Vick Indicted

[Sarge]

Easy folks - this scumbag loser is innocent until proven guilty.

 

[Alexander]

Easy folks - this scumbag loser is innocent until proven guilty.

Technically correct, but as has been pointed out, federal prosecutors rarely bring cases like this to light unless they are very squared away.

This is not your typical case.

 

[jman]

Could be more then that. There trying to get him on RICO. That's big time.

Is that Ron Mexico's new best freind in prison...LOL

 

[03EBZ06]

A grand jury indicted Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick on Tuesday, which at least partially answers one question that has lingered since the news first broke about an alleged dogfighting operation on property owned by Vick in Virginia: Was Vick involved? Obviously, we know now that investigators believe he was.

There are plenty of football-related issues still to be resolved about Vick's future with the Falcons and the NFL, but those might be the least of his concerns right now. Questions about his legal future abound at the moment. Here are some answers.

What do these federal charges mean for Michael Vick?

Vick is in real trouble. He is up against the might and majesty of the U.S. government with all of its agents, all of its investigative techniques, and all of its skilled prosecutors. If he has any doubts about the power and skill of the forces arrayed against him, he can call Scooter Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, or he can call Lord Conrad Black, the disgraced media mogul now facing time in a federal penitentiary. If he still isn't convinced, he can call Jeff Skilling, the zillionaire Enron CEO who is now residing in a federal pen. All three of them hired brilliant (and expensive) lawyers. All three thought they could explain their way out from under federal charges. And all three were convicted. Vick can, and probably will, hire some of America's best defense lawyers, but they will face a serious battle.

Would Vick be sent to jail if he is convicted?

Yes. It's hard to imagine any other outcome. The charges are serious, and the evidence against Vick presented at trial will be nasty. The government's case includes evidence that Vick and his cohorts "tested" pit bulls for ferocity. If the dogs failed the test, the indictment charges, they were executed by hanging or drowning. In one case, with Vick present, the indictment says a dog was slammed to the ground until it was dead. In another incident, a dog was soaked with a hose and then electrocuted. Those aren't the sort of transgressions that lead to probation and community service. It's the kind of behavior that results in punishment, and the punishment will be jail time.

What is the next step for Vick?

Vick will now watch to see which of his three co-defendants will be the first to make a deal with federal prosecutors. Each of them will think seriously about turning on Vick and offering testimony against him in return for less time in jail. Vick obviously is the prime target of the government effort. Prosecutors and agents will be willing to talk with his co-defendants about a deal if they are willing to help prove the case against Vick. The government indictment discloses four witnesses who have already agreed to testify against him. If all three of of his co-defendants join these four witnesses against Vick, he and his lawyers might suggest that he, too, should talk to the government about a deal that would minimize his time in jail.

Vick is charged with "conspiracy" and violations of the "Travel Act." What does that mean?

The conspiracy charge will make things extra difficult for Vick and his lawyers. Under federal laws, the conspiracy charge allows federal prosecutors to link Vick to things that occurred even if he was not present. If the prosecutors can connect the four defendants, then crimes committed by one of them can be used to add to the evidence against the others. It's a tricky legal procedure that prosecutors love and defense lawyers detest. The Travel Act is a device invented by Robert F. Kennedy when he was Attorney General in the early Sixties. It was designed for use against organized crime and made it easier to prove cases against hoodlums. In the sports world, it was used most recently in the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics bribery scandal. Federal prosecutors charged the Utah organizers under the Travel Act and proved millions of dollars in bribes. Vick, however, can take some hope from the fact that U.S. District Judge David Sam found the organizers not guilty of violating the Travel Act, even though there was powerful evidence of bribery.

What was Vick's role in the dogfighting conspiracy described in the indictment?

According to the indictment, Vick was in the middle of everything from beginning to end. He purchased a vacant piece of property for $34,000, the indictment says. He then had sheds built for training dogs and staging fights and a fence erected to shield the operation from view. And finally, the indictment says, he had a two-story frame house with a basketball court put up as a residence for the people taking care of the dogs. If you believe the indictment, the Vick property had everything anyone could want in a dogfighting operation.

When would Vick's trial begin?

The federal courthouse in Richmond, Va., is the home of the nationally recognized "rocket docket." Cases move quickly in Richmond, more quickly than in any other courthouse in the federal system. Vick's lawyers will be looking for delays and for time to prepare a defense, but the trial likely would begin in a matter of four to six months.

Are the federal authorities in Richmond tough on crime?

Ask Ralph Sampson, the former NBA star. He fell behind in child support payments to seven children that he had with four women, the kind of thing that is ordinarily worked out in a settlement. But instead of a settlement, Sampson found himself charged with felonies in federal court. And then, very quickly, he found himself in jail for two months on a child support charge. Yes, they're tough on crime in Richmond, and they might be particularly tough on crimes involving the torture and killing of dogs.

ESPN.com's Lester Munson is a Chicago lawyer and journalist who has been reporting on investigative and legal issues in the sports industry for 18 years.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2940312

 

[Doomsday101]

Easy folks - this scumbag loser is innocent until proven guilty.

In the court of law your right innocent until proven guilty in the public eye Vick better be able to show his innocents of having no knowledge what so ever. Some early reports from a witness describes Vick taking part in killing some of these dogs in what many people will find as very cruel. He may walk from the law but a lot of his money is made up off of public opinion.

 

[cbfan55]

From what I here he's possibly looking at 6yrs and a $350,000.00 fine

 

[Doomsday101]

From what I here he's possibly looking at 6yrs and a $350,000.00 fine

And that will be federal prison time where there is no 3 for 1 or 4 for 1 good time

 

[Vintage]

Anyone know what kind of sentences go to people for tax fraud? Just curious....

