Who Has Your Back ? 2013
https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-2013
When you use the Internet, you entrust your conversations, thoughts, experiences, locations, photos, and more to companies like Google, AT&T and Facebook. But what do these companies do when the government demands your private information? Do they stand with you? Do they let you know what’s going on?
j’en profite pour recenser cette nouvelle initiative de l’EFF, the SSD Project
Surveillance Self-Defense
https://ssd.eff.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has created this Surveillance Self-Defense site to educate the American public about the law and technology of government surveillance in the United States, providing the information and tools necessary to evaluate the threat of surveillance and take appropriate steps to defend against it.
Alors que #CISPA a été suspendu au Sénat, et qu’on discute de #CALEA_2 une mise à jour du Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act qui date de 1994
Some technology companies have developed a wiretap capability for some of their services. But a range of communications companies and services are not required to do so under what is known as CALEA, the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. Among those services are social media networks and the chat features on online gaming sites.
Former officials say the challenge for investigators was exacerbated in 2010, when Google began end-to-end encryption of its e-mail and text messages after its networks were hacked. Facebook followed suit. That made it more difficult for the FBI to intercept e-mail by serving a court order on the Internet service provider, whose pipes would carry the encrypted traffic.
The proposal would make clear that CALEA extends to Internet phone calls conducted between two computer users without going through a central company server — what is sometimes called “peer-to-peer” communication. But the heart of the proposal would add a provision to the 1968 Wiretap Act that would allow a court to levy fines.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/proposal-seeks-to-fine-tech-companies-for-noncompliance-with-wiretap-orders/2013/04/28/29e7d9d8-a83c-11e2-b029-8fb7e977ef71_story.html
La maison intelligente : le prochain cauchemar de notre vie privée - ReadWrite
http://readwrite.com/2013/03/18/smart-homes-our-next-digital-privacy-nightmare
La maison hyperconnectée intelligente de demain promet de changer la façon dont nous vivons : consommation énergétique plus efficace, appareils connectés qui communiques entre eux et se pilotent à distance ou de manière autonome, sécurité domestique... L’information disponible dans une maison intelligente peut être vraiment extrêmement détaillée, estime l’EFF. A l’heure de la maison intelligente, un téléphone volé, c’est aussi la télécommande domestique volée. La réflexion à se faire quand on observe ces (...)
Lutte d’’influence pour déterminer la politique numérique du second mandat Obama
http://www.nonfiction.fr/article-6425-lutte_dinfluence_pour_determiner_la_politique_numerique_du_s
<div>Si le débat sur le “fiscal cliff” occupe le devant de la scène médiatique à l’aube du second mandat de Barack Obama, le lobbying sectoriel n’en est pas moins intense à Washington, en particulier dans le domaine des technologies de l’information et de la communication. En pleine cohabitation, les démocrates et les républicains défendent des politiques numériques diamétralement opposées : les premie…
Sign of a saner #mobile #telecom market: European carriers are moving away from handset subsidies - http://gigaom.com/2013/03/18/european-carriers-are-moving-away-from-handset-subsidies-analysts-find
La #cyberguerre #Chine - #USA n’existe pas.
http://www.argotheme.com/organecyberpresse/spip.php?article1648
Qui du #criminel ou du #soldat est #hacker ?
L’appréhension du #piratage #informatique par les #EtatsUnis vient d’être recadrée par la #MaisonBlanche , de manière à définir qui est l’ennemi ? Et qui est le délinquant #anonyme et commun ? Le #staff qui travaille avec le #président #Obama en matière d’ #Internet change de #discours ...
Laura Chick - Former City Controller of Los Angeles - Now Part of Inquiry Into CaliforniaALL
In the midst of the growing controversy over the alleged embezzlement of public funds by California Democratic Party operatives associated with OBAMA FOR AMERICA, a former Los Angeles City Controller associated with the California Democratic Party is now embroiled in a controversy dealing with the alleged embezzlement of public funds through and by means of fraud.
Specifically, Laura Chick of Los Angeles County has recently been identified as a potential player in the financial scheme known as CaliforniaALL following the fortuitous discovery of evidence relating to her involvement with OBAMA FOR AMERICA during the time she served as member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors.
As relevant to this matter, in 2007, various members of the State Bar of California Board of Governors with ties to the Democratic Party/OBAMA FOR AMERICA are accused by the author of knowingly agreeing to establish a non-profit entity (known as CaliforniaALL) which was later misused as a vehicle to absorb funds from utility companies, as well as close to $800,000 from the California Bar Foundation (an entity controlled by the State Bar of California Board of Governors).
As matters presently stand, suspicions exist that Morrison & Foerster attorneys James Brosnahan (the self-proclaimed “mastermind” behind the Democratic Party and member of OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s California Finance Committee), Tony West (OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s Chair of California’s Finance Committee), Chris Young (OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s Northern California Deputy Finance Director; later of Keker & Van Nest), Annette Carnegie (former director of the California Bar Foundation), Kamala Harris (Co-Chair, OBAMA FOR AMERICA and member of CaliforniaALL), Jeffrey Bleich of Munger Tolles (president of the State Bar of California, director of the California Bar Foundation, and founding member and Chair of OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s National Finance Committee), Brad Phillips of Munger Tolles (2007- 2008 Director of the California Bar Foundation which served as a “financial sponsor” to CaliforniaALL on behalf of Verizon Wireless and Southern California Edison, both clients of Munger Tolles & Olson), Mark Parnes of Wilson Sonsini (2007-2008 director and Secretary of the California Bar Foundation), John Roos of Wilson Sonsini (former CEO of Wilson Sonsini and member of OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s National Finance Committee), Steven Churchwell of DLA Piper in Sacramento (Treasurer, draft committee of OBAMA FOR AMERICA; firm where CaliforniaALL resided free of charge), Laura Chick (member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors and OBAMA FOR AMERICA), Jeannine English (member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors), Mark Friedman (elector for Barack Obama; a Sacramento real estate developer once accused of defrauding an Indian tribe out of millions of dollars while conspiring with the tribe’s attorney Howard Dickstein - spouse of Jeannine English) and Freada Klein Kapor (member of the board of directors of CaliforniaALL; OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s phone bank was located at The Kapor Center) all participated in a sophisticated financial scheme to misuse all or part of the “hush-hush” $780,000 originating from the California Bar Foundation to improperly benefit OBAMA FOR AMERICA via a separate foundation created ad hoc by Susan Mac Cormac and Eric Tate of Morrison & Foerster known as CaliforniaALL.
In 2007, Ruthe Catolico Ashley served as member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors alongside Jeffrey Bleich, and came up with the idea to create CaliforniaALL during a meeting with Sarah Redfield and Peter Arth, (the assistant to CPUC President Michael Peevey).
CaliforniaALL was conveniently housed free of charge at the offices of DLA Piper in Sacramento, alongside the draft committee of OBAMA FOR AMERICA, where Steve Churchwell of DLA Piper in Sacramento served as Treasurer of the draft committee of OBAMA FOR AMERICA.
Subsequent to the election of Barack Obama, CaliforniaALL was dissolved.
Other then collecting close to $2 million directly from utility companies (including the “hush-hush” transfer of $774,247, comprised of one installment of $5000 and another contribution of $769,247 from the Foundation which was never mentioned in the Foundation’s “newsroom” or by any other of its publications such as the California Bar Journal or by any of the newsletters and alerts published by CaliforniaALL), CaliforniaALL appears to have been be a sham, phantom entity from its inception in 2008 to the day it began to slowly be dissolved in approximately 2009, subsequent to the election of Barack Obama as president of the U.S.
Its only alleged achievement was providing some money for the creation of the Saturday Academy of Law at UC Irvine (“SALUCI”) in approximately 2008-2009. Here too vast and intense suspicious circumstances exist as the funds from CaliforniaALL actually went to the UC Irvine Foundation, where the present executive director of the State Bar of California (Senator Joe Dunn) serves as a member of the audit committee, and it turns out that the SALUCI was actually already created in 2005 and was fully operational before CaliforniaALL arrived on the scene. In addition, some records seem to indicate that Verizon Wireless funneled the money directly to SALUCI , while CaliforniaALL took the credit."
Laura Chick’s Wikipedia profile states that she also served as California’s Inspector General overseeing the state’s spending of $85 billion of Federal Recovery Act funding. Chick was appointed to the newly created position by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in April 2009 and the office was terminated by Governor Jerry Brown in December 2010.
Sacramento Developer with Ties to UC Davis MIND Institute Embroiled in New Controversy
In the midst of the growing controversy over the alleged embezzlement of public funds by California Democratic Party operatives associated with OBAMA FOR AMERICA, a Sacramento real estate developer once accused of defrauding an Indian tribe out of millions of dollars while conspiring with the tribe’s attorney (Howard Dickstein), is now embroiled in a separate controversy dealing with the alleged embezzlement of public funds through and by means of fraud while conspiring with the wife of Howard Dickstein — Sacramento-based lobbyist Jeannine English.
Specifically, Mark Friedman of Sacramento-based Fulcrum Property Group — an Electoral for Barack Obama — has recently been identified as a potential player in the financial scheme known as CaliforniaALL following the fortuitous discovery of evidence relating to his accountant, Alison Turner of Alison Turner & Associates.
As relevant to this matter, in 2007, various members of the State Bar of California Board of Governors with ties to the Democratic Party/OBAMA FOR AMERICA are accused of knowingly agreeing to establish a non-profit entity (known as CaliforniaALL) which was later misused as a vehicle to absorb funds from utility companies, as well as close to $800,000 from the California Bar Foundation (an entity controlled by the State Bar of California Board of Governors).
As matters presently stand, suspicions exist that Morrison & Foerster attorneys James Brosnahan (the self-proclaimed “mastermind” behind the Democratic Party and member of OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s California Finance Committee), Tony West (OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s Chair of California’s Finance Committee), Chris Young (OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s Northern California Deputy Finance Director), Annette Carnegie (former director of the California Bar Foundation), Kamala Harris (Co-Chair, OBAMA FOR AMERICA and member of CaliforniaALL), Jeffrey Bleich of Munger Tolles (president of the State Bar of California, director of the California Bar Foundation, and founding member and Chair of OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s National Finance Committee), Brad Phillips of Munger Tolles (2007- 2008 Director of the California Bar Foundation which served as a “financial sponsor” to CaliforniaALL on behalf of Verizon Wireless and Southern California Edison, both clients of Munger Tolles & Olson), Mark Parnes of Wilson Sonsini (2007-2008 director and Secretary of the California Bar Foundation), John Roos of Wilson Sonsini (former CEO of Wilson Sonsini and member of OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s National Finance Committee), Steven Churchwell of DLA Piper in Sacramento (Treasurer, draft committee of OBAMA FOR AMERICA; firm where CaliforniaALL resided free of charge), Laura Chick (member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors and OBAMA FOR AMERICA), and Freada Klein Kapor (member of the board of directors of CaliforniaALL; OBAMA FOR AMERICA’s phone bank was located at The Kapor Center) all participated in a sophisticated financial scheme to misuse all or part of the “hush-hush” $780,000 originating from the California Bar Foundation to improperly benefit OBAMA FOR AMERICA via a separate foundation created ad hoc by Susan Mac Cormac and Eric Tate of Morrison & Foerster known as CaliforniaALL.
In 2007, Ruthe Catolico Ashley served as member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors alongside Jeffrey Bleich, and came up with the idea to create CaliforniaALL during a meeting with Sarah Redfield and Peter Arth, (the assistant to CPUC President Michael Peevey).
CaliforniaALL was conveniently housed free of charge at the offices of DLA Piper in Sacramento, alongside the draft committee of OBAMA FOR AMERICA, where Steve Churchwell of DLA Piper in Sacramento served as Treasurer of the draft committee of OBAMA FOR AMERICA.
Subsequent to the election of Barack Obama, CaliforniaALL was dissolved.
Other then collecting close to $2 million directly from utility companies (including the “hush-hush” transfer of $774,247, comprised of one installment of $5000 and another contribution of $769,247 from the Foundation which was never mentioned in the Foundation’s “newsroom” or by any other of its publications such as the California Bar Journal or by any of the newsletters and alerts published by CaliforniaALL), CaliforniaALL appears to have been be a sham, phantom entity from its inception in 2008 to the day it began to slowly be dissolved in approximately 2009, subsequent to the election of Barack Obama as president of the U.S. Its only alleged achievement was providing some money for the creation of the Saturday Academy of Law at UC Irvine (“SALUCI”) in approximately 2008-2009. Here too vast and intense suspicious circumstances exist as the funds from CaliforniaALL actually went to the UC Irvine Foundation, where the present executive director of the State Bar of California (Senator Joe Dunn) serves as a member of the audit committee, and it turns out that the SALUCI was actually already created in 2005 and was fully operational before CaliforniaALL arrived on the scene. In addition, some records seem to indicate that Verizon Wireless funneled the money directly to SALUCI , while CaliforniaALL took the credit.
Il sous-traite son emploi en Chine pour surfer sur le net | Quand les salariés utilisent la mondialisation.
http://yahoo.skynet.be/actualites/people/article/944963/sous-traite-son-emploi-chine-pour-surfer-sur-net
« Bob » était l’ingénieur informatique le plus apprécié de son entreprise aux Etats-Unis, qui travaillait bien et terminait toujours à l’heure ; sauf que Bob sous-traitait son travail à une entreprise chinoise pendant qu’il passait ses journées à surfer sur internet.
La délocalisation, ça paye :
http://www.courrierinternational.com/chronique/2013/01/17/employes-levez-le-pied-delocalisez-votre-travail-en-chine
Adieu cadences infernales ! Pour se la couler douce au turbin, un employé américain a délocalisé son propre emploi en Chine. Pendant que son sous-traitant s’échinait à Shenyang, « Bob », programmeur chez l’opérateur Verizon, surfait sur les réseaux sociaux. Le stratagème a été découvert lorsque le groupe a mis en place un VPN (réseau virtuel sécurisé) pour que l’équipe puisse télétravailler, rapporte The Register. L’analyse du trafic a montré des connexions régulières au serveur principal de la société depuis Shenyang, avec les identifiants de Bob.
