JSM'S BEGGING FOR BANNING THREAD # 5

[Fanny Mae]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-30/polanskis-lost-alibi/full/

  

SNIPPED
 retired L.A. prosecutor—the man at the center of the Polanski judicial misconduct allegations—now tells Marcia Clark that he lied to documentarians, undercutting the director’s defense. Among the developments Clark finds:



• Polanski’s grounds for dismissal center around the former prosecutor inappropriately advising the judge about how to send Polanski back to prison. But the former prosecutor, David Wells, now tells Clark that “I lied” in the movie about advising the judge, and that “it never happened,” which could undermine the director’s case for dismissal.

• Wells’ excuse for lying in the movie? “The director of the documentary told me it would never air in the States. I thought it made a better story if I said I’d told the judge what to do.”

• Wells confirms to Clark that he did supply the judge pictures of Polanski reveling at Oktoberfest, and says that it’s these photos that prompted the judge in 1977 to reconsider the plea bargain.

• Law enforcement sources confirm that the strident actions of Polanski’s own lawyers—prompted by Wells’ now-recanted statements in the movie—led to his arrest this weekend.


David Wells is the former prosecutor at the center of the Roman Polanski case—I knew him well back in the day. What he told the director of the 2008 documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired—that he advised the judge in the case how to elegantly send back Polanski to prison—gave Polanski’s lawyers a opening to try to dismiss the case last year, setting off a collision with the district attorney’s office. The result? Polanski now sits in a Swiss jail.

“I lied. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I did. The director of the documentary told me it would never air in the States. I thought it made a better story if I said I’d told the judge what to do.”

I just spoke to Wells—and what he told me is going to make things worse for Polanski.

“I lied,” Wells told me yesterday, referring to his comments in the movie that he told the judge how he could renege on a plea bargain agreement and send Polanski back to jail after he had been released from a 42-day psychiatric evalation—the heart of Polanski’s claims of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct. “I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I did. The director of the documentary told me it would never air in the States. I thought it made a better story if I said I’d told the judge what to do.”
Recanting these statements is a bombshell. Especially, since it was Wells’ comments in the movie that directly led to the international legal showdown we’re now facing. After Polanski’s lawyers filed their motion last winter, the DA’s office had to do something. Granted, at first the “something” was a confusing, muddled mess. The office initially denied that there’d been misconduct when the case was originally prosecuted; then, faced with Wells’ statements in the documentary, it withdrew that statement. But privately, after many aborted efforts over the years, it dusted off the arrest warrant an nabbed the guy. Law enforcement sources have acknowledged that Polanski has his own lawyers and their strident motions to thank for finally landing him behind bars.

So what really went down in the chambers of publicity-hungry Judge Laurence Rittenband back in 1977? “All that happened was I brought the newspaper with the picture of Polanski at Oktoberfest [before his 42-day evaluation] into court and handed it to the bailiff,” Wells told me. “I told the bailiff, ‘Here, give this to the judge.’ Did I know it would tick him off? Yeah. It ticked me off. Polanski was thumbing his nose at everyone.”

“When [Judge] Rittenband saw the photograph of Polanski out on the town…he blew up. Said, ‘Screw the deal, he’s going to state prison.’ And he said it straight to a reporter from The Outlook. Polanski’s lawyer found out about it, of course. And that was that. He never showed up for sentencing.”

So he didn’t advise him on a strategy for how to send Polanski back for more prison—a clear ethical violation -- after all parties, including Judge Rittenband himself, had ostensibly agreed to let the 42 days suffice? “No. It never happened,” he said flatly.

I believe him. It’s absolutely forbidden to have one-sided communications with a judge about a pending case. I once knew Wells—rather well, actually. He was a brilliant lawyer, a great raconteur, and he had a wicked sense of humor—but unethical? Hardly.

In the documentary, Wells said he’d never thought Polanski got enough of a sentence for raping a 13-year-old girl. And if anyone knew what Polanski had done, it was Wells. He’d been the one who first caught the case, and he’d interviewed the victim, her mother, her brother, and Polanski himself. Because that kind of involvement would have made him a witness if the case went to trial (which lawyers, and especially prosecutors must avoid), Wells was taken off the case and Roger Gunson was assigned. According to Wells, the switch rankled, “but I got it—they did the right thing, I just think they should’ve left me on as co-counsel. Hell, no one knew the case better than I did.”

A plea bargain was worked out, allowing Polanski to go into state prison for “90-day diagnostic testing.” Back in those days, it was fairly common to let a defendant plead guilty to a lesser charge and have him go in for that diagnostic—a series of psychological tests, and a thorough background check—and if the prison didn’t recommend any further time, the judge would abide by that recommendation. “It’s likely Judge Rittenband agreed to abide by the recommendation and give Polanski no additional time after he finished his diagnostic,” Wells said. “What he probably didn’t count on was that Polanski would promise to put everyone in the prison in his next movie and basically charm his way out of there in just 42 days.”

 

[Fanny Mae]

JSM, Josef is adorable in your new avi!! 

[joesamas mama]

                 

Thanks BRANDI!!!! Josef looks amazing in his pumpkin I carved and he ate.     

[joesamas mama]

JSM, Josef is adorable in your new avi!! 

Thank you Fanny. Brandi did the hard work, all I did was carve the pumpkin. She is amazing. 

[Fanny Mae]

                

Thanks BRANDI!!!! Josef looks amazing in his pumpkin I carved and he ate.     

Josef ate the pumpkin???   

[no rose colored glasses]

Off to make supper 

Sammiches or Hot Dogs?

