Friend: “You paid nobody, so you’ll be convicted”

By | January 3, 2009
by Brian A. Wilkins
1/3/09
This is a tie-in to the “55 Days..” blogs.
I was hanging out with a couple guys the other night and of course, at some point, my f-ed up life becomes the topic of conversation. I hadn’t seen one of the guys in a few years, and had to catch him up with what was going on. I told him how I eventually got out of jail after 55 days because the bond amount was ultimately lowered from $54,000 to $0 on Sept. 16. By being released from jail and not posting the large bond, ultimately took a tax-free loan out of the pocket of Maricopa County, in the form of that bond revenue. Not posting bond also took $5,400 in profit out of the pocket of a bondsman who would have covered the remainder with property deeds. I’ve had a FREE public defender for a lawyer this whole time, which took anywhere from $10,000-$25,000 out of some county-connected defense attorney who could pay off or sweet-talk a prosecutor. In other words, NOBODY made any money off my incarceration, which is considered virtual tax evasion by the U.S. Justice System.
As I’ve talked about throughout, justice is only attainable in the U.S., especially as a Nubian, if you can afford it. Statutes, procedures, and ethics comes in a very distant second to money when it comes to priorities in U.S. courts. I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby is not a federal prison inmate because not only does he have the money to make it go away, but his homeboy is the leader of the Bush League. O.J. Simpson got away with murder, but several attorneys, including Johnnie Cochran, Marcia Clark, Chris Darden, and Robert Shapiro all got rich off of it (as did inbred cop, Mark Fuhrmann). Or of course, you can be blonde and “too pretty for prison” for justice you otherwise don’t deserve.
My price tag for justice would have been around $75,000; $54,000 for bond and at least $20,000 for a “member” attorney. Maricopa County would have gotten their loan, a lawyer would have gotten paid, and I likely would have been a free man within a few days of this incident and likely, the charges would all be dropped by now. People seem to think celebrities get the “star treatment” in justice systems because they are “stars.” It is because they can AFFORD justice. It would just be more convenient for all of us if the United States would simply post a price list for each infraction committed; to take the guesswork out.
I think my case would be one of the first times in U.S. history someone escapes malicious charges without some fancy, well-connected lawyer, depending on where my life sits on January 20. I’ve basically represented myself, as that is the only chance I have. And I’ve represented myself the only way I know how. Private prisons and County Attorney’s offices are high revenue endeavors for those involved in them. Messing around with anybody’s money is generally not a smart or safe decision. But I guess I’ll take my chances.
 

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