Duke Lacrosse Case [Continued]

[Pure]

It's hard to do, but here is another peek beneath the veneer

This case reminds me of the 'thin blue line' [police]. How is anything to be proven when guys back each other to the nth degree. This old insight is found in frat boys and athletic teams; hence the paucity of victims who ever succeed.

Our young men had addition little filip, described below.

The accuser is very mixed up about names, a fact the defense is using to the hilt, in trying to get the charges thrown out. Her account has multiple names for some people.

The account below suggests an explanation. Our boys have this little stratagem for their hired bitches. See the second excerpt, below.



From officer Himan’s affidavit:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0405061duke4.html

[During the girls routine]
“One male stated to the women, “I’m gonna shove this up you,” while holding a broomstick up in the air, so they could see it. The victim and her fellow dancer decided to leave because they were concerned about their safety. …the two women exited the residence and got into a vehicle….”**

[…]

“The victim stated she did not think the names the suspect were providing here were their own. She stated one male identified himself as Adam, but everyone at the party was calling him Dan. In addition, the witness/co-worker stated the men at the part told her they were members of the Duke Baseball and Track team to hide the true identity of their sport affiliation—Duke Lacrosse Team Members.

The three residents stated during the non custodial interviews that their fellow Duke Lacrosse Team Members were the ones who attended this part. They knew everyone there….. It is the Affiant’s [Himan’s] belief that the suspect used each others names to disguise their own identities and create an atmosphere where confusion would become a factor in this event, should problems arise in the future where any actions or conduct would be questioned. In addition, further interviews showed that [was the case]. The players also used [jersey] numbers when calling for one and another across the room, again to hide their identities."
---


Cute, roxanne,

RAThe fulminations would rock the heavens!

P: if you can't go after content, what is said, go after what YOU think i might say!
---
** Note to Box: I know; 'free speech.'

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Cute, roxanne,

The fulminations would rock the heavens!

if you can't go after content, what is said, go after what YOU think i might say!

Content? What content? The rape charges were dropped because there was no evidence!

Your continued beating of this dead horse is nothing less than bizarre. To repeat, he only real evidence in this case is all about a corrupt prosecutor shoring up his faltering reelection bid by exploiting a poisonous mix of identity politics and class hatred of the three main victims - well-off white men. A poisonous mix that you refuse to stop stirring! It really is bizarre.

 

[Boxlicker101]

This case reminds me of the 'thin blue line' [police]. How is anything to be proven when guys back each other to the nth degree. This old insight is found in frat boys and athletic teams; hence the paucity of victims who ever succeed.

Our young men had addition little filip, described below.

The accuser is very mixed up about names, a fact the defense is using to the hilt, in trying to get the charges thrown out. Her account has multiple names for some people.

The account below suggests an explanation. Our boys have this little stratagem for their hired bitches. See the second excerpt, below.



From officer Himan’s affidavit:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0405061duke4.html

[During the girls routine]
“One male stated to the women, “I’m gonna shove this up you,” while holding a broomstick up in the air, so they could see it. The victim and her fellow dancer decided to leave because they were concerned about their safety. …the two women exited the residence and got into a vehicle….”**

[…]

“The victim stated she did not think the names the suspect were providing here were their own. She stated one male identified himself as Adam, but everyone at the party was calling him Dan. In addition, the witness/co-worker stated the men at the part told her they were members of the Duke Baseball and Track team to hide the true identity of their sport affiliation—Duke Lacrosse Team Members.

The three residents stated during the non custodial interviews that their fellow Duke Lacrosse Team Members were the ones who attended this part. They knew everyone there….. It is the Affiant’s [Himan’s] belief that the suspect used each others names to disguise their own identities and create an atmosphere where confusion would become a factor in this event, should problems arise in the future where any actions or conduct would be questioned. In addition, further interviews showed that [was the case]. The players also used [jersey] numbers when calling for one and another across the room, again to hide their identities."
---


Cute, roxanne,

RAThe fulminations would rock the heavens!

P: if you can't go after content, what is said, go after what YOU think i might say!
---
** Note to Box: I know; 'free speech.'

First, I want to point out that the affidavit is just Himan repeating what he was told by the accuser. In other words, he is swearing that this is what the woman said ro him. He is not swearing the statements are true, and he would not be able to testify to it in court, unless a charge is leveled against the woman of filing a false report, which is unlikely to happen.

