State's Attorney Considers Prosecuting ACORN Video Posters

[NHSparky]

State's Attorney Considers Prosecuting ACORN Video Posters

LINK

Friday, September 11, 2009
Anne Kramer, Robert Lang and Associated Press

<excerpt>

The activist group ACORN has fired two employees of its Baltimore office who were seen on hidden-camera video giving advice to a man posing as a pimp and a woman posing as a prostitute.

<snip>

The Baltimore city state's attorney is considering prosecuting those responsible for taping the ACORN employees on charges that they violated Maryland's wiretap laws.
STATEMENT OF STATE’S ATTORNEYS OFFICE FOR BALTIMORE CITY RELATIVE TO THE ALLEGED BALTIMORE ACORN INCIDENT

 Baltimore, MD – September 11, 2009 – We have received inquiries from citizens and the media asking whether the Baltimore City State’s Attorneys Office would initiate a criminal investigation for acts allegedly committed at ACORN offices located in Baltimore.  The only information received in reference to this alleged criminal behavior was a YouTube video.  Upon review by this office, the video appears to be incomplete.  In addition, the audio portion could possibly have been obtained in violation of Maryland Law, Annotated Code of Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article §10-402, which requires two party consent.

 If it is determined that the audio portion now being heard on YouTube was illegally obtained, it is also illegal under Maryland Law to willfully use or willfully disclose the content of said audio.  The penalty for the unlawful interception, disclosure or use of it is a felony punishable up to 5 years.

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(edit: emphasis mine.)

Yep--you read that right.  They want to prosecute the people who took the video--NOT the real criminals.  It's official.  The entire world has gone insane.

[Chris_]

Tell me, Mr. Moonbat attorney, just which wire was illegally tapped exactly?

[DumbAss Tanker]

This particular bizarre law came up during the Lewinsky investigation, where a Marylan prosecutor was going to go after Linda Tripp for recording her phone conversations with Monica...something that is not objectionable at all under Federal law.  It turns out that one of Maryland's previous crooked-as-a-dog's-hind-leg governors had been caught in a Federally-legal recorded phone conversation being as corrupt as Blago.  The Maryland state government's reaction?  Make it illegal to catch their thieving asses in the future!

[thundley4]

Laws like that tend to protect the guilty. That would leave out one heck of a lot of investigative journalism.  I wonder if Michael Mooreon violated any wiretapping laws while making his movies.

[crockspot]

According to Judge Napolitano, that law does not apply to video tapes. Only audio-only tapes.

No pony for you Mr. Prosecutor.

[ATTC]

Laws like that tend to protect the guilty. That would leave out one heck of a lot of investigative journalism.  I wonder if Michael Mooreon violated any wiretapping laws while making his movies.

C'mon now, liberals can only be guilty of loving this country too much... /sarc

Crimes, fuh-ged-abowdit.

[The Village Idiot]

Typical thug behavior.

They won't boot Rangel but Joe Wilson could get punished. They won't go after ACORN but those who exposed them might be charged.

It's upside down and backwards.

It's leftism.

[The Village Idiot]

According to Judge Napolitano, that law does not apply to video tapes. Only audio-only tapes.

No pony for you Mr. Prosecutor.

But they said they may charge them over the audio portion of the tape.

Thug Life
protect the guilty.

Leftism.

[crockspot]

But they said they may charge them over the audio portion of the tape.

Thug Life
protect the guilty.

Leftism.

Well he can try to prosecute them, but I'm pretty sure any defense attorney who is not a drunken fool is going to get it dismissed.

[debk]

Well he can try to prosecute them, but I'm pretty sure any defense attorney who is not a drunken fool is going to get it dismissed.

be tough to find a jury who would convict them when they were saying they were going to be doing what is essentially sex slavery and the ACORN women....instead of getting angry and threatening to turn them in....were thinking of a "category" in which to qualify the "business"....

[Airwolf]

WTH?

[The Village Idiot]

Well he can try to prosecute them, but I'm pretty sure any defense attorney who is not a drunken fool is going to get it dismissed.

Not too hard to find an ACORN-loving judge and they'll likely get an all-black jury, it will be made into a racial thing, you can count on that.

