Wanna read something depressing about our legal system today? We recommend this article: "I took some photos of my kids naked on a camping trip. A drugstore employee called the police — and my family's life became a living hell."
Sentencing time for the villainous Times Square Bike-Shove Cop! "The former officer, Patrick Pogan, had faced up to four years in prison, but will avoid any time behind bars. He also will not be placed on probation." Sheeeit. [NYT]
The Swiss government said this morning it will not extradite cinematic auteur and skeezy rapist Roman Polanski to the US to face charges of raping an underage girl in 1977. Said the Swiss justice minister: "He's a free man." [NYT]
Michael Mineo, the Brooklyn man who says cops sodomized him with a baton, saw the officers acquitted on criminal charges in February. Now, Mineo's lost most of his civil suit too (one claim's still pending). Sorry; rules are rules.
Prosecutors are now going after the assets of two of Bernie Madoff's "back office" staffers, who oversaw the day-to-day operations of his scam. They handled office paperwork, and they're both multimillionaires? Guilty. Also—you guys seen $9 billion anywhere? [WSJ]
Bedbugs are creatures with a strong sense of social justice. They tend to attack deserving targets, like Fox News and massive ad agencies (and you?). The latest righteous bedbug victim: Goldman Sachs, baby.
Lt. John Burge and his men electrocuted, suffocated and beat confessions out of black suspects in Chicago for 20 years, until 1993. Some of his victims ended up on death row. Jury selection has begun in his trial.
Alexis Neiers, "star" of the worst television show ever made, Pretty Wild, was just sentenced to six months in jail for robbing Orlando Bloom's house with the Bling Ring posse. First Vanity Fair, now the courts. Girl's got enemies.
Earlier this year, TechCrunch was hacked. Now police in Ireland believe they found the guy who did it. TechCrunch is letting you vote: Should they prosecute him or not? This has a real fun, frontier justice air about it. [TechCrunch]
Tragedy in America: A nice patriot from Virginia whose truck had a very patriotic paint job, has been stripped of his right to license plate free speech. The plates carried a coded White Power message, citing Hitler and David Lane.
First Goldman Sachs gets a lawsuit from the SEC, now prosecutors have indicted a former Blackwater president and four other former employees on weapons charges. Details are not yet clear. But who knows where this Federal justice train will stop.
Anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder, who killed Dr. George Tiller in Kansas, will likely die in prison: He was given a life sentence and will be eligible for parole in 50 years. Good! Also, commenters? Prison rape jokes are boring. [NYT]
A federal judge ruled in favor of the Mississippi teen, Constance McMillen, who wanted to bring her girlfriend to prom, saying the Itawamba County school board had violated her rights. The judge refused to reinstate the dance. [USA Today]
A juror in the Astor trial has recanted her verdict, giving the defense grounds for appeal. But what was Judi DeMarco—whose "close...personal friendship" with convicted pol Joe Bruno has raised eyebrows—doing on the jury to begin with?
A jury acquitted the New York cops accused of sodomizing Michael Mineo with a police baton, despite the fact that they looked pretty damn guilty. For those in danger of future NYPD abuse, some tips to ensure you get justice.
Snoop Dogg has been banned from entering the UK for three years, because he used "insulting words" whilst being pushed around by police in Heathrow airport. One positive side effect: The WSJ now gets to translate the mysterious Snoop language.