As for the broomstick, if somebody is going to work as a stripper at private parties, such as this one, she should expect a certain amount of ribaldry. I don't see anything racist about it although I have read of such accusations in the past.

I can't see much reason for the men to say they were members of the track and baseball teams. It would be a pointless subterfuge because if any trouble did result, the facts would easily become known.

I see a contradiction here. From the first paragraph: The victim stated she did not think the names the suspect were providing here were their own. She stated one male identified himself as Adam, but everyone at the party was calling him Dan.

From the second paragraph: It is the Affiant’s [Himan’s] belief that the suspect used each others names to disguise their own identities and create an atmosphere where confusion would become a factor in this event, should problems arise in the future where any actions or conduct would be questioned. In addition, further interviews showed that [was the case]. The players also used [jersey] numbers when calling for one and another across the room, again to hide their identities."

It is possible that they were using phony names to keep a bit of anonymity, because they felt a little guilty about hiring strippers. Personally, I don't see anything to feel guilty about but I wasn't there. The confusion about names is immaterial, though, because the players were charged based on her identification of their pictures. The "photographic lineup" was extremely bogus, but that's what was done.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Content? What content? The rape charges were dropped because there was no evidence!

Your continued beating of this dead horse is nothing less than bizarre. To repeat, he only real evidence in this case is all about a corrupt prosecutor shoring up his faltering reelection bid by exploiting a poisonous mix of identity politics and class hatred of the three main victims - well-off white men. A poisonous mix that you refuse to stop stirring! It really is bizarre.

I have to agree 100%. In order to get reelected, Nifong exploited class and racial animosity. When the case blew up in his face, he tried to bluster it through and dug himself a deeper hole. I hope he gets disbarred and Durham County and Nifong are hit with big lawsuits.

By the way, Pure, I would feel EXACTLY the same way if the woman had been white and the falsely accused had been black.

 

[Pure]

As for the broomstick, if somebody is going to work as a stripper at private parties, such as this one, she should expect a certain amount of ribaldry. I don't see anything racist about it although I have read of such accusations in the past.

i didn't say racist; i'd say, more, veiled threat of violence/violation. i believe the broomstick incident is not disputed.

---
as to confusion of names being immaterial, if you check the defense supplementary motion to suppress at

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0111071duke2.html

very much is made--several hundred words-- of the accuser's changing names assigned to the various people.

just out of curiosity, box, do you believe *nothing happened* except some stripping for some rowdy, non-racist boys? what reason do you think Mangum had, in that case, for inventing something 'out of the blue'?

---
correction: i was not accurate in discussing the young men as southerners, or North Carolinians, who are possibly racist. almost all of the lacrosse team is from out of state; they are imported gladiators. the three accused are from MD, NJ, and NY.

 

[Boxlicker101]

As for the broomstick, if somebody is going to work as a stripper at private parties, such as this one, she should expect a certain amount of ribaldry. I don't see anything racist about it although I have read of such accusations in the past.

i didn't say racist; i'd say, more, veiled threat of violence/violation. i believe the broomstick incident is not disputed.

---
as to confusion of names being immaterial, if you check the defense supplementary motion to suppress at

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0111071duke2.html

very much is made--several hundred words-- of the accuser's changing names assigned to the various people.

just out of curiosity, box, do you believe *nothing happened* except some stripping for some rowdy, non-racist boys? what reason do you think Mangum had, in that case, for inventing something 'out of the blue'?

---
correction: i was not accurate in discussing the young men as southerners, or North Carolinians, who are possibly racist. almost all of the lacrosse team is from out of state; they are imported gladiators. the three accused are from MD, NJ, and NY.

I know the three men are from out of state, and I said as much in Post 70. As for being racists, you have been saying, or at least implying, that they are.

I don'r believe the name changing is of much import, although it is included as part of a "shotgun" defense, pointing out all the inconsistencies in the accuser's statements. One of them, Dan, apparently was addressed frequently by his correct name.

I think some stripping happened for some rowdy MEN. Apparently they are not all non-racist, judging by the email of McFayden, but that is not really relevant. Being racist might make one a despicable person, but it doesn't make him a rapist or a "sexual batterer" or kidnapper.

Who is Mangum? Do you mean Nifong? I don't think he made the case up out of the blue. What I think happened is that the woman in question, possibly for the purpose of shaking down the men at the party, possibly because she considered herself wronged, possibly for some other reason, made a phony claim of rape. I believe it was the first reason because of what she said to her partner about "more money to be made".

