Divinity.
According to the NY Post, the Episcopal Church denied McGreevey's bid to become a priest.
"It was not being gay but for being a jackass - [McGreevey] didn't come out of the whole divorce looking good," said a source with the Episcopal Church of Newark.
Another source said "he was sort of looking for every angle to make a complete redo of his professional life. He ran to the church for some kind of cover, which isn't fully appropriate. Even if he's a good guy, he should wait five to 10 years to get over his issues."
It looks as though we will have to wait at least a few years for Father Jim.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Van Pelt Sentenced
Trenton, NJ.
A tearful Daniel Van Pelt was sentenced to more than three years in prison today for accepting a $10,000 bribe from a crooked developer who was supposedly seeking help with a project from the former state Assemblyman and local official.
U.S. District Judge Joel Pisano ordered Van Pelt to serve 41 months in a federal prison — the maximum sentence for his conviction — despite pleas from his attorney for leniency for the ill former legislator.
"He did a terrible thing to the citizens of this state and for that he is going to pay the price," Pisano said.
Van Pelt, 46, was convicted May 19 of extortion and bribery in the massive federal investigation into public corruption. He was found guilty of accepting a $10,000 bribe from disgraced developer Solomon Dwek, who was secretly working for federal authorities, in exchange for his influence for permit approvals for a fictitious development project in Ocean Township, where Van Pelt was a former mayor and sitting committeeman.
His attorney, Robert Margulies, asked Pisano for leniency because Van Pelt, who suffers from kidney disease and has already undergone one transplant, is expected to experience a health decline in the future, potentially needing another transplant.
Margulies suggested Van Pelt be allowed to be on home confinement in the event his health debilitated to the point that he would need special care.
Pisano rejected the request, saying the federal Bureau of Prisons assured him Van Pelt’s medical needs can be met at its facilities.
"We have good man that did a bad thing," Margulies told the judge. "What enhances that is that he was in a public position at the time."
Crying through most of his address to the judge, Van Pelt, who called himself "trustworthy,’’ said he had aspired to political life since he was a child and realizes he threw that away by accepting the envelope cash. He said he did not live up to the higher standards placed on public servants.
"That day, that time, that night I didn’t have a higher standard. I didn’t do what was best for my constituents," he said. "I take full responsibility. I should have gotten up and walked away. That decision has cost me my career, my reputation," he said.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao said Van Pelt has not taken responsibility for his actions and said the former politician only expressed remorse at having been arrested and prosecuted.
"If Mr. Van Pelt was about honesty, integrity and trust, we wouldn’t be here today," Chao said. "We’re here today because Mr. Van Pelt is about dishonesty, arrogance and remorselessness."
Van Pelt was permitted to report to the Bureau of Prisons after the holidays.
A tearful Daniel Van Pelt was sentenced to more than three years in prison today for accepting a $10,000 bribe from a crooked developer who was supposedly seeking help with a project from the former state Assemblyman and local official.
U.S. District Judge Joel Pisano ordered Van Pelt to serve 41 months in a federal prison — the maximum sentence for his conviction — despite pleas from his attorney for leniency for the ill former legislator.
"He did a terrible thing to the citizens of this state and for that he is going to pay the price," Pisano said.
Van Pelt, 46, was convicted May 19 of extortion and bribery in the massive federal investigation into public corruption. He was found guilty of accepting a $10,000 bribe from disgraced developer Solomon Dwek, who was secretly working for federal authorities, in exchange for his influence for permit approvals for a fictitious development project in Ocean Township, where Van Pelt was a former mayor and sitting committeeman.
His attorney, Robert Margulies, asked Pisano for leniency because Van Pelt, who suffers from kidney disease and has already undergone one transplant, is expected to experience a health decline in the future, potentially needing another transplant.
Margulies suggested Van Pelt be allowed to be on home confinement in the event his health debilitated to the point that he would need special care.
Pisano rejected the request, saying the federal Bureau of Prisons assured him Van Pelt’s medical needs can be met at its facilities.
"We have good man that did a bad thing," Margulies told the judge. "What enhances that is that he was in a public position at the time."
Crying through most of his address to the judge, Van Pelt, who called himself "trustworthy,’’ said he had aspired to political life since he was a child and realizes he threw that away by accepting the envelope cash. He said he did not live up to the higher standards placed on public servants.
"That day, that time, that night I didn’t have a higher standard. I didn’t do what was best for my constituents," he said. "I take full responsibility. I should have gotten up and walked away. That decision has cost me my career, my reputation," he said.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao said Van Pelt has not taken responsibility for his actions and said the former politician only expressed remorse at having been arrested and prosecuted.
"If Mr. Van Pelt was about honesty, integrity and trust, we wouldn’t be here today," Chao said. "We’re here today because Mr. Van Pelt is about dishonesty, arrogance and remorselessness."
Van Pelt was permitted to report to the Bureau of Prisons after the holidays.
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