[zeitgeist]

Myrtardom......Depositions......Backlash............Jury of Peers........

Bring it.  I can hardly imagine the size of the defense fund and the media splash this will make.  It will sure grab more press above the fold than what this issue currently gets in the Lamestream Media.  I say bring it and let the people decide in. 

[WMD Owl]

I read the law, I don't think it applies to videotapes--otherwise everyone using a video camera would be charged.

And besides, this babe would never get convicted.

[Schadenfreude]

I read the law, I don't think it applies to videotapes--otherwise everyone using a video camera would be charged.

And besides, this babe would never get convicted.

I just watched the Hannity video. She and O'Keefe struck me as very poised and very professional. This idea was brilliant. The fact that they brought in the notion of the smuggling of underage sex slaves was absolute brilliance, I think the child welfare aspect will certainly aid in their defense of any wrong-doing.

I have hope in the future when I see young kids like this, honestly, their parents should be very proud. 

[Freeper]

Typical of the left when they caught breaking the law they try to prosecute those who caught them.

[Gratiot]

I just watched the Hannity video. She and O'Keefe struck me as very poised and very professional. This idea was brilliant. The fact that they brought in the notion of the smuggling of underage sex slaves was absolute brilliance, I think the child welfare aspect will certainly aid in their defense of any wrong-doing.

I have hope in the future when I see young kids like this, honestly, their parents should be very proud.

+1

[Gratiot]

Tell me, Mr. Moonbat attorney, just which wire was illegally tapped exactly?

Shockingly, actual wires or phone lines are not always necessary to convict someone on a wire tapping charge.  In several states, wire tapping laws also extend to electronic recordings without the expressed permission of all parties.  It's a murky area of the law.  There's been some shocking court cases over it to.  Including a new england man whom received a felony conviction for recording a police officer admit that he was framing him for a crime he didn't commit.

[thundley4]

Shockingly, actual wires or phone lines are not always necessary to convict someone on a wire tapping charge.  In several states, wire tapping laws also extend to electronic recordings without the expressed permission of all parties.  It's a murky area of the law.  There's been some shocking court cases over it to.  Including a new england man whom received a felony conviction for recording a police officer admit that he was framing him for a crime he didn't commit.

From what I read about the law in Maryland, it goes so far as to making a transcription of the audio illegal.  That is almost paramount to making much of court testimony illegal. 

[thundley4]

The undercover reporters will probably be prosecuted, by the Baltimore City States Attorney.  She's an 0Bamabot.
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EWObhMmrq4[/youtube]

[TheSarge]

In a shocking twist to Thursday's ACORN sting video story, the Baltimore city state's attorney is considering charging the two people that exposed the activity.

As NewsBusters has been reporting, Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe (pictured right) caught on video several ACORN representatives giving them advice as to how to get a loan to purchase a house to be used as a brothel whose employees would be under-aged illegal immigrants.

Despite the long list of laws possibly broken by these ACORN representatives, the Baltimore city state's attorneys office is looking into whether or not Giles and O'Keefe violated statutes concerning taping people without their consent.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/09/12/maryland-may-prosecute-acorn-sting-video-makers

[Alpha Mare]

Jessamy will do whatever her Lord and Master tells her to do.      Since taking office Jessamy has created a special gun prosecuting unit, a wiretapping unit, and several community-outreach programs.

[WMD Owl]

It won't fly.  I read the statute, and I don't see where this falls within its scope. 

A couple of "Legal Eagles" on Fox agree as well.

[thundley4]

It won't fly.  I read the statute, and I don't see where this falls within its scope. 

A couple of "Legal Eagles" on Fox agree as well.

I sincerely hope it doesn't.  Wasn't the current law in Maryland passed after the Clinton/Lewinski fiasco?

[miskie]

I love how Obama has brought and spread Gangland Style politics all across the nation - Anytime someone shakes Obama's monkeycage the screams of Vendetta! Vendetta ! can be heard far and wide across the leftist groups and supporters.

It used to just be Racist ! Racist ! but that seems to be losing any value since its become overused. Now they need to resort to stricter measures.

Asshats all.