Nifong heard about it, in the normal course of events, and saw a golden opportunity. He was facing a tough primary election and needed to capture more votes from the large black population. He made a great deal of noise about the brutish Duke students who had so terribly abused the poor, defenseless woman, and talked about how he was going to put them away for a long time. He swore that as soon as the DNA results came back, he was going to really nail the dastards. Of course, the results said the woman had been sexually active with several men, but none of them were any of the accused.

Rather than eating his words and losing the election, Nifong pushed on, declaring he didn't need DNA evidence. He prepared an extremely invalid "photo lineup" consisting of nobody but the lacrosse players, and told the accuser to pick out the guilty parties. After much indecision, she picked two, possibly at random. They didn't even come close to matching the descriptions she had given earlier, but Nifong didn't care. He took the bogus ID to a grand jury and concealed any esculpatory evidence. The GJ, possibly consisting of brain dead zombies, gave him the indictment he wanted, and he won the primary election, with the help of the black voters he had pandered to.

However, the accuser had finally settled on three as being the number of attackers, after naming several other numbers, ranging as high as 20. A search of the house turned up the woman's false fingernails, and they were found to have the DNA of the renter of the house. They had been in the wastebasket, which was probably caked with the man's DNA but Nifong didn't care about that. He probably concealed that fact and got a third indictment. The trial was set for April of the following year, which was probably a violation of the defendants' rights to speedy trials, but never mind that either. They were out on bail anyhow. Since his case was already so unraveled as to be unwinnable, and he knew it, Nifong wanted to make sure the trial was set for after the general election, which he won, so he could gracefully cancel it on the grounds of lack of evidence, or something of that sort.

Actually, he recused himself, leaving somebody else to dismiss the case. Perhaps he figures he can get away with saying somebody stabbed him in the back by dismissing the case, and not get blamed for the debacle.

That's what I think happened and will happen. Besides that, I hope Nifong gets disbarred for extreme violations of ethics, and is removed as the DA. I also hope the three young men sue Durham County and Nifong personally for a ton of money, and win it.

Just to add something I have said before, because I think it is worth repeating. DNA in a rape case consists of more then semen. When a man is fucking a woman, rape or not, he gets very up close and personal. He sheds pubic hair and skin cells and body oils. The staff of the emergency room are aware of this and when they get an alleged rape victim, they carefully remove all such foreign matter from her body and clothing, especially her pubic area. The fact that they turned up nothing from the lacrosse players proves their innocence, especially combined with all the evidence, such as the woman's extreme inconsistencies, the time line, her partner's statements and all the irregularities.

 

[Pure]

crystal mangum is the accuser. i'm not interested in the trite tale of mr nifong's playing politics, not disclosing, etc; it's misconduct.

it's possible to do a lot of sexual assault w/o getting pube to pube. grabbing tits, shoving fingers or other items [broomsticks?] into private places; it is also possible to restrain a person without roughing them up that much.

i also think it's possible that mangum was thoroughly plied with liquor, if not drugged.

you know the other stripper, Kim ___, called the cops afterwards, saying a bunch of guys were outside that house yelling 'nigger' at her.

according to one account, the police didn't go into the house for 48 hours, giving our upstanding boys time to clean up, get their stories straight, etc.

 

[R. Richard]

crystal mangum is the accuser. i'm not interested in the trite tale of mr nifong's playing politics, not disclosing, etc; it's misconduct.

it's possible to do a lot of sexual assault w/o getting pube to pube. grabbing tits, shoving fingers or other items [broomsticks?] into private places; it is also possible to restrain a person without roughing them up that much.

i also think it's possible that mangum was thoroughly plied with liquor, if not drugged.

you know the other stripper, Kim ___, called the cops afterwards, saying a bunch of guys were outside that house yelling 'nigger' at her.

according to one account, the police didn't go into the house for 48 hours, giving our upstanding boys time to clean up, get their stories straight, etc.

It is possible to do a lot of sexual assault without doing entry. However, the kind of thing that has been described is not really possible without leaving DNA evidence on the body of the alleged victim. There is no such DNA evidence. There is DNA evidence that the alleged victim was sexually active with other then the Duke lacrosse players.

While the accused could have cleaned up the house, you would think that a thorough job would have at least included emptying the waste baskets. In addition, it is not really practical to clean up a house to the extent that a scumbag crime lab can't find traces of DNA.

