DOJ re-indicts Jesse Benton and John Tate after their acquittals

[tsai3904]

New indictment renews charges against ex-Ron Paul aides

Nov. 20, 2015

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Federal prosecutors are continuing to pursue criminal charges against top campaign advisers to 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul.

According to court documents filed Thursday, a grand jury in Des Moines indicted Jesse Benton, John Tate and Dimitri Kesari on conspiracy charges. They're accused of covering up payments to former Iowa Sen. Kent Sorenson, who endorsed Paul in December 2011.

Benton, Tate and Kesari also are charged with causing false campaign contribution reports to be filed and participating in a false statement scheme.

Benton and Tate are charged with causing the campaign to file false records. Kesari was convicted of that charge last month but a jury was deadlocked on the other charges and prosecutors refiled them.

Similar charges, earlier dismissed against Benton and Tate are renewed in the new indictment.

http://bigstory.ap.org/urn:publicid:ap.org:e61d07f3aee74d8fb67870d79d277f 64

More from POLITICO:


...

Benton and Kesari were tried last month before a federal jury in Des Moines. Kesari was found guilty of causing the campaign to produce false records concealing the payments, but was acquitted of an obstruction of justice charge. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on a conspiracy charge as well as charges of causing the filing of false campaign finance reports and scheming to make false statements.

Benton, who served as Ron Paul's campaign manager in 2012, was acquitted of making false statements to the FBI. However, several other charges against Benton were dismissed by the judge before trial, as were all of the charges against Tate.

In his ruling last month, U.S. District Court Judge John Jarvey said prosecutors appeared to have improperly presented evidence to the grand jury that was obtained under promises of immunity. But the judge left the door open to the charges being refiled based on evidence that did not come from immunized statements.

In the new indictment, prosecutors appear to have refiled the dismissed charges and included the counts against Kesari which resulted in the hung jury.

...

More:
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/rand-paul-advisers-re-indicted-216108

[puppetmaster]

Double jeopardy

[tsai3904]

Double jeopardy

I posted more info from a POLITICO article. It says the refiled charges are for charges that were dismissed (and not for charges where they were acquitted).

[The Northbreather]

Ah conspiracy. When your federal gov can make a real case they fall back on this one and force the plea under penalty of mandatory minimums.

So free. USA USA USA

[dusman]

I chose to put this here, since I don't care to legitimize anything Politico posts and hope this will be non-critical. :D


Two former advisers to Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) were re-indicted by a federal grand jury in Iowa Friday, just weeks after a criminal trial that produced a muddled result.

The new indictment names as defendants longtime Rand Paul advisers Jesse Benton and John Tate, as well a third man--Dimitrios Kesari, who served as deputy campaign manager on the 2012 presidential bid of Paul's father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/rand-paul-advisers-re-indicted-216108 (http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/rand-paul-advisers-re-indicted-216108#ixzz3s3mfve2D)

[puppetmaster]

I posted more info from a POLITICO article. It says the refiled charges are for charges that were dismissed (and not for charges where they were acquitted). figures...they can make up other charges and keep them in court years.

[jllundqu]

So much for double jeopardy...

Are they being charged at the state level now that the Feds dropped charges?

[LibertyEagle]

I'm sure they are doing it to harm Rand's chances in Iowa. Assholes.

[r3volution 3.0]

Double jeopardy only attaches to acquittals.

Looks like they're being indicted on charges that were dropped before the verdict last time.

...either way, obvious politically-motivated witchhunt is obvious.

[dusman]

Thanks Mod. Didn't see it. :D

[ChristianAnarchist]

Double jeopardy

Sorry, goonerments don't need to worry about any pesky "rules"...

[phill4paul]

Lovely. The gift that keeps on giving.

[timosman]

Sorry, goonerments don't need to worry about any pesky "rules"...

This is just a shit show to draw negative attention to Rand. I hope this blows up in their face.

[jllundqu]

I'm sure they are doing it to harm Rand's chances in Iowa. Assholes.

To be fair... Rand ain't polling all that well in the Cornhole state, anyway....

[sparebulb]

To be fair... Rand ain't polling all that well in the Cornhole state, anyway....

It seems as if Lindsey Graham would poll well in a state like that.

[dannno]

To be fair... Rand ain't polling all that well in the Cornhole state, anyway....

He just won a youth straw poll, I have no idea what a legit poll would say at this point.

[rg17]

It seems as if Lindsey Graham would poll well in a state like that.

Lindsy girl would poll really well in retard land.

[Badger Paul]

"Looks like they're being indicted on charges that were dropped before the verdict last time"

Basically it's a do-over, a mulligan for for the federal prosecutors who screwed up the case to begin with. You don't get indictments by a grand jury dismissed by a federal judge unless its for pretty sloppy or incompetent work.

