Life Is A Gift

On 9/9/2015 my beautiful father had a severe ischemic stroke. For an entire month he laid virtually motionless unable to eat food or drink water until he succumbed to his condition and circumstances on 10/9/2015. The brain injury was sudden, immediate and irreversible. There were no do overs. To look into my hero's his eyes and know that he knew he had no future was devastating. It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced and my perspective on life changed forever. Thank you Tim McGraw for these beautiful, powerful messages.

Memorial Day 2017

Tim McGraw Using The Power Of Words

I like what Tim McGraw represents. Finding the good in someone or uplifting a person who is downtrodden is the best feeling in the world.

Like A Stone I'll Wait For You There Alone

A Rock N Roll legend gone in an instant. R.I.P. Chris Cornell.

On a cobweb afternoon

In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if we're good we'll lay to rest
Anywhere we want to go

In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone I'll wait for you there
Alone

√ Corruption In Law Enforcement Addressed By The DOJ And The FBI

The story of Sheriff Lee Baca is a powerful message to those in law enforcement, especially those in high ranking positions, that covert cowardly acts of corruption will not be tolerated. 

Here is the DOJ's press release about Lee Baca:

Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of CA; Press Release No. 17-100

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, May 12, 2017

Former L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Leading Scheme to Obstruct Investigation into Jails

         

LOS ANGELES – Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, who was convicted of overseeing a scheme designed to obstruct a federal investigation into corruption and civil rights abuses at county jail facilities, was sentenced today to 36 months in federal prison.

Baca, 74, who also was found guilty of lying to federal investigators, was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge Percy Anderson.

Judge Anderson, who presided over a series of trials that led to the conviction of 10 former members of the Sheriff’s Department involved in the scheme to obstruct justice, said Baca “knew what he was doing was wrong, and he had no problem using his office to further his own agenda.”

Judge Anderson ordered Baca to begin serving his sentence by July 25. In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered Baca to pay a $7,500 fine.

“Blind obedience to a corrupt culture has serious consequences,” Judge Anderson said.

Today’s sentencing follows a trial that ended in March when a federal jury convicted Baca on three felony counts: conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice and making false statement to federal investigators. The evidence presented at trial showed that Baca was the top figure in the conspiracy, which also involved his right-hand man and deputies who implemented orders from the Sheriff.

“Rather than fulfill his sworn duty to uphold the law and protect the public, Lee Baca made a decision to protect what he viewed as his empire, and then he took actions in an effort to simply protect himself,” said Acting United States United States Attorney Sandra R. Brown. “He wore the badge, but ultimately, he failed the department and the public’s trust. Today’s sentence demonstrates that no one is above the law – not even the leader of the largest municipal police agency in the nation.”

“As Sheriff, Mr. Baca should have held himself accountable. He should have corrected the actions of others, rather than shift blame and obstruct a federal investigation,” said Deirdre Fike, the Assistant Director in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office. “I’m proud of the team of agents and prosecutors who persevered throughout this lengthy and challenging investigation, and grateful to the victims and witnesses who came forward.”

The obstruction scheme began in August 2011 after LASD officials discovered a cell phone in an inmate’s cell at the Men’s Central Jail, linked the phone to the FBI’s Civil Rights Squad and learned that the inmate was an FBI informant. The cell phone had been smuggled into the jail by a corrupt deputy who took bribes. The FBI had developed the informant as part of an investigation into the county jail system, which for years had been the subject of allegations of inmate abuse and subsequent cover-ups. The evidence presented at trial showed that the sheriff wanted to avoid federal scrutiny of his troubled jails.

As part of the scheme to obstruct justice, Baca ordered a criminal investigation of the FBI agents conducting the investigation, and he directed his underlings to conceal the informant from federal investigators. Over the course of approximately six weeks, members of the conspiracy then took a series of steps that successfully hid the informant from federal authorities, engaged in witness tampering in an effort to prevent information from being shared with federal authorities, and threatened to arrest the lead FBI agent on the case. When Baca watched a recording of his deputies confronting the FBI agent, he reacted by stating “it was the best laugh he had in some time,” prosecutors noted in their sentencing memorandum filed with the court.

While Baca put his right-hand man, then-Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, in charge of the scheme, Baca participated in dozens of meetings and phone calls with members of the conspiracy and directed his deputies to approach the FBI agent. Baca participated in the scheme after being warned by a top deputy that the actions would amount to obstruction of justice.

The case against Baca is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is one in a series of cases resulting from the investigation into county jail facilities in downtown Los Angeles that has resulted in 21 convictions.

Baca was the tenth member of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department convicted in the obstruction scheme. Former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, who was also found guilty by a federal jury, was sentenced last year to five years in federal prison. At today’s sentencing hearing, Judge Anderson said Baca would have received a sentence as long as Tanaka’s, except for his medical condition and the former sheriff’s lengthy history of public service.

Eleven other former deputies have been convicted of federal charges, mostly related to unprovoked beatings of inmates and subsequent cover-ups.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Fox, Chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section; Assistant United States Attorney Lizabeth A. Rhodes, Chief of the General Crimes Section; and Assistant United States Attorney Eddie A. Jauregui of the Major Frauds Section.

On The Red Carpet At The Cannes Film Festival 2017

Women Of The FBI

FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation plans to go live. 

Join us on Friday, May 19, 2017 at 3:00 PM EST for a Facebook Live session with trailblazing women who rose through the ranks to top leadership positions in the FBI. Their success stories highlight the Bureau's mission to recruit and retain a diverse workforce. Questions can be submitted to the panelists ahead of time or during the broadcast using #FBILive.

* Official information in this posting is the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Lee Priest And The Roos

I love this picture of my long time close friend Lee Priest. It shows the gentle loving side of him that I have always known.