East St. Louis vote fraud update

Election day in 2004 and the weeks leading up to it were an exciting time in East St. Louis, Illinois, as they had been in previous years.

The longtime tradition of the ESL Democratic party paying voters, supplemented with cigarettes and alcohol, to vote the "right way" was enthusiastically carried out by party chairman Charlie Powell and several others that fall.

Yesterday a federal appeals court affirmed the convictions of those involved with the conspiracy. However, Chairman Powell's sentence was vacated by the court, and he will be re-sentenced. Federal prosecutors claimed the federal district judge misinterpreted the guidelines when he dished out Powell's punishment.

The case heads back to district court, and Powell may end up with a longer prison stay. Currently he's being incarcerated at a federal prison in Marion, Illinois.

Free elections are considered a sacred right of any democracy. Those who violate this benefit of living in such a society deserve a harsh sentence.

H/T to Cal Skinner of the McHenry County Blog.

Related Marathn Pundit ESL vote fraud posts:

E. St. Louis hires two ex-cons with vote buying convictions
East St. Louis vote fraudster found guilty of improper asbestos removal
Convicted vote thief joined by top local Dems at his pre-prison going away party
East St. Louis blues

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Madison County falls from Judicial Hellhole list

The American Tort Reform Association this morning released its annual list of "Judicial Hellholes."

Excessive awards from lawsuits are a drag on our economy, stifle business growth, drives up the cost of health care, and in the end, it is you who ends up paying the bill. Okay, that's my opinion, but I'm not alone in my thoughts.

Here are this year's Hellholes:

South Florida

Rio Grande Valley and Gulf Coast, Texas

Cook County, Illinois

West Virginia

Clark County, Nevada

Atlantic County, New Jersey

But there is some good news, and the ATRA didn't overlook it. Perennial denizen of the Hellhole list, Madison County, Illinois, didn't make the cut. Along with neighboring St. Clair Couny, Madison County is on the 2007 Hellhole watch list.

From the ATRA's press release:

Besides naming two new Judicial Hellholes this year, the biggest headline may be the fact that Madison County, Illinois is no longer a Hellhole," noted ATRA president Sherman "Tiger" Joyce. "In each of the last five years Madison County was cited as a leading Hellhole. But led by Chief Judge Ann Callis and Judge Daniel Stack, the courts there have undertaken several positive reforms which justify moving the county this year to the report's ‘Watch List.'

In 2005, President Bush gave a speech in Madison County and had this to say:

The number of class actions rose 5000% from 1998 to 2003 even though the vast majority of defendants were not actually from Madison County.The proper place for massive class actions is not in local court but in federal court.

But of course the scorecard is mixed in Illinois, since Cook County made the ATRA roll of dishonor.
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E. St. Louis hires two ex-cons with vote buying convictions

Vote fraud is a serious problem in this country, and the bald truth is that most vote fraud is committed by Democrats.

Shortly after the 2004 general election, federal investigators began looking into allegations that the East St. Louis Democratic Party was paying voters $10 to vote "the right way" on election day.

Several East St. Louis officials were convicted fro their roles in the scheme. Two have served their sentence, and have comfortably found work--with the City of East St. Louis.

From WQAD-TV:

Sheila Thomas apparently has been hired recently as a part-time city secretary, and Jesse Lewis was brought on as an inspector in the city's Department of Regulatory Affairs.

Both were sentenced last year to prison for their roles in a scheme to pay local voters to cast ballots in the 2004 general election.

Now, Councilmen Delbert Marion and Roy Mosley say the two betrayed the public trust and shouldn't be back on the city's payroll.

Mayor Alvin Parks says he's all right with the hirings.

Some lucky voters, in addition to receiving cash, also got liquor and cigarettes to exercise their right to vote.

Related Marathon Pundit posts:

East St. Louis vote fraudster found guilty of improper asbestos removal

Convicted vote thief joined by top local Dems at his pre-prison going away party

East St. Louis blues

Hat tip to Cal Skinner at the McHenry County Blog

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ESL vote fraudster found guilty of improper asbestos removal

Well, I broke down in East St. Louis. Tom Waits, The Train Song.

When people commit vote fraud, it's not a difficult leap of logic to assume other crimes may have been committed. Such is the case of Charles Powell Jr.

Earlier this week the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Powell was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for his role in the improper disposal of asbestos of a landmark East St. Louis building. Powell was on the town's city council at the time.

Powell is already is prison for taking part in a vote-buying scheme during the 2004 elections while he was chairman of the East St. Louis Democratic Party.

H/T to Cal Skinner at the McHenry County Blog.

Related Marathon Pundit posts:

Convicted vote thief joined by top local Dems at his pre-prison going away party

Two more in East St. Louis vote-fraud case sentenced

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