As public service to the community, staff members of The Leslie Report shall publish a copy of a complaint YR submitted to the IRS, below:
August 31, 2012
Internal Revenue Service
Exempt Organizations Unit
1100 Commerce St.
Dallas, TX 75242-1198
Re: A referral for noncompliance with tax laws against exempt organizations Edison International Foundation EIN:95-4383002; Southern California Edison Co Veba Represented Trust Ein: 95-4372790; Southern California Edison Co Veba Non Represented Trust EIN: 95-4372792
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT:
In lieu of using IRS Form 13909 (Tax-Exempt Organization Referral Form), please consider this communication a formal complaint (referral) against Rosemead, California-based Edison International , Southern California Edison; Edison International Foundation EIN:95-4383002; Southern California Edison Co Veba Represented Trust Ein: 95-4372790; Southern California Edison Co Veba Non Represented Trust EIN: 95-4372792.
On August 22, 2012 Edison International (“EIX”) and Southern California Edison (“SCE” — collectively, “Edison”) were duly served with a request for production of IRS Form 990, Form 990 Schedule A, and Form 1023. (See Exhibit 1.)
Specifically, the request stated in part: “Please consider this communication a formal request to SCE and EIX (including, but not limited to, all subsidiaries and foundations owned and maintained by SCE/EIX) to produce their IRS Form 990, Form 990 Schedule A, as well Form 1023. ”
In a letter dated August 30, 2012 (see attachment), Edison (through their senior attorney Allan D. Johnson) informed me that they will not comply with the request. Edison wrote: “EIX and SCE are unaware of any authority that would obligate them to produce these documents to you.” Furthermore, Edison also wrote: “Neither EIX nor SCE plan to take any further action in response to your request.”
In view of Edison’s anticipatory failure to comply, the undersigned reluctantly makes this referral.
INTRODUCTION:
Close to one year ago, I fortuitously stumbled upon unusually large and highly peculiar financial transactions in conjunction with what appeared to me to be clear attempts to conceal and mislead involving the California Bar Foundation, CaliforniaALL, as well as utility companies Southern California Edison, PG&E, AT&T, Sempra, and Verizon.
In my opinion, and based on the information I’ve discovered, it appears that funds were misappropriated and/or laundered through the misuse of non-profit entities California Bar Foundation and CaliforniaALL. Although other potential explanations certainly exist, based on these individuals’ involvement in the “OBAMA FOR AMERICA” 2008 presidential campaign, one likely possibility is that funds originating from utility companies were unlawfully misdirected to that campaign by representatives of those utility companies (i.e. Edison International, Southern California Edison) who supported then Senator Barack Obama in hope he would expand the Smart-Grid and clean energy initiatives.
INTRODUCTION OF ACTORS:
1. AMBASSADOR JEFFREY BLEICH — Mr. Bleich served as a director with the Foundation in approximately 2007-2008, as well as president of the State Bar of California.
In 2007, Mr. Bleich established “OBAMA FOR AMERICA” National Finance Committee and served as its Chair.
He is a personal friend of President Obama, who served as President Obama’s personal attorney and subsequently was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to Australia. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Mr. Bleich was a partner with the San Francisco office of Munger Tolles & Olson, which represents clients Edison International, Southern California Edison, and Verizon Wireless.
Out of close to 230,000 lawyers in California, also serving as a director with the California Bar Foundation in approximately 2007-2008 was another attorney from Munger Tulles Olsen, Mr. Bradley Phillips. Presently, Ms. Mary Ann Todd (also of Munger Tolles & Olson) and Richard Tom of Southern California Edison are directors with the California Bar Foundation.
2. DEREK ANTHONY WEST OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE — Mr. West, who goes by the name “Tony West,” presently serves as third in command within the Department of Justice below Eric Holder and Lanny Breuer.
Around 2007-2008, Mr. Tony West also served as Chair of the “California Finance Committee” of “OBAMA FOR AMERICA.”
Prior to joining the DOJ, Mr. West was a partner at the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster, the law firm which assisted with the legal aspects of creating CaliforniaALL.
Along with attorneys Raj Chaterjee and Susan Mac Cormac, Mr. West was part of senior partner James Brosnahan’s clique. For example, it was Brosnahan, West, and Chaterjee who defended John Walker Lindh, who is more widely known as the “American Taliban.” (It should be noted that it was actually Mr. Brosnahan who initially agreed to the representation since he knows Lindh’s father — Frank Lindh — who served as in-house Chief Legal Counsel at PG&E; Mr. Lindh is presently the Chief Legal Counsel of the CPUC.)
Mr. West is married to Maya Harris, sister of Kamala Harris, who was part of CaliforniaALL.
3. STEVEN CHURCHWELL OF DLA PIPER — Mr. Churchwell is a partner at the Sacramento office of DLA Piper, where non-profit CaliforniaALL was housed free of charge. Churchwell served as Treasurer, draft committee of “OBAMA FOR AMERICA” — also housed at the Sacramento offices of DLA Piper, adjacent to its roommate — CaliforniaALL.
DLA Piper represents client Sempra Energy which owns San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E).
4. RON OLSON OF MUNGER TOLLES & OLSON — Mr. Olson is a partner with the Los Angeles office of Munger Tolles & Olson, which represents clients Edison International, Southern California Edison, and Verizon Wireless. In addition to representing Edison, Olson is also a board member of Edison International and Southern California Edison, as well as the board of Berkshire Hathaway, City National Corporation, The Washington Post Company, Western Asset Trusts, RAND Corporation, the Mayo Clinic, and the Council of Foreign Relations.
As of 2008, in-house general counsel for Edison International and Southern California Edison is Mr. Robert Adler — former managing partner of Munger Tolles & Olson.
Around 2007-2008, Ron Olson was also part of “OBAMA FOR AMERICA.”
5. JAMES J. BROSNAHAN OF MORRISON & FOERSTER – Mr. Brosnahan is presently a senior partner at the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster.
He considers himself to be the “mastermind behind the Democratic Party.” CaliforniaALL was created by Morrison & Foerster, under the supervision of Mr. Brosnahan (known as the prosecutor of Caspar Weinberger). Specifically Susan Mac Cormac and Eric Tate assisted with the legal aspects of creating the entity. Mr. Brosnahan represented utility companies during California’s energy crisis (which Joe Dunn, Martha Escutia, and Geoffrey Brown were investigating) opposite Thomas Girardi.
Later, Dunn, Escutia, Brosnahan, and Girardi launched the online publication known as Voice of OC.
6. CHRISTOPHER JACOB YOUNG OF KEKER & VAN NEST — Mr. Young, commonly known as “Chris Young,” is currently listed on the State Bar of California’s database as an associate with Keker & Van Nest. Around 2007-2008, Mr. Young was an associate at Morrison & Foerster.
Around 2007-2008, Mr. Young served as “Northern California Deputy Finance Director” for “OBAMA FOR AMERICA.”
As noted above, State Bar of California records still show that Chris Young is an employee of Keker & Van Nest. However, very recently, Keker & Van Nest ( at the direction of partners John Keker and Jon Streeter, who also worked on the 2008 campaign as a “bundler” and is presently a director with the Foundation) abruptly removed Chris Young’s name from its web-site.
