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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| State's Attorney Considers Prosecuting ACORN Video Posters |
| 2009-09-12 |
| The Baltimore city state's attorney is considering prosecuting those responsible for taping the ACORN employees on charges that they violated Maryland's wiretap laws. STATEMENT OF STATE’S ATTORNEYS OFFICE FOR BALTIMORE CITY RELATIVE TO THE ALLEGED BALTIMORE ACORN INCIDENT Baltimore, MD – September 11, 2009 – We have received inquiries from citizens and the media asking whether the Baltimore City State’s Attorneys Office would initiate a criminal investigation for acts allegedly committed at ACORN offices located in Baltimore. The only information received in reference to this alleged criminal behavior was a YouTube video. Upon review by this office, the video appears to be incomplete. In addition, the audio portion could possibly have been obtained in violation of Maryland Law, Annotated Code of Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article §10-402, which requires two party consent. If it is determined that the audio portion now being heard on YouTube was illegally obtained, it is also illegal under Maryland Law to willfully use or willfully disclose the content of said audio. The penalty for the unlawful interception, disclosure or use of it is a felony punishable up to 5 years. The Maryland state prosecutor's office went after Linda Tripp in the 1990s on two wiretap charges. Tripp was accused of illegally taping a phone conversation with Monica Lewinsky about her relationship with then-President Bill Clinton and disclosing the conversation to Newsweek. Prosecutors decided to drop the case when Lewinsky's testimony was suppressed. |
| Posted by:Glenmore |
| #13 But McDermitt (D-WA) passing on an illegally taped cell phone conversation was perfectly ok... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-09-12 23:27 |
| #12 I am pretty sure I read this law covers taping a telephone conversation without the permission of both parties. The law has noting to do with audio that is part of video recording. Shows the State's Attorney has sub average IQ. I can establish complete picture the the State's Attorney just from that. |
| Posted by: Sockpuppet of Doom 2009-09-12 22:26 |
| #11 So now the media wants the government to prosecute whistleblowers... I took that to mean that they wanted to know whether the AG's office was going to prosecute ACORN. You know, when I was a kid, about half the episodes on 60 Minutes involved surreptitious filming. And it was a lot harder to be surreptitious back then. |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2009-09-12 20:03 |
| #10 We have received inquiries from citizens and the media asking whether the Baltimore City State's Attorneys Office would initiate a criminal investigation... So now the media wants the government to prosecute whistleblowers who have uncover pervasive corruption in a publicly funded agency. How delightfully Kafkaesque. |
| Posted by: regular joe 2009-09-12 15:23 |
| #9 "We have received inquiries from citizens and the media" Any of them live near 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. I really do hope they do prosecute the people making the films. Gives the politicans another grenade to throw at the other side. Billboards all over with young exploited girls: "Rep/Senator so and so ACORN and Acorn supports CHILD prostitution." Ya just know there are quotes out there frm all of them. Hard ball? Dirty pool? You betch ya. Politics is a blood sport so be prepared to get dirty. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2009-09-12 11:03 |
| #8 Oh..just wait till the 'accused' points out the 'journalistic' basis of the act and drags every television and print media into the mix. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-09-12 10:03 |
| #7 Doublethink is a word described in the fictional language of Newspeak and the act of simultaneously accepting as correct two mutually contradictory beliefs. It is related to, but distinct from, hypocrisy and neutrality. |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2009-09-12 08:46 |
| #6 Someone smarter will quietly drop this This is Maryland, Frank. I do hope you're right, though. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2009-09-12 08:35 |
| #5 political suicide. Someone smarter will quietly drop this |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-09-12 07:57 |
| #4 So they are going to go after the video takers and not do anything about ACORN. So what is the definition of corruption again? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-09-12 07:25 |
| #3 I file the whole thing under corruption. Especially this AG. |
| Posted by: newc 2009-09-12 06:11 |
| #2 Since they exposed ACORN as an adjunct to organized violent crime (keeping children as sex slaves is an inherently violent act!), I fear their lives would be in danger even if they were "only" arrested for a couple of hours, prior to arraignment. Truly bad people have been hurt by their sting and they might wish to make an example. Let's hope someone's got their back always! |
| Posted by: Chailing Brown5024 2009-09-12 04:01 |
| #1 Too late. |
| Posted by: gorb 2009-09-12 01:28 |