You have a lot of scenarios that could let the Duke lacrosse players be guilty as they are charged. However, the evidence presented to the defense thus far is totally lacking in anything that could serve as the basis for a conviction. If you are not aware, the prosecution is not allowed to withhold evidence and then spring it as a surprise at trial. Attempts to do so result in the evidence being inadmissable.

The current time is almost certainly being spent with the NC prosecutor trying to work out a deal with the Duke lacrosse attorneys to minimize the finanacial damage to the state. You have to realize that the accused Duke lacrosse guys will have to list a felony arrest involving rape, sexual assault and kidnapping on job applications for the rest of their lives. Yes, the rape charge has been dismissed, but the arrest for rape still remains on the record. You seem to assume that an acquital will repair the damage to the accused Duke lacrosse guys, not so.

 

[Pure]

another 'take' on the matter

[good posting, RR; it is becoming clear that, for the standard of 'legal proof,' we don't have a strong case for anything, and there is no case for 'penetrative sex'. coming to the credibility of the accuser, it's now minimal, which is to say it won't on its own enable a legal case to be made.

as to permanent damage, i'd say there will be none. the young men's legal 'dream team' of high priced lawyers will petition to expunge their records. they will likely work on Wall Street and make lots of money, as their families have. for a vague analogy [illustrating what family and money can do], for someone who did have a degree of damage, look at Wm Kennedy Smith. he's a physician with good social standing despite a couple recent legal (civil) scuffles]
update:
W. Kennedy Smith
Education and career

Smith attended boarding school at Salisbury School in Salisbury, Connecticut. He then went on to receive his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his M.D. degree from Georgetown University Medical School. He moved to Chicago and worked as a doctor, activist, and teaching physician at the Northwestern University School of Medicine. He founded the Center for International Rehabilitation, "a worldwide humanitarian network of individuals and organizations that promotes the full potential of people with disabilities . . . ." [1] and the CIR program Physicians Against Land Mines (PALM) [2]. He has published several articles concerning landmines, as well as co-writing and narrating a video on the subject.
]

anyway, here's another view, from some months back, but prescient.

part of a blog entry
by irfan khawaja

http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/24323.html


The key to understanding the Duke lacrosse case is this: It has no great significance whatever. It is a banal pseudo-event in Boorstin's sense. But precisely that explains the need to discuss it. American cultural and political discourse is set up in such a way as deliberately to avoid any discussion of fundamental issues. It is also set up so that stereotypes and images replace rational principles as items of debate. The Duke lacrosse controversy simply abets that state of affairs. The more we let this case consume our attention, the more we allow the trivial to trump the fundamental. The question to ask is: is that what we want?



Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006

 

[Huckleman2000]

Apropos of nothing, I find it really odd that in the same thread where people are vehemently disparaging lawyers for filing trivial lawsuits that drive up healthcare costs (a claim that is not much supported by facts, btw), those same people are positively orgasmic about these poor rich kids suing the state and winning big bucks. As if that money would come from somewhere other than taxes???

 

[S-Des]

Apropos of nothing, I find it really odd that in the same thread where people are vehemently disparaging lawyers for filing trivial lawsuits that drive up healthcare costs (a claim that is not much supported by facts, btw), those same people are positively orgasmic about these poor rich kids suing the state and winning big bucks. As if that money would come from somewhere other than taxes???

What makes you think that health care costs are not increased by lawsuits? I can come up with dozens of high-profile lawsuits that have been paid out by insurance companies this year alone. There have been a number of stories of doctors changing professions because of the staggering costs of liability insurance (one right in my backyard). Since you brought up the point, where are the facts you speak of?

BTW, the money from lawsuits will come from taxes and will end up hurting the local economy. It won't really hurt the dirtbags who should be hurt, but it never does.

 

[R. Richard]

Apropos of nothing, I find it really odd that in the same thread where people are vehemently disparaging lawyers for filing trivial lawsuits that drive up healthcare costs (a claim that is not much supported by facts, btw), those same people are positively orgasmic about these poor rich kids suing the state and winning big bucks. As if that money would come from somewhere other than taxes???