7. ANNETTE CARNEGIE — Ms. Carnegie is presently employed at the Kaiser Foundation. Around 2007-2008, she was a partner at Morrison & Foerster and served as a director of the California Bar Foundation. In 2008, the Foundation poured into CaliforniaALL the large sum of $774,247; by comparison, most other donations were around $10,000 to $20,000. As shown below, the transfer of said money appears to be imbued with fraud and secrecy, especially in connection with four utility companies (Verizon, PG&E, Edison, and AT&T).
8. KAMALA HARRIS — In around 2007-2008, Ms. Harris served as the District Attorney in San Francisco while at the same time she was also Co-Chair of “OBAMA FOR AMERICA.” Ms. Harris was part of CaliforniaALL’s “Advisory Council.” She is the sister of Maya Harris, who is married to Tony West. Media reports provide that parliamentarian Willie Brown served as mentor to both Tony West and Kamala Harris, and was Ms. Harris’s paramour. John Keker of Keker & Van Nest (known as the prosecutor of Oliver North) is also considered to be a “mentor” of Kamala Harris. (Incidentally, State Bar of California Board of Governor member Gwen Moore — also a “mentee” of Willie Brown — was honored by CaliforniaALL at a lavish dinner in a Sacramento hotel. Parliamentarian Moore is no stranger to your agency, having been the target of a sting operation known as Shrimpscam.)
9. OPHELIA BASGAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (“HUD”) — In around 2007-2008 , Ms. Basgal was Vice President of Civic Partnership and Community Initiatives at PG&E, where she managed the company’s $18 million charitable contributions program, and oversaw its community engagement programs and partnerships with community-based organizations. Separately, around that time she surprisingly served as “Treasurer” with the “California Supreme Court Historical Society.” In that role, she presumably had contact with many judges, including those who were handling matters dealing with PG&E, such as Justice (Ret.) Joseph Grodin who acted as the mediator in a case Attorney General Bill Lockyer advanced against PG&E, which Jerry Brown (cousin of Geoffrey Brown) later dismissed in his capacity as the new Attorney General for California.
Ms. Basgal served as a director of CaliforniaALL.
10. VICTOR MIRMAONTES — Mr. Victor Miramontes, a resident of San Antonio, TX and business partner of former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros in an entity known as CityView, was the chairman of CaliforniaALL.
Mr. Miramontes has various connections to Orange County, and is otherwise familiar with its various legal circles.
11. SARAH E. REDFIELD — Ms. Redfield is presently a professor at the University of New Hampshire School of Law, and served as the interim director of CaliforniaALL. Events surrounding Redfield, as shown below, also appear to be imbued with fraud and deceit, and it appears her role was to create a subterfuge to justify the existence of CaliforniaALL. Since CaliforniaALL’s main achievement was the purported creation of a “Saturday Academy of Law” at UC Irvine (“SALUCI”), Ms. Redfield pretended to have engaged in Requests for Proposals (“RFP”), as well as falsely claiming that she “launched” SALUCI. For her services as interim executive director and an alleged consultant of CaliforniaALL, Professor Redfield was paid approximately $160,000 as an “independent contractor.” She gave very little, if anything, in return for the $160,000 she was paid. In fact, she took credit for the extremely hard work of others, especially that of Rob Vacario of Santa Ana who co-founded SALUCI several years earlier.
12. JUDY JOHNSON – Ms. Johnson is the former Executive Director of the State Bar of California. Ms. Johnson (along with Robert Hawley and Starr Babcock) is no stranger to financial schemes. For the past 8 years, she has been quietly serving as the president of an entity with a misleading name (California Consumer Protection Foundation AKA “CCPF”). This entity absorbed close to $30 million in class action cy pres awards, as well as fines and settlements imposed by the CPUC on utility companies. CCPF forwarded those funds to mostly questionable ACORN-like entities in South Los Angeles or to an entity headed by Michael Shames known as UCAN — presently under federal grand jury investigation in San Diego. It appears that Ms. Johnson used her position as executive director of the State Bar of California (which is supposed to supervise and discipline lawyers) as “clout” to obtain cy pres awards from the settlement of class actions prosecuted and defended by various law firms in courts and before the CPUC. In addition, while never prosecuted for the scheme, some have speculated that Johnson and cohorts Hawley (whom Johnson labeled the “Wizard of OZ”) and Babcock were “in” on a financial scheme perpetrated by former State Bar employee Sharon Pearl, who was lightly prosecuted by then-attorney general Jerry Brown, cousin of Geoffrey Brown.
Ms. Johnson was part of CaliforniaALL’s Advisory Council and was responsible for maintaining secrecy over the project by misleading the public, including a quadriplegic law-student, litigant Sara Granda.
13. RUTHE CATOLICO ASHLEY — Ms. Ashley is a former employee of McGeorge School of Law who later served as a “Diversity Officer” at Cal PERS. Ms. Ashley also served as member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors alongside Mr. Bleich, and came up with the idea to create CaliforniaALL during a meeting with Sarah Redfield and Peter Arth, Jr. (the assistant to CPUC President Michael Peevey). After CaliforniaALL came into existence, Ms. Ashley, after a simulated search, was selected to serve as CaliforniaALL’s executive director.
14. SONIA GONZALES — Ms. Gonzales presently serves as the Foundation’s executive director as of earlier this year, after the former executive director (Ms. Leslie Hatamyia) suddenly quit. Ms. Gonzales is a close friend and confidante of Ms. Maya Harris, the wife of Mr. Tony West.
She presently serves the same function as current Foundation directors Mary Ann Todd of Munger Tolles & Olson, Jon Streeter of Keker & Van Nest, Douglas Winthrop of Howard Rice, Richard Tom of Southern California Edison, and Raj Chatterjee of Morrison & Foerster.
15. JOE DUNN — Mr. Dunn is the creator of online publication “Voice of OC” – Orange County’s Nonprofit Investigative News Agency. He is also a Trustee of the UCI Foundation (an entity which obtained funds from a separate charitable entity known as CaliforniaALL (FEIN Number 51-0656213). Presently, Dunn serves as Executive Director of the State Bar of California – an entity which also controls and maintains a foundation known as the California Bar Foundation. The California Bar Foundation very quietly transferred close to $780,000 to CaliforniaALL. Previously, In his role as a politician and business partner of Martha Escutia, Dunn was involved in matters relating to utility companies operating in California.
16 . GEOFFREY BROWN – a former commissioner with the CPUC and former board member of the California Bar Foundation. While at the CPUC, Brown was the assigned commissioner in the application Edison International/ Southern California Edison — owners of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) – submitted to the CPUC for authorization: (1) to replace SONGS 2 & 3 steam generators; (2) establish ratemaking for cost recovery; and (3) address other related steam generator replacement issues.
Messrs. Geoffrey Brown, Michael Peevey, and Peter Arth were also involved in countless proceedings involving California energy crisis. Those proceedings were mainly litigated by the law offices of Munger Tolles & Olson (representing Southern California Edison), Morrison & Foerster, Keker & Van Nest (representing PG&E), DLA Piper (representing Sempra Energy — owner of San Diego Gas & Electric). At times, said proceedings concluded in settlements worth billions of dollars.
Previously, I asked the State Bar of California to investigate this matter. Within a few hours of sending the request, Geoffrey Brown sent me a demand to cease and desist from insisting that he had done anything wrong under threat of litigation. In essence, Brown wanted me to ignore the circumstances dealing with the fact that he was both a CPUC Commissioner and a Director with the Foundation when it quietly made the largest grant in its history to an entity that was conceived by CPUC’s Peter Arth to absorb hundreds of thousands of dollars from utility companies.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND:
In approximately 2007, Ruthe Catolico Ashley — an attorney from Sacramento and a member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors — was employed by Cal PERS as a “Diversity Officer.” Prior to her employment with Cal PERS, Ms. Ashley was employed as a career counsel at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. While at McGeorge, Ms. Ashley met diversity expert Sarah Redfield. At that time, Jeffrey Bleich of Munger Tolles & Olson was serving as President of the State Bar. Both Bleich and Ashley are politically active, and were supporting the 2008 campaign of Barack Obama for President. Ruthe Ashley was involved in the Asian-Americans for Obama branch in Sacramento.
In April 2007, Ashley and Sarah Redfield were urged to meet Peter Arth, Jr. of the California Public Utilities Commission at a restaurant in San Francisco. During that meeting, the idea to create CaliforniaALL (initially named CaAAL or CaALL) was conceived. Eventually, Cal PERS, the CPUC, and the State Bar of California endorsed in principle the creation of CaliforniaALL – a Section 501(c)(3) entity that would raise funds to be used to support a more diverse workforce in California.
At that time, both Ashley and Redfield were also part of the State Bar of California’s Council on Fairness and Access, as well as a separate project by the State Bar of California known as The Diversity Pipeline Task Force, through which both presumably amassed vast amounts of data and information on the topic of diversity pipeline projects.
Subsequent to the meeting with Peter Arth, on June 26, 2007 State Bar BOG member Ruthe Catolico Ashley and Patricia Lee presented to the entire BOG a proposal (see ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48713393/1-In-June-26-2007-Member-of-State-Bar-Board-of-Governors-Ruthe-Ashley-Presen ) urging the BOG to support the creation of California Aspire Achieve Lead Pipeline Project (CaAAL), later named CaliforniaALL.
For reasons that are not clear to me, Jeffrey Bleich saw fit to call an urgent, emergency-like meeting of the State Bar of California Board of Governors, Committee on Operations in order to appoint Peter Arth of the CPUC as member of the State Bar of California’s Council on Fairness and Access. See: http://www.scribd.com/doc/103136304/2nd-Upload-of-Document-Peter-Arth-Assistant-of-CPUC-s-Michael-Peevey-Emergen
Papers were filed with both state and federal agencies to allow CaliforniaALL to operate as a tax exempt entity. Victor Miramontes listed himself as Chairman of the Board, and Sarah E. Redfield served as CaliforniaALL’s interim executive director for a period of 6 months. Serving as CaliforniaALL’s legal counsel were Susan Mac Cormac and Eric Tate of Morrison & Foerster.
Despite the fact that she served as interim executive director, and despite the fact that it was a given that Ruthe Catolico Ashley would be hired as the permanent CEO, Sarah Redfield nevertheless apparently engaged in an RFP (request for proposal) which was closed just as quickly as it started even before Ms. Ashley was hired as the permanent CEO.
CaliforniaALL’s web site (www.calall.org) stated:
“Saturday Law Academy RFP
PLEASE NOTE:
The application process for this RFP is closed. Please contact Sarah Redfield at sarah.redfield@gmail.com or (207) 752-1721.
RFP PROPOSAL INFORMATION
California ALL seeks proposals to implement its law career pathway starting with the 2008-09 academic year (AY).
The following and attached document describes a program area in which California ALL has particular interest based on its initial research. An additional RFP will follow for college level prelaw work. Self generated proposal for other parts of the pipeline will also be considered, and another round of RFPs is possible. California ALL has not attached a specific dollar amount to the RFP, though cost effectiveness and the presence of a competitive match will be part of its consideration. California ALL has some funding in hand from a generous grant from Verizon for the Saturday Academy and intends to seek additional funding as needed to support programs selected. It is anticipated that funding will be provided for year one of the (3 year) proposal, with following years contingent on successful completion of the prior year(s). ”
The California Attorney General RCT reflects that CaliforniaALL obtained its “Charity” status on March 14, 2008 (FEIN Number 510656213). The address for CaliforniaALL is listed as 400 Capitol Mall, Suite 2400, Sacramento, California. This is actually the address of the law firm of DLA Piper, where CaliforniaALL resided free of charge courtesy of partner Steven Churchwell – an attorney specialized in the representation of political entities.
CaliforniaALL’s 2008 tax-return shows an expense of around $16,000 for “occupancy.” See ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48714110/6-CaliforniaALL-2008-Tax-Return
In June 2008, after a nationwide search and aided by a pro bono head-hunting firm in its search for a permanent CEO, CaliforniaALL not surprisingly hired Ruthe Catolico Ashley as its chief executive officer. (See Press Release ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48717715/5-California-ALL-Announces-Hiring-of-Ruthe-Ashley-as-CEO-on-June-4-2008 )
As the purpose of CaliforniaALL was to transfer funds forward, it did so by awarding small grants to the UCI Foundation (FEIN Number 952540117), where State Bar of California executive director Joe Dunn serves as trustee and chair of the Audit Committee, for the purported purpose of establishing a Saturday Law Academy at UC Irvine known as SALUCI.
Sarah Redfield’s CV, which states (falsely) that she launched SALUCI, can be found at: ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48772426/10-Resume-CV-of-University-of-New-Hampshire-School-of-Law-Professor-Sarah-E-
In September 2009, Ruthe Catolico Ashley exited CaliforniaALL (►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48713268/7-Ruthe-Ashley-Announces-Departure-from-CaliforniaALL-in-September-of-2009 ), the entity which she previously proclaimed to Diane Curtis that it “will change the face of the future in the workplace and of our leaders,” “will be a model for other states,” and “is here to stay for the foreseeable future.”
Ultimately, the following events prompted me to ask Voice of OC to make its tax returns available for my review, as required by IRS regulations: the sham RFP by Sarah Redfield, who pre-selected the UCI Foundation as the only recipient of funds from CaliforniaALL; Joe Dunn served as chair of the UCI Foundation audit committee; in September 2009 Ruthe Ashley abruptly exited CaliforniaALL; in September 2009 Joe Dunn (together with his business partner Martha Escutia, James Brosnahan — who created CaliforniaALL, and Thomas Girardi of In Re Girardi, Erin Brokovich, and the one who James Towery appointed his personal attorney (Jerome Falk of Howard Rice) to act as special prosecutor against him) launched an online “news agency” known as Voice of OC. I also suspected that James Brosnahan of Morrison & Foerster (who represented various utility companies during California’s energy crisis) may have engaged in a scheme with Joe Dunn, as Dunn was the person investigating those utility companies and California’s energy crisis. In fact, Dunn was discredited by the media for claiming that he was the one who “cracked” Enron.
Voice of OC ignored my request for its tax records, whereupon I filed a complaint with the IRS. To date, I have not received a response from the IRS indicating that it has taken any steps to help me obtain those much needed records and impose the appropriate sanctions against Voice of OC.
Nevertheless, I continued with the inquiry as large pieces of the puzzle were missing. Later, when Mr. Tony West was appointed third in command at the DOJ, I learned of his identity due to wide media coverage and his association with Morrison & Forester and James Brosnahan. From there, it became harder to ignore the common denominator of “OBAMA FOR AMERICA” involving James Brosnahan, Tony West, Chris Young, Annette Carnegie, and Susan Mac Cormac (of Morrison & Foerster) Geoffrey Bleich, Ron Olson (of Munger Tolles & Olson) Steven Churchwell ( of DLA Piper) in conjunction with Kamala Harris — which is that money originating from utility companies was misappropriated or laundered through the California Bar Foundation / CaliforniaALL to the campaign of “OBAMA FOR AMERICA.”
Other then collecting close to $2 million directly from utility companies (including the “hush-hush” transfer of $774,247, comprised of one installment of $5000 and another contribution of $769,247 from the Foundation which was never mentioned in the Foundation’s “newsroom” or by any other of its publications such as the California Bar Journal or by any of the newsletters and alerts published by CaliforniaALL), CaliforniaALL appears to have been be a sham, phantom entity from its inception in 2008 to the day it began to slowly be dissolved in approximately 2009, subsequent to the election of Barack Obama as president of the U.S. Its only alleged achievement was providing some money for the creation of the Saturday Academy of Law at UC Irvine (“SALUCI”) in approximately 2008-2009. Here too vast and intense suspicious circumstances exist as the funds from CaliforniaALL actually went to the UC Irvine Foundation, where the present executive director of the State Bar of California (Senator Joe Dunn) serves as a member of the audit committee, and it turns out that the SALUCI was actually already created in 2005 and was fully operational before CaliforniaALL arrived on the scene. In addition, some records seem to indicate that Verizon Wireless funneled the money directly to SALUCI , while CaliforniaALL took the credit.
Specifically, the Foundation reported to the IRS that REVENUE LESS EXPENSES in 2007 equaled plus +$373.842.00. However, in 2008, the Foundation reported to the IRS that REVENUE LESS EXPENSES equaled minus -$537,712. In its 2008 Annual Report (See page 9 : ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48712884/3-2008-Annual-Report-of-Foundation-of-the-State-Bar-of-California-Foundation ), the Foundation alludes to CaliforniaALL by stating:
“In 2007-2008, the Foundation supported the launching of CaliforniaALL and, as the project filed for incorporation and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, served as CaliforniaALL’s fiscal sponsor. A collaboration between the California Public Employment Retirement System, the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Department of Insurance, and the State Bar of California, CaliforniaALL was created in an effort to close the achievement gap among California students from preschool to the profession and, specifically, to bolster the pipeline of young people of diverse backgrounds headed for careers in law, financial services, and technology. Once CaliforniaALL obtained its tax-exempt status and was able to function as a fully independent nonprofit organization, the foundation granted the balance of funds raised for the project – totaling $769,247 – to the new entity.”
Also cleverly buried in the California Bar Foundation’s 2008 annual report was the following sentence :
“We thank the following corporations for their gifts in support of CaliforniaALL:
AT & T
Edison International
PG & E Corporation Foundation
Verizon”
See page 24 : ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48712884/3-2008-Annual-Report-of-Foundation-of-the-State-Bar-of-California-Foundation
While I was able to ascertain from California Bar Foundation’s tax records an “exit” of the $774,247 in 2008 (the apparent source of which was allegedly the above-referenced 4 utility companies), I was unable to ascertain when and where the Foundation reported to the IRS — either in 2008 or 2007 or 2006 or 2005 — an “entry” of those funds which it allegedly held in trust for CaliforniaALL.
(Later, Jill Sperber of the State Bar of California, in a letter she sent to me dated July 28, 2011 claimed that “….No State Bar or California Bar Foundation funds were used for CaliforniaALL creation…The California Bar Foundation served as CaliforniaALL’s escrow holder only to hold fundraising funds before its formal incorporation… Once CaliforniaALL was formed as a non-profit entity, the funds were paid over to it…”
Most troubling, however, is the fact that Verizon did not report to the IRS either in 2007 or 2008 that it had contributed any money to the California Bar Foundation or CaliforniaALL. See :
►http://www.scribd.com/doc/102325087/Verizon-Foundation-IRS-990-Year-2007
►http://www.scribd.com/doc/102325330/Verizon-Foundation-IRS-990-Year-2008
As such, several days ago, on August 22, 2012, in search of the truth, Edison was duly served with a request for production of IRS Form 990, Form 990 Schedule A, and Form 1023. On August 30, 2012 Edison stated that it does not plan to comply with the request.
In view of the above, I urge you to investigate this matter to determine whether Edison’s refusal violated IRS rules and regulations. I ask that you impose appropriate sanctions against any and all involved, if supported by the results of your investigation.
I look forward to your response. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need additional information.
The eternal fight between carriers and proprietary software editors never gets old - this episode is only the latest: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Verizon-s-Windows-Phone-8-Devices-Could-Be-Delayed-or-Cancelled-2997 - One of the main reasons for the success of Android is that with free software there is no such rivalry - the carrier does whatever it pleases with the phones it sells.
Verizon draws fire for monitoring app usage, browsing habits | Politics and Law - CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57533001-38/verizon-draws-fire-for-monitoring-app-usage-browsing-habits
“We’re able to view just everything that they do,” Bill Diggins, U.S. chief for the #Verizon Wireless marketing initiative, told an industry conference earlier this year. “And that’s really where #data is going today. Data is the new oil.”
Mike Gurstein’s comments on The ITU/WCIT reports : Thinking About Internet Regulatory Policy From An LDC Perspective ?
http://gurstein.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/the-ituwcit-thinking-about-internet-regulatory-policy-from-an-ld
Gurstein qualifie ces 2 rapports de l’ITU et du WCIT de téléologiques. Etonnant ?
I should say that both of these reports are very interesting and contain a wealth of good information, however, the problem that I have with them and particularly the second report is that it so clearly starts off with its policy conclusion and builds a case to support this.
Copyright Scofflaws Beware : ISPs to Begin Monitoring Illicit File Sharing | Threat Level | Wired
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/10/isp-file-sharing-monitoring
la future #hadopi américaine a l’air encore plus compliquée que la française :)
The nation’s major internet service providers by year’s end will institute a so-called six-strikes plan, the “Copyright Alert System” initiative backed by the Obama administration and pushed by Hollywood and the major record labels to disrupt and possibly terminate internet access for online copyright scofflaws.
The plan, now four years in the making, includes participation by AT&T, Cablevision Systems, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon. After four offenses, the historic plan calls for these residential internet providers to initiate so-called “mitigation measures” (.pdf) that might include reducing internet speeds and redirecting a subscriber’s service to an “educational” landing page about infringement.