Maybe they have new evidence or someone decided to talk who hadn't before but I wouldn't hold my breath on it knowing how prosecutors work. As much as I despise Benton and Tate, this is just ridiculous.

[osan]

I posted more info from a POLITICO article. It says the refiled charges are for charges that were dismissed (and not for charges where they were acquitted).

Sp apparently they were not dismissed with prejudice. Did the judge refuse that bit or did their lawyers fuck up?

[phill4paul]

"Looks like they're being indicted on charges that were dropped before the verdict last time"

Basically it's a do-over, a mulligan for for the federal prosecutors who screwed up the case to begin with. You don't get indictments by a grand jury dismissed by a federal judge unless its for pretty sloppy or incompetent work.

Maybe they have new evidence or someone decided to talk who hadn't before but I wouldn't hold my breath on it knowing how prosecutors work. As much as I despise Benton and Tate, this is just ridiculous.

^^^

[Anti Federalist]

And all of this could have been avoided, by Benton anyway, if he had STFU when first approached by the Feds.

[phill4paul]

And all of this could have been avoided, by Benton anyway, if he had STFU when first approached by the Feds.

Probably could have been avoided earlier..but I get what you mean.

[r3volution 3.0]

And all of this could have been avoided, by Benton anyway, if he had STFU when first approached by the Feds.

Yup

When approached by police (feds or otherwise), you say "I'm going to exercise my 5th amendment right," and then STFU.

...not a word after that, nothing.

...it can only hurt, it never helps.

[angelatc]

Sp apparently they were not dismissed with prejudice. Did the judge refuse that bit or did their lawyers fuck up?

According to Wikipedia,
Jeopardy attaches in jury trial when the jury is empaneled and sworn in, in a bench trial when the court begins to hear evidence after the first witness is sworn in, or when a court accepts a defendant's plea unconditionally.

So, if I read the article right, the judge dismissed the charges before the jury was sworn in after learning that some of the prosecution's evidence was provided by the defendant after the defendant was promised immunity.

It's really hard to decide who I don't like more.

[r3volution 3.0]

According to Wikipedia,

So, if I read the article right, the judge dismissed the charges before the jury was sworn in after learning that some of the prosecution's evidence was provided by the defendant after the defendant was promised immunity.

It's really hard to decide who I don't like more.

Hint: the prosecution

[Matt Collins]

To be fair... Rand ain't polling all that well in the Cornhole state, anyway....
Neither was Santorum this time in 2011

[Matt Collins]

I'm sure they are doing it to harm Rand's chances in Iowa. Assholes.
yeah, no one can now look at this with a straight face and say "this isn't a political witch hunt" :mad:

[francisco]

yeah, no one can now look at this with a straight face and say "this isn't a political witch hunt" :mad:

Who's behind it?

[phill4paul]

yeah, no one can now look at this with a straight face and say "this isn't a political witch hunt" :mad:

I can look at this with a straight face and say that a check was passed to Sorenson's media company in exchange for a reversal of support to Ron.

It's not like it didn't happen.

I prefer this....

http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Politics/images-4/ron-paul-all-alone.jpg

to this...

http://a3.img.talkingpointsmemo.com/image/upload/c_fill,fl_keep_iptc,g_faces,h_365,w_652/jb8bpqjrbkshh777xept.jpg

and the kicker... just when everyone thought the Herpes had faded it will come up just before the primary.

[heavenlyboy34]

Ah conspiracy. When your federal gov can make a real case they fall back on this one and force the plea under penalty of mandatory minimums.

So free. USA USA USA
What's that, sonny? I can't hear you over all this freedom!

[Peace&Freedom]

Perhaps the feds were ticked off when Benton went right back to work for the Rand PAC after the acquittal, instead of going home to lie low with his family like he should have. The defendants should argue for the re-indictments to be dismissed for the same reasons as last time, in addition to committing in spirit, if not the letter of double jeopardy.

[timosman]

Perhaps the feds were ticked off when Benton went right back to work for the Rand PAC after the acquittal, instead of going home to lie low with his family like he should have. The defendants should argue for the re-indictments to be dismissed for the same reasons as last time, in addition to committing in spirit, if not the letter of double jeopardy.

This is the key. I agree Benton should be laying low for a while(until 2020 elections), but instead this guy jumps back into the fray exposing Rand to a negative press. What kind of thinking is this?

[Kurt Evans]

Has anyone heard anything about Jesse's trial date?

[Ronin Truth]

When will it be Hillary's turn to be indicted, by the DOJ (so called)? :rolleyes: