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| 4 sentenced to jail for tire slashings | |
| 2006-04-26 | |
| A judge today ignored a plea deal calling for probation and sentenced four Democratic campaign workers to jail terms for their roles in the infamous Election Day 2004 tire slashing caper. The four - including the sons of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) and former Acting Mayor Marvin Pratt - pleaded no contest to misdemeanors while an apparently deadlocked jury stalled over felony counts at the end of a January trial that received national coverage. A fifth Kerry-Edwards staffer accused of crippling Republican vans, Justin Howell, turned down the last-minute deal and was acquitted by the jury. Michael Pratt was sentenced to six months in jail, and Sowande Omokunde, Moore's son, got four months in jail. Lavelle Mohammad was sentenced to five months in jail, and Lewis Caldwell received a six-month jail sentence. Each was fined $1,000. The defendants all had previously paid a collective restitution of $5,320, as part of the plea bargain. They had been charged with damaging 40 tires on 25 rented vans parked outside Republican Party offices on W. Capitol Drive, hours before the vans were going to be used for electioneering. The repair costs easily exceeded the felony threshold of $2,500, yet there was little evidence about what each man had allegedly done. Prosecutors built most of their case on testimony from out-of-state Democratic operatives who had come to work on the Wisconsin campaign alongside the defendants. The witnesses said the local men boasted about their crippling attack on the Republican vehicles. Defense attorneys tried to characterize the party professionals as liars who set up the defendants - loosely tied to the scene by cell-phone records and the hazy memory of a security guard - as fall guys for the crime.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 Sowande Omokunde? Son of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.). What's the skinny on his name? Is he adopted or did he adopt one of those African names so that he may be taken as "authentic"? Want African authenticity? Want to favor Africa over the USA? See here and perhaps you'll change your mind. |
| Posted by: Lancasters Over Dresden 2006-04-26 17:52 |
| #1 What I love is that these guys pled nolo to a misdemeanor and the fifth one ditched the deal and was acquited on felony charges. What dummies. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-26 16:26 |