The person who caused at least most of the problem is District Attorney Mr. Nifong. Mr. Nifong is a lawyer. If I were in charge of covering what is sure to be monetary damages awarded to the Duke lacrosse guys, I would look to Mr. Nifong for the money. If Mr. Nifong does not have the money, I would look to his professional organization. If mr. Nifong and or his professional organization did not come up with the money, I would investigate to see if any of the involved parties had tight young blonde pussy at home. I would get the money, one way or another.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Huckleman2000
Apropos of nothing, I find it really odd that in the same thread where people are vehemently disparaging lawyers for filing trivial lawsuits that drive up healthcare costs (a claim that is not much supported by facts, btw), those same people are positively orgasmic about these poor rich kids suing the state and winning big bucks. As if that money would come from somewhere other than taxes???

What makes you think that health care costs are not increased by lawsuits? I can come up with dozens of high-profile lawsuits that have been paid out by insurance companies this year alone. There have been a number of stories of doctors changing professions because of the staggering costs of liability insurance (one right in my backyard). Since you brought up the point, where are the facts you speak of?

BTW, the money from lawsuits will come from taxes and will end up hurting the local economy. It won't really hurt the dirtbags who should be hurt, but it never does.

It's not exactly a secret that high costs of malpractice insurance are causing medical providers to increase their charges and fees, and that some doctors are leaving the profession. The same applies to other businesses too.

Insurance, like all other business expenses, is passed along to the consumer. This is elementary economics.

If Durham Co. is hit with a big lawsuit, which is likely, the money will come from taxes. However, if Nifong is hit with the lawsuit, it is his ass in a sling. Suing a government official is not easy but, in this case, it might be possible. If you can show that his egregious behavior was for personal gain, such as winning an election, he might be liable. If the county shells out big bucks, they might be able to recover some of it from Nifong in a lawsuit. He has worked for the county for a long time, and should have a big retirement fund built up. In any event, these three young men certainly have grounds for a suit.

 

[R. Richard]

If Durham Co. is hit with a big lawsuit, which is likely, the money will come from taxes. However, if Nifong is hit with the lawsuit, it is his ass in a sling. Suing a government official is not easy but, in this case, it might be possible. If you can show that his egregious behavior was for personal gain, such as winning an election, he might be liable. If the county shells out big bucks, they might be able to recover some of it from Nifong in a lawsuit. He has worked for the county for a long time, and should have a big retirement fund built up. In any event, these three young men certainly have grounds for a suit.

It is almost certain that the city, county, state, et al, will try to shift as much of the financial blame to Mr. Nifong as practical. Unfortunately, Mr. Nifong is paid by the public. That means that the normal course of law will see almost all of the damages collected from his employers.

 

[Pure]

in a recent article, the rarity of bungling DAs suffering any penalty was pointed out. serious malpractice has in fact yielded only a small number of ethics citations--in one study, that amounted to 2%.

http://www.slate.com/id/2159261/


i think we're seeing the political clout of the families involved. as one mom of one of the accused said, 'nifong will pay for the rest of his life.'

the poor or black defendent--*who has served years*--and is later exonerated gets a handshake and a letter of apology; nothing particular happens to the police or DAs that cooked the case.

of course there should be accountability of officials, corporations etc; unfortunately, only the well heeled can make the gears of this machine turn at all.

 

[Boxlicker101]

in a recent article, the rarity of bungling DAs suffering any penalty was pointed out. serious malpractice has in fact yielded only a small number of ethics citations--in one study, that amounted to 2%.

http://www.slate.com/id/2159261/


i think we're seeing the political clout of the families involved. as one mom of one of the accused said, 'nifong will pay for the rest of his life.'

the poor or black defendent--*who has served years*--and is later exonerated gets a handshake and a letter of apology; nothing particular happens to the police or DAs that cooked the case.

of course there should be accountability of officials, corporations etc; unfortunately, only the well heeled can make the gears of this machine turn at all.

I know it is difficult to bring suit against a public official but this is not a matter of bungling. Nifong made a big issue out of this case, which was a violation of ethics, and his motivation was personal. That's my opinion, but I think a jury would agree that his reason was to win a primary election by appealing to black voters, and claiming he was their champion. In other words, he used his office to trample on the rights and reputations of these three men for his own gain. If there is ever a time when a DA should be liable, this is it.

I don't know how much these families have, since they are all outside the state of North Carolina. Because of their relative affluence, they were able to bail the men out of jail and hire good lawyers, but that is about as far as it has gone. People of any race, who are financially well off, would be able to do the same thing. Nifong basically cooked his own goose by making such an issue of the case.

 

[R. Richard]

In a town where I used to live, they disbarred an attorney for stealing client money. He was cionvicted in a court of law for the same theft.