Sammiches    Doesn't Josef look cute 

[joesamas mama]

                

Thanks BRANDI!!!! Josef looks amazing in his pumpkin I carved and he ate.     

Josef ate the pumpkin???   

The scrapings that fell on the ground. Freaked me out, called the vet cause I thought I poisoned him.

[joesamas mama]

Off to make supper 

Sammiches or Hot Dogs?

Sammiches    Doesn't Josef look cute 

Thanks No Rose, Brandi does wonders with the evil one's picture. 

[Fanny Mae]

                

Thanks BRANDI!!!! Josef looks amazing in his pumpkin I carved and he ate.     

Josef ate the pumpkin???   

The scrapings that fell on the ground. Freaked me out, called the vet cause I thought I poisoned him.

My cat Fluff that I use to eat corn off the cob. He would clean the cob completely bare of corn.  He'd spend the rest of the day trying to clean it from between his teeth. 

[Missiontoconvict]

Mission isn't that big Mall in Minnesota? I believe it is I've never been, but my mom and a couple of her friends would go there once in awhile.  Funny, I was thinking the same thing about Polanski and Spector.   

Yes it is No Rose it is called Mall of America - it is gigantuam.   

[Missiontoconvict]

Fanny you have nanners

I am fading fast.  Made a pot roast and going to make biscuits then putting on jammies and hope sleep finds me early tonight.

Think it is wrong to be in jammies at the dinner table?

Absolutely not - I wear my jammies to dinner on many occasions - esp when it is winter and cold - I put them on when I get home from work.    Go for it.  I hope you get some good sleep tonight Northern Rose.

[Missiontoconvict]

Fanny you have nanners

I am fading fast.  Made a pot roast and going to make biscuits then putting on jammies and hope sleep finds me early tonight.

Think it is wrong to be in jammies at the dinner table?

I do many times, I have nobody to impress. You need to eat and go to bed, I hope your husband is feeling better 

He looks 100% better, not pale and pasty.  He is also moving around with some energy.  He got sleep so go figure. 

YAY, I'm glad he is doing good and you get some rest Northern. 

JSM I love your new avi - it is great 

[joesamas mama]

                

Thanks BRANDI!!!! Josef looks amazing in his pumpkin I carved and he ate.     

Josef ate the pumpkin???   

The scrapings that fell on the ground. Freaked me out, called the vet cause I thought I poisoned him.

My cat Fluff that I use to eat corn off the cob. He would clean the cob completely bare of corn.  He'd spend the rest of the day trying to clean it from between his teeth. 

That is too funny Fanny. Josef I would never give corn to it might give him the gas.

At the time Josef had just gotten over being sick as a "dog" and I was told no table scraps. Then I am carving a pumpkin and he is eating the shavings. The vet laughed at me and said that's what we give dogs for diarrhea.  I just knew he was gonna have a blow out, so I stayed up all that night. Turns out they use pumpkin as fiber to keep from having that problem. 

[Missiontoconvict]

         

The Day Obamacare Dies.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/D3KDmEvNmJ0&amp;color1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/D3KDmEvNmJ0&amp;color1</a>

Found this on Atlas. OMG it is hilarious.

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[joesamas mama]

Fanny you have nanners

I am fading fast.  Made a pot roast and going to make biscuits then putting on jammies and hope sleep finds me early tonight.

Think it is wrong to be in jammies at the dinner table?

I do many times, I have nobody to impress. You need to eat and go to bed, I hope your husband is feeling better 

He looks 100% better, not pale and pasty.  He is also moving around with some energy.  He got sleep so go figure. 

YAY, I'm glad he is doing good and you get some rest Northern. 

JSM I love your new avi - it is great 

Thanks Mission. Give Brandi an idea and she can make it happen. She made some other awesome ones as well of Josef. I think I will trade them out for Halloween. 

[joesamas mama]

         

The Day Obamacare Dies.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/D3KDmEvNmJ0&amp;color1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/D3KDmEvNmJ0&amp;color1</a>

Found this on Atlas. OMG it is hilarious.

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought it was so freakin funny. I am glad you and Fanny enjoyed it. I just wish I was as clever as the people that make these videos. 

[joesamas mama]

Most Frightening Picture You Will See All Day.....

Please look at the link, I don't want to post the picture here...........

http://www.weaselzippers.net/blog/2009/09/the-most-frightening-picture-you-will-see-all-day.html

[joesamas mama]

  Night Monkeys. Prayers for the sick, prayers for those in need and prayers for all that might need them.

JSM is calling it a night. Sleep well and stay warm if you are up yonder and No Rose, I hope it gets cooler soon.

Night. JSM

PS Brandi, if you come here thanks for Josef's new outfit. It is perfect!!

[no rose colored glasses]

Mission isn't that big Mall in Minnesota? I believe it is I've never been, but my mom and a couple of her friends would go there once in awhile.  Funny, I was thinking the same thing about Polanski and Spector.   

Yes it is No Rose it is called Mall of America - it is gigantuam.   

Thanks 

[no rose colored glasses]

Night Monkeys. Prayers for the sick, prayers for those in need and prayers for all that might need them.

JSM is calling it a night. Sleep well and stay warm if you are up yonder and No Rose, I hope it gets cooler soon.

Night. JSM

PS Brandi, if you come here thanks for Josef's new outfit. It is perfect!!

Well thank-you for that picture    Have a good evening JSM and Josef. I am so tired myself, I think from all the stress, the exhaustion has caught up, barely can keep the ole eyes open