Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Wanna be diplomat in New York sent to jail for 21 months; another one claims diplomatic immunity in Utah

The title of Diplomatic ImmunityImage via WikipediaRemember Vincent Leibell who asked the court that he be allowed to skip jail and serve at a PRT in wherever it is we're doing nation building projects these days?  Here's what he actually told  U.S. District Judge Warren Eginton in a letter:

"I have spoken with people in the court system and told them of my great willingness to serve during the current difficulties our nation is experiencing. ... While I recognize that I am somewhat older and not fluent in those languages, I would nonetheless be honored to serve on one of our civilian nation-building teams."
The judge thankfully was not convinced.

Reuters has an update on the former New York state senator who has now been sentenced  to 21 months in prison after admitting to tax evasion and attempting to influence a grand jury.
Vincent Leibell, 64, pleaded guilty in December to failing to report $43,000 in income between 2003 and 2006. The money came in the form of fees for outside legal work and kickbacks from lawyers at a non-profit organization controlled by Leibell. He also admitted to trying to influence a grand jury during a corruption probe.

Leibell, a Republican, represented an area north of New York City for 28 years. He was elected Putnam County executive in November, but resigned from the post before taking office. In February, he wrote to the court and asked that instead of prison, he be required to serve as a diplomat in the Middle East. Prosecutors called the request absurd.

In related news in the wannabe diplomatic front --

The United States Attorney's Office in the District of Utah released the following statement:
An indictment unsealed Thursday in federal court in Salt Lake City charges Harvey Douglas Goff, age 53, of Ogden, with violations of federal law in connection with alleged schemes to obstruct justice, impede internal revenue laws, pass fictitious documents purporting to be actual financial instruments, assert diplomatic immunity, and defraud others through the use of a fraudulent lien scheme.

Goff was arrested Thursday morning in Ogden. He had an initial appearance Thursday before Magistrate Judge Samuel Alba. Goff refused to stand when ordered to, which led to U. S. Marshal intervention; refused the appointment of counsel; would not state his name or acknowledge his identity; and claimed he had been kidnapped from his home even though the Court made findings in his presence that federal agents had served a duly authorized search warrant. A mental health evaluation was ordered.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and IRS Criminal Investigation.  The 14-count indictment charges Goff with obstruction of justice, impeding internal revenue laws, fictitious obligations, attempt to commit mail fraud, and mailings in furtherance of a scheme and artifice to defraud.
Read the whole thing here.

Not sure which country Mr. Goff claimed to represent in asserting diplomatic immunity.  It's not like Utah is a hub for diplomatic relations.  Currently, there is one foreign mission in Utah, that of the Consulate of Mexico.







2 comments:

Heather Dray said...

I appreciate your commentary! Keep it rolling in. Your point of view is always great to read along with the news postings! Thanks!

Domani Spero said...

Thanks for the note Heather! Hope you're well in Ohio.