TIMELINE — January 2011: CaliforniaALL’s Freada Klein Kapor’s Level Playing Field Institute Receives Grant from Verizon
543 Howard Street, 5th floor San Francisco, CA 94105
T 415-946-3030 F 415-946-3001 WWW.LPFI.ORG
Media Contacts
Level Playing Field Institute
Heather Barber
+415 946 3080
heather@lpfi.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Level Playing Field Institute’s SMASH Academy Receives Grant from Verizon
San Francisco, January 10, 2011 – Level Playing Field Institute is the recipient of a $30,000 grant from The Verizon Foundation,the philanthropic arm of Verizon, to support its Summer Math and Science Honors Academy (SMASH) on the UC Berkeley and Stanford campuses, and its year-round Communications and Social Technology program (SMASHCAST) for SMASH scholars.
SMASH provides high-achieving, low-income, high school students of color with three years of rigorous science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) summer courses and year-round academic and mentoring support.
SMASH prepares young scholars to excel in STEM fields so that they can enter and succeed in selective colleges and graduate schools. “I am thrilled that Verizon shares our belief in the urgency of providing high achieving students of color with access to challenging STEM coursework, specifically preparing them for high-tech careers of the future," said Level Playing Field Institute Executive Director Robert Schwartz, Ed.D. “Our partnership will help close the opportunity gap for hundreds of African American, Latino/a, Native American, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander students who show great promise to be our future technology leaders.”
The students selected for SMASH have strong aptitude for STEM subjects and are often among the top students at their high schools. Nevertheless, because of a lack of resources both at school and home to prepare them for college, they face significant barriers to navigate a path to genuine academic achievement and learning. With this important support from Verizon, SMASH scholars receive the education and access to technology resources that allow them to compete with students from more advantageous circumstances.
About SMASH Academy (www.lpfi.org/smash)
The Summer Math & Science Honors Academy began on the UC Berkeley campus in 2004 to close the STEM opportunity gap for students of color. Currently serving more than 200 scholars and alumni, SMASH is expanding to college campuses nationwide.
About SMASHCAST (http://www.smashcast.org)
SMASHCAST is the Communications And Social Technology program of SMASH. The class meets on two Saturdays each month, year-round, providing students with an opportunity to further their interests in new media. Students use their proclivity
for math and science to explore media technology and create video projects. SMASHCAST was recently hired by the UNITY Journalists of color to document their NewU Startup Camp.
About Level Playing Field Institute (www.lpfi.org)
Level Playing Field Institute is a Bay Area-based non-profit organization that works to increase fairness in education and the workplace by closing the opportunity gap.
About the Verizon Foundation (http://foundation.verizon.com)
The Verizon Foundation aims to improve literacy and strengthen educational achievement for children and adults by preparing them for success in the 21st Century. The Foundation invests in education and literacy initiatives that leverage innovative technology and interactive learning to increase 21st century skills for children and adults.
###
SOURCE: LPFI
RFC 6707 : Content Distribution Network Interconnection (CDNI) Problem Statement
Aujourd’hui, les #CDN sont partout. Ces serveurs munis de nombreux disques et disposés dans les réseaux des FAI, au plus près de l’abonné, afin de servir du contenu numérique le plus rapidement possible, sont derrière un grand nombre de sites Web (non, ce blog n’utilise pas de CDN) et derrière bien des fournisseurs de streaming. La plus connue des entreprises de CDN est #Akamai mais il en existe bien d’autres. Et c’est là que le problème commence : il n’existe aucun mécanisme d’interconnexion des CDN. Chacun utilise ses protocoles spécifiques et pas question de les faire travailler ensemble. L’#IETF a donc créé un groupe de travail, CDNI, chargé de réfléchir à l’interconnexion des CDN. Ce #RFC est le premier du groupe, et il essaie de définir le problème (les solutions viendront plus tard).
Tiens, il n’est pas prévu de mettre #SeenThis derrière un CDN, pour que ça aille plus vite pour ses dizaines de millions de visiteurs ?
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s Larry Sonsini Asked to Conduct Formal Investigation Into Actions of John Roos, Mark Parnes:
Mr. Sonsini:
In that I entertain thoughts that around 2007-2008 John Roos and Mark Parnes may have participated in a scheme to embezzle and/or launder money from/through the California Bar Foundation in conjunction with non-profit entity CaliforniaALL to benefit “Obama for America”, this will serve to discuss the following:
Unlike James Brosnahan, Tony West, Annette Carnegie, Chris Young,
Susan Mac Cormac (of Morrison & Foerster), Ron Olson, Jeff Bleich,
Brad Phillips (of Munger Tolles & Olson), Steven Churchwell (of DLA
Piper), Kamala Harris, Judy Johnson, and Holly Fujie — where
evidence provides a clear enmeshment between the actors, the firm, as
well as an intense desire by the clients (i.e.Southern California
Edison, PG&E, Sempra Energy) to finance the scheme; as far as Messrs. Roos and Parnes, I don’t see the same level of involvement on your part, your firm, or any your clients.
Nevertheless, I must ask Wilson Sonsini to conduct a formal
investigation into the past actions of Messrs. Parnes and Roos.
Specifically, while Mr. Parnes served as director and secretary of the
California Bar Foundation, the Foundation reported to the IRS that
REVENUE LESS EXPENSES in 2007 equaled plus +$373.842.00. However, in 2008, the Foundation reported to the IRS that REVENUE LESS EXPENSES equaled minus -$537,712 .
In its 2008 Annual Report, the Foundation offers an excuse as to the
negative balance (See page 9:
►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48712884/3-2008-Annual-Report-of-Foundation-of-the-State-Bar-of-California-Foundation
)by stating:
“In 2007-2008, the Foundation supported the launching of CaliforniaALL
and, as the project filed for incorporation and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
status, served as CaliforniaALL’s fiscal sponsor. A collaboration
between the California Public Employment Retirement System, the
California Public Utilities Commission, the California Department of
Insurance, and the State Bar of California, CaliforniaALL was created
in an effort to close the achievement gap among California students
from preschool to the profession and, specifically, to bolster the
pipeline of young people of diverse backgrounds headed for careers in
law, financial services, and technology. Once CaliforniaALL obtained
its tax-exempt status and was able to function as a fully independent
nonprofit organization, the foundation granted the balance of funds
raised for the project – totaling $769,247 – to the new entity.”
Also cleverly buried in the California Bar Foundation’s 2008 annual
report was the following sentence :
“We thank the following corporations for their gifts in support of
CaliforniaALL:
AT & T
Edison International
PG & E Corporation Foundation
Verizon”
See page 24 : ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48712884/3-2008-Annual-Report-of-Foundation-of-the-State-Bar-of-California-Foundation
Unfortunately, while I able to ascertain from Foundation’s tax records
an “exit” of the $774,247 in 2008 (the apparent source of which was
allegedly the above-referenced 4 utility companies), I was unable to
ascertain when and where the Foundation reported to the IRS — either in 2008 or 2007 or 2006 or 2005 — an “entry” of those funds which it allegedly held in trust for CaliforniaALL.
