Qasim Rashid, Esq.Jan 10, 2023

Trump Org CFO Weisselberg is being sentenced to 5 months jail for massive tax fraud, of which he'll serve ~100 days on Rikers.

Kalief Browder suffered in Rikers for 700 days in solitary confinement on the false accusation he stole a backpack, then died by suicide.

Two Americas. And a reminder that a system cannot fail those it was never meant to protect, and that a system will always protect those it was never meant to fail.

Show threadC.D. LewisJan 10, 2023
@QasimRashid For those who aren't following it you might mention, for perspective, that Weisselberg's 5-month sentence follows over $2m in tax and penalty payments _and_ his active cooperation in the government's case against the Trump organization. Comparing this to terrors perpetrated against the falsely accused is nonsense: the accused should not be mistreated, including the falsely accused, which is why New York paid a $3.3m civil rights judgment to Browder's family. Details matter.
Show threadMacCruiskeenJan 10, 2023
@Sea_Dragons @QasimRashid Even the judge who sentenced him said it wasn't enough. If there hadn't been an agreement in place over his testimony, he'd have gotten a lot more.
Show threadC.D. LewisJan 10, 2023
@maccruiskeen @QasimRashid That's the point, though, isn't it? He cooperated. He didn't just pay when caught what tax authorities said he owed as taxes plus all the penalties provided by statute for failure to pay timely but he additionally cooperated to ensure the prosecution could make the larger case it wanted to make against his employer and he's still been convicted and despite being 75yo is spending time incarcerated. His deal flows from his cooperation, yet he's still not free.
Show threadMacCruiskeen
@Sea_Dragons @QasimRashid Well obviously the judge knew all the when he made his comments. The prosecutor made a deal to get the testimony, the judge okayed the deal, but after the hearing, felt that the deal was way too lenient. But at that point he was unable to change the deal.
Jan 11, 2023 at 2:33pmWeb
Show threadC.D. LewisJan 11, 2023

@maccruiskeen @QasimRashid I've had judges refuse to accept plea deals arranged with prosecutors. Freedom to reject deals, including sentences, may vary by jurisdiction.

A 5-month sentence may be irritating to see for a white collar criminal found owing substantial unpaid taxes, but the alternative might or might not appeal to you. Imagine if only criminals could buy witness testimony because prosecutors could not compensate witnesses with leniency. Maybe better, but certainly different.

Show threadMacCruiskeenJan 11, 2023
@Sea_Dragons @QasimRashid There's leniency, and then there's getting a sweet deal because you're a rich, connected guy.
Show threadC.D. LewisJan 11, 2023
@maccruiskeen @QasimRashid And there's mercy for a 75yo who was doing what he was told by his evil boss until he prosecutors offered escape, and hasn't got a lot of 5-month sentences left in him, and who made the government's case with testimony that bound the entity because he acted for it and knew what it knew. Where else could the government buy this testimony? I wasn't there but this is not a cop getting probation for murdering his neighbor because of his badge or his race. It's a deal.