Justice Department takes oversight of Goff case away from Montgomery prosecutors

[struggle4progress]

Source: Montgomery Independent

Thursday, December 20, 2007
By Bob Gambacurta

The United States Department of Justice has informed attorneys for Montgomery insurance executive John W. Goff that an office at Main Justice in Washington will oversee the federal grand jury investigation into insurance fraud allegations against Goff ...

Gov. Bob Riley and former Lt. Gov. Steve Windom ... are defendants in a suit filed in March 2007, alleging that Windom and the Riley administration attempted to extort money from Goff and attempted to steal Goff's insurance business and ruin him financially.

Goff's suit is pending in Montgomery County Circuit Court. His attorneys contend that the federal investigation of Goff was begun a few months ago by reactivating a 3 to 4 year old claim against Goff that had been tried and settled several years ago.

Gallion and Jones claim that the federal grand jury investigation was launched to punish Goff for filing suit against Riley, Windom and others ...

Read more: http://www.al.com/news/independent/index.ssf?/base/news/1198181706249430.xml&coll=4

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Siegelman witness Lanny Young released from prison after 11 months
Young must pay $389,781 to IRS in restitution
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
KIM CHANDLER
News staff writer

Lobbyist Lanny Young, a key prosecution witness against former Gov. Don Siegelman, has been released from prison ... Young had served 11 months ...

In the trial of <former Gov. Don> Siegelman and HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy, Young testified that he had an agreement to supply Siegelman and his aides with gifts in exchange for government favors ...

A federal jury last year convicted Siegelman and Scrushy of conspiracy and federal funds bribery. Prosecutors alleged Scrushy bought a seat on a state board with a $500,000 donation to Siegelman's lottery campaign.

Fuller sentenced Siegelman to seven years and four months in prison. He sentenced Scrushy to six years and 10 months in prison ...

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/11980705476590.xml&coll=2

[hardwickian]

1. The Stench Grows Stronger in Montgomery

This could mean that Mukasey's DOJ is finally doing something postive about the Siegelman injustice. On the other hand it may be to ensure that the Siegelman mistreatment continues. Stay tuned.

Please take a look at this link

http://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/2007/11/stench-grows-stronger-in-montgomery.html

Tuesday, November 20, 2007
The Stench Grows Stronger in Montgomery

Where do you turn if your local federal prosecutor appears to be coming after your client for political reasons? If you are Montgomery attorneys Thomas T. Gallion III and Donald R. Jones Jr., you turn to new U.S. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey.

Scott Horton, of Harper's.org, reports today that Gallion and Jones have sent Mukasey a 14-page letter outlining abuses by Leura Canary, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, in a case involving Montgomery insurance executive John W. Goff.