Also troubling, for example, is the fact that Verizon did not report
to the IRS either in 2007 or 2008 that it had contributed any money to
the California Bar Foundation or CaliforniaALL. See :
►http://www.scribd.com/doc/102325087/Verizon-Foundation-IRS-990-Year-2007
►http://www.scribd.com/doc/102325330/Verizon-Foundation-IRS-990-Year-2008
Other then collecting close to $2 million directly from utility
companies (including the “hush-hush” transfer of $774,247, comprised
of one installment of $5000 and another contribution of $769,247 from
the Foundation which was never mentioned in the Foundation’s
“newsroom” or by any other of its publications such as the California
Bar Journal or by any of the newsletters and alerts published by
CaliforniaALL), CaliforniaALL appears to have been be a sham, phantom
entity from its inception in 2008 to the day it began to slowly be
dissolved in approximately 2009, subsequent to the election of Barack
Obama as president of the U.S. Its only alleged achievement was
providing some money for the creation of the Saturday Academy of Law
at UC Irvine (“SALUCI”) in approximately 2008-2009.
Here too vast and intense suspicious circumstances exist as the funds
from CaliforniaALL actually went to the UC Irvine Foundation, where
the present executive director of the State Bar of California (Senator
Joe Dunn) serves as a member of the audit committee, and it turns out
that the SALUCI was actually already created in 2005 and was fully
operational before CaliforniaALL arrived on the scene. In addition,
some records seem to indicate that Verizon Wireless funneled the money
directly to SALUCI , while CaliforniaALL took the credit.
CaliforniaALL was conveniently housed free of charge at the offices of
DLA Piper in Sacramento, alongside the draft committee of OBAMA FOR
AMERICA . Steve Churchwell of DLA Piper in Sacramento served as
Treasurer of the draft committee of OBAMA FOR AMERICA.
As matters presently stand, and while other potential explanations
certainly exist, my inquiry leads me to suspect that in 2007 - 2008
the following actors:
Morrison & Foerster’s James Brosnahan (self-proclaimed “mastermind
behind the Democratic Party”),
Morrison & Foerster’s Tony West (Barack Obama’s Chair of California
Finance Committee),
Morrison & Foerster’s Chris Young (“Obama for America” Northern
California Deputy Finance Director) ,
Morrison & Foerster’s Annette Carnegie ( 2007-2008 director with the
California Bar Foundation),
Munger Tolles & Olson’s Jeff Bleich (president of the State Bar of
California, director with the California Bar Foundation, founding
member and Chair of Barack Obama’s National Finance Committee),
Munger Tolles & Olson’s Brad Phillips (2007-2008 director with the
California Bar Foundation),
DLA Piper’s Steven Churchwell (Treasurer, draft committee of OBAMA FOR
AMERICA) ,
Wilson Sonsini’s Mark Parnes ( 2007-2008 director and secretary of
the California Bar Foundation),
Wilson Sonsini’s John Roos ( friend of Jeff Bleich, “bundler” for
Barack Obama) ,
Kamala Harris (Obama for America, CaliforniaALL),
may have participated in a scheme to misuse the California Bar
Foundation/CaliforniaALL for the purpose of embezzling /laundering
funds originating from utility companies which were unlawfully
misdirected to Obama for America.
Thank you for your time. If you have any questions, please do not
hesitate to have your assistant contact me.
Amid Concerns of Cover-Up by DOJ’s Lanny Breuer YR Submit Narrative to FBI Re DOJ’s Tony West, Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich, HUD’s Ophelia Basgal, Keker & Van Nest’s Chris Young, Kamala Harris, Phantom Non-Profit CaliforniaALL, Obama for America :
Per our telephone conversation, following is a narrative describing the suspicious circumstances relating to non-profit entity CaliforniaALL (FEIN Number 51-0656213), Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich, United States Department of Justice’s Tony West, Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Ophelia Basgal, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, James Brosnahan of Morrison & Foerster, and Chris Young of Keker & Van Nest.
The narrative is divided to 4 parts: 1. General Introduction; 2. Introduction of Actors; 3. Fortuitous Discovery of CaliforniaALL; and 4. Factual Background Regarding CaliforniaALL.
1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION:
As described below, my inquiry began close to one year ago when I stumbled upon unusually large and highly peculiar financial transactions in conjunction with what appeared to me to be clear attempts to conceal and mislead. I immediately notified various entities, including submitting a tip to your agency. Due to circumstances which cannot be viewed as mere coincidence, I was under the impression that funds might have been misappropriated by Voice of OC — specifically, by its founders 1) Joe Dunn and 2) Martha Escutia (both former state senators who were overseeing utility companies and the CPUC and investigating the California energy crisis), and 3) Thomas Girardi and 4) James Brosnahan who were litigating cases involving the California energy crisis on opposite sides, and/or Geoffrey Brown, former Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission and 2007 Director of the California Bar Foundation (the ‘Foundation’) during the time of the suspicious transfer of funds to CaliforniaALL (an entity of which CPUC’s Peter Arth was one of the main initiators).
However futile, I also asked the State Bar of California to investigate this matter. Within a few hours of sending the request, Geoffrey Brown sent me a demand to cease and desist from insisting that he had done anything wrong under threat of litigation. In essence, Brown wanted me to ignore the circumstances dealing with the fact that he was both a CPUC Commissioner and a Director with the Foundation when it quietly made the largest grant in its history to an entity that was conceived by CPUC’s Peter Arth to absorb hundreds of thousands of dollars from utility companies.
While the Foundation alleges that the source of the (relatively) large sum of $774,247 which it transferred to CaliforniaALL was from four utility companies (AT&T, PG&E, Edison International, and Verizon Wireless — as reflected in the Foundation’s 2008 Annual Report and tax return showing contributions to CaliforniaALL), there is no corresponding entry in any Foundation tax return (for tax years 2007 or 2008), nor any mention in the Annual Report, showing the initial receipt of those funds. These facts raised suspicions that money may have been misappropriated from the Foundation, and places those individuals who controlled the Foundation (Jeffrey Bleich, Annette Carnegie, Douglas Winthrop, Ruthe Catolico Ashley, Geoffrey Brown, and others), who ‘legally’ created CaliforniaALL (James Brosnahan, Tony West, Chris Young and the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster), who controlled the money (Ophelia Basgal of PG&E; Douglas Winthrop, attorney for PG&E; Jeffrey Bleich, attorney for Verizon Wireless; and Edison (client of James Brosnahan, Tony West, Chris Young, and Annette Carnegie), who controlled CaliforniaALL (Ruthe Ashley, Ophelia Basgal), and who controlled the finances for the Obama for America’s 2008 campaign (Jeffrey Bleich, Tony West, and Chris Young) in a very awkward position.
Other then collecting close to $2 million directly from utility companies (including the ‘hush-hush’ transfer of $774,247, comprised of one installment of $5000 and another contribution of $769,247 from the Foundation which was never mentioned in the Foundation’s ‘newsroom’ or by any other of its publications such as the California Bar Journal or by any of the newsletters and alerts published by CaliforniaALL), CaliforniaALL appears to have been be a sham, phantom entity from its inception in 2008 to the day it began to slowly be dissolved in approximately 2009, subsequent to the election of Barack Obama as president of the U.S. Its only alleged achievement was providing some money for the creation of the Saturday Academy of Law at UC Irvine (‘SALUCI’) in approximately 2008-2009. Here too vast and intense suspicious circumstances exist