After the disbarment and the trail, the guy went to work in a local lawyer's office as a legal clerk, ostensibly to allow him to pay back at least some of the money he stole. The disbarred lawyer made a decent living and never paid a cent back to the victim. After a time, the guy disappeared. I later found out that he moved to anothr state and was admitted to the bar there, aparently ater some sort of time limit had elapsed. He is once again a lawyer and probably doing well financially. So much for the legal profession policing their own.

 

[S-Des]

in a recent article, the rarity of bungling DAs suffering any penalty was pointed out. serious malpractice has in fact yielded only a small number of ethics citations--in one study, that amounted to 2%.

http://www.slate.com/id/2159261/


i think we're seeing the political clout of the families involved. as one mom of one of the accused said, 'nifong will pay for the rest of his life.'

the poor or black defendent--*who has served years*--and is later exonerated gets a handshake and a letter of apology; nothing particular happens to the police or DAs that cooked the case.

of course there should be accountability of officials, corporations etc; unfortunately, only the well heeled can make the gears of this machine turn at all.

It's not the political clout of the families in this case, it's the media. They jumped on the bandwagon immediate...at first because it was such an outrageous offense, then because it was such an obviously flawed case (the Greta Van Susterin show has been very interesting). It's the constant coverage that has pushed it so much (just like Natalie Holloway, whose parents are not rich). The lawyers they've been able to hire have done a good job of playing the media, but that's the extent of it.

We had a huge case here where a little girl was raped and murdered. The police put two people in jail. One of them, Rolando Cruz, maintained his innocence vigorously. After years of pressure, he was given another trial, that he lost. There were more appeals and more controversy. Finally, a reporter (Eric Zorn) for one of the papers basically dedicated his life to getting this guy freed. He uncovered enough evidence of intentional malfeasance that the case was overturned. They tried prosecuting 7 police & DA members, but wound up with zilch. He made a bunch of money (as often happens in these cases), but spent a number of years in jail. I think the police meant well, although I have no way of knowing for sure. They wanted to solve this heinous murder and thought they had the guy. Unfortunately, they were wrong and made a mockery out of the system in the process. Nifong seems to be the opposite. It appears he did it to advance his career and covered up evidence he knew would bury the case later. It may be that he just believed her, but I doubt it.

 

[Pure]

i'm not sure we know nifong's motives, despite all the mindreaders posting to this thread. BUT commonsense tells us that wherever DA's are elected, they will play up certain cases (which, presumably they win), which will 'grab' the public, and convey the desired message. in this case, that desired message may have been--Black people are taken seriously and get a fair shake in the criminal justice system, even where they accuse upper-class white people.

that is not a bad message, nor an ignoble motive; but conducting a case unprofessionally and 'playing' the media pursuant to getting a conviction are wrong, unethical etc.
--

note to RR: you're right: the way DA's get off is actually, in part, a subset of how crooked or incompetent lawyers get off (i.e., are never 'convicted' of ethics violations.) in our town, a lawyer caught smuggling jade was given a 'reprimand' by the law society---IN PRIVATE, VERBALLY. i.e. the head of the society took his buddy into his office and said, 'naughty naughty, you shouldn't have done that'--end of story. in general the only disbarrments--a couple per year out of thousands of lawyers--are from blatant obvious crimes, like embezzling 5 million from an old lady, for whom the lawyer was holding funds in trust.

the other part of it is that elected officials don't often pay for crimes, and almost never 'pay' for incompetence.

 

[R. Richard]

i'm not sure we know nifong's motives, despite all the mindreaders posting to this thread. BUT commonsense tells us that wherever DA's are elected, they will play up certain cases (which, presumably they win), which will 'grab' the public, and convey the desired message. in this case, that desired message may have been--Black people are taken seriously and get a fair shake in the criminal justice system, even where they accuse upper-class white people.

Messages are fine. However, it is ethical to send the kind of message only if there is legal evidence in the case. From what I read in the news media, there is no such legal evidence.

that is not a bad message, nor an ignoble motive; but conducting a case unprofessionally and 'playing' the media pursuant to getting a conviction are wrong, unethical etc.

What Nifong is accused of doing is not just wrong and unethical, it is illegal.

If a DA has a case where a black woman was raped by a white man with witnesses or evidence, then use the case to send a message. Nifong's case appears to have the same substance as the woman in front of me at the bank who presented a $100 bill for deposit; told that the bill was counterfeit, she screamed, "I've been raped!"