 

[Doomsday101]

Anyone know what kind of sentences go to people for tax fraud? Just curious....

Not sure but I do know that the people at Enron went down hard and rightfully so.

 

[adamknite]

From what I here he's possibly looking at 6yrs and a $350,000.00 fine

And that will be federal prison time where there is no 3 for 1 or 4 for 1 good time

If he's guilty he deserves this kind of punishment. Well the 350k is probably not big deal to him but the 6 years in a federal prison should be.

 

[Teague31]

my money says he is never convicted... an indictment means nothing. i'm a defense attorney and can tell you numerous examples of clients i have had that have been indicted but never convicted. The old saying is that the government could get a ham sandwich indicted if they wanted to. its completely one sided with no cross examination or favorable evidence presented. mark it down- he walks.

 

[Doomsday101]

my money says he is never convicted... an indictment means nothing. i'm a defense attorney and can tell you numerous examples of clients i have had that have been indicted but never convicted. The old saying is that the government could get a ham sandwich indicted if they wanted to. its completely one sided with no cross examination or favorable evidence presented. mark it down- he walks.

I'm sure he will get the best lawyer his money can buy and he may walk because of that but this still could cost him big time. OJ was found not guilty either but I don't think this is the life OJ was hoping for.

 

[Seven]

The biggest reason they couldn't get a trade for Culpepper is he had a no-trade clause in his contract, and made it known that he wouldn't accept any trade... he forced his release, because he wanted to be able to pick and choose which team he went to...

Beyond that, I think it's pretty ridiculous to label Culpepper a "BUST", when he has a career quarterback rating of 90.8, a 64.2 per cent completion rate, a 7.7 yards per attempt averaged, and 137 career TDs to 89 career ints...

All of these are very good numbers, actually... for sure, they're better numbers than Joey Harrington ever put up... we're talking a career 68.2 quarterback rating, a 55.2 completion percentage, a 5.4 yards per attempt average, and 72 TDs to 77 ints...

Without being mad at you, or feeling an urge to insult you, anybody who doesn't recognize that Culpepper would be a large upgrade over Joey Harrington really doesn't know much about football in general, or either player in particular...

Why would you be mad at a poster who states his opinion? I find that odd. What I find even more odd is this entire portion of your post. Why would you even include the above statements? You feel the need to not insult me but yet you continue on with it. You can't rob and beat the Pope, then say "sorry 'bout that big guy. ."

Indeed, I'd personally be shickled titless if the Boys were to go out and sign Culpepper (though he probably wouldn't be interested in being a backup to Tony Romo)... I'd sure feel a lot better if he was waiting in the wings, rather than Brad Johnson...

I can respect your thoughts on the matter as well as your included stats, which don't mean much to me, because without Moss Culpepper is completly exposed. The man couldn't read a defense if they invited him in to the huddle. The Vikings offense struggled, to say the least, the moment Moss departed. Look up his QB rating the one season(or part of) without Moss. Just because Moss wasn't receiving doesn't mean he wasn't doing damage to opposing defenses.

There are far too many tangibles on both sides of the coin to debate this as of right now. Culpepper/Moss, Harrington/OL or lack there of. However, the claim of Culpepper being a huge upgrade over Harrington is a quantum leap in itself.

It's too bad he wouldn't consider a backup role to Romo. That's all he is.

 

[Teague31]

I'm sure he will get the best lawyer his money can buy and he may walk because of that but this still could cost him big time. OJ was found not guilty either but I don't think this is the life OJ was hoping for.

without a doubt, his sponsors will all jump ship and he may still get a suspension from the nfl but in regards to a felony conviction or prison time, i just can't see it happening.

 

[Wood]

I kind of wish Vick does play some games so fans can let him know where he stands in public opinion. I would give PETA about 10,000 lower level tickets and let them have at it.

 

[Doomsday101]

without a doubt, his sponsors will all jump ship and he may still get a suspension from the nfl but in regards to a felony conviction or prison time, i just can't see it happening.

People told me that the Enron bunch would not go down being rich white collar criminals and they would buy their way out of it. Well that did not happen. If the prosecution has the evidence they very well be able to nail Vick. Add to that because he is a celebrity it seems the feds took their sweet time in the investigation before they went after Vick so that tells me they have some type of hard evidence. We will see how this all plays out

 

[Vintage]

Do you know how many years the ENRON people are facing Doomsday?

 

[cobra]

From what I here he's possibly looking at 6yrs and a $350,000.00 fine

I heard ESPN report something like this. And whoever sourced them on that, I think was incorrect. It is a misreading of the RICO statute he was indicted under (see my previous posts explaining that). Violations of RICO are, by statute, up to 20 years per act. There appears to be numerous acts (10 or so). So that is what he is technically "facing." However, I really don't see him getting anything more than 10 years at worst.

Also, don't rule out the possibility of further indictments against him... keep this in the back of your mind.

His ultimate punishment depends on how much involvement they can prove. If he really was a key player in this, then I could see him getting popped with 10 years to make an example of him (like they did with Skilling). If he was just the money man, I can't see him getting more than a couple of years in jail. The fines, however, will be enormous.

 

[Doomsday101]

Do you know how many years the ENRON people are facing Doomsday?

It varied, some got 20 years but Skilling was given over 100 years. Ken Lay was looking at several years but died before being sent to prison.

 

[03EBZ06]

Do you know how many years the ENRON people are facing Doomsday?

I think the prison setentencing varied, some got 6 years, others house arrest for x number of years but the most severe sentence was Jeffrey Skilling, he received 24 years in minimum security prison.