Judicial Watch Presses Investigation of San Francisco's Sanctuary Policies Following Triple Murder Perpetrated by Illegal Alien
Judicial Watch has filed a California Public Records Request with the San Francisco Sheriff's Department to obtain arrest and booking records related to Edwin Ramos, an illegal alien charged with a June 22, 2008, triple murder of three innocent American citizens.
We want 'All public records concerning or relating to any arrest and/or booking of Edwin Ramos.'
As recently as March 2008, Ramos was arrested after police discovered a gun that had been used in a double homicide in his car. The district attorney's office did not press charges and Ramos was released. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated that the agency was never notified of the arrest.
If all of this sounds tragically familiar, it should. You may recall that Judicial Watch recently launched an investigation into the arrest of Pedro Espinoza, the illegal alien gang member who murdered high school student Jamiel Shaw on March 2nd in Los Angeles. Espinoza had been released from a Culver City, California, jail the day before the murder. Judicial Watch obtained Espinoza's booking record. Check it out here. Culver City, by the way, is also a sanctuary city. Los Angeles is stonewalling our records request for its documents on Espinoza.
As some of you may recall, Judicial Watch already has an important appeal of a taxpayer lawsuit against San Francisco related to its self-imposed status as an illegal alien sanctuary city (Fonseca v. Fong, Case No. A120206).
Judicial Watch Petitions Supreme Court to Hear RICO Lawsuit against Businesses that Hire Illegal Alien Criminals
Staying with the topic of illegal alien criminal activity, JW filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) lawsuit filed by Canyon County, Idaho, against four large employers of illegal aliens (Canyon County v. Syngenta Seeds, Inc., et al.). Canyon County alleges that during their employment, some of these illegal aliens committed crimes, thereby costing the county millions of dollars for criminal justice services as well as health and welfare services.
The district court and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Canyon County's lawsuit, prompting Judicial Watch's Supreme Court petition. Judicial Watch filed the petition for Canyon County with co-counsel Howard W. Foster, a renowned RICO expert with the Chicago law firm, Johnson & Bell, LTD.
With respect to this specific lawsuit, there are two central questions that arise from the appellate court ruling. First, does the term 'business or property' as described in the RICO statute apply to the cost of services provided by a government entity or just to commercial activity? And, secondly, can a court simply dismiss a lawsuit based on a lack of injury directly resulting from the RICO activity, without first determining if any direct injury had been caused?
Judicial Watch Files Open Records Lawsuit against Illinois Governor and Illinois State Senate Over Pork Barrel Spending
Judicial Watch filed an open records lawsuits against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and the Illinois Senate and Illinois Senate President Emil Jones over documents related to pork barrel spending in the State of Illinois and 'secret-side deals' made between Governor Blagojevich and Illinois state lawmakers.
Judicial Watch and the Americans for Prosperity launched an investigation of public spending policies in the State of Illinois after multiple press reports documented 'secret side deals' between Governor Blagojevich and Illinois lawmakers 'for items ranging from police cars and tornado sirens to millions of dollars for after-school programs'' (The Chicago Tribune estimated these pork barrel projects cost Illinois taxpayers at least $70.8 million in 2006 alone.)
As part of this investigation, Judicial Watch submitted open records requests to the Illinois Senate and the office of Governor Blagojevich on February 25, 2008 and March 20, 2008 respectively.
'[Judicial Watch and Americans for Prosperity] are undertaking a detailed review of public spending practices in Illinois, including member initiatives and/or earmarked appropriations, about which substantial questions have been raised,' Judicial Watch wrote in its original open records request filed with the Illinois Senate.
Predictably, both offices failed to cooperate.
Alaska Republican Senator Stevens Indicted
My colleagues and I attended the arraignment of Alaska's Republican Senator Ted Stevens in a DC federal court.
Stevens, the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, was indicted for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and lying about them on his Senate financial disclosure forms. Stevens didn't say anything at the arraignment and his extraordinary request to get a trial before the general election was granted by the judge handling his case. It is good to be the king – or senator!
I encourage you to review the sordid details in the indictment here. Stevens is accused of failing to report $250,000 of gifts he received from an oil company and its owner.
Stevens ought to resign, but won't. These days, it seems members of Congress have to be hauled off to jail before they relinquish their office (see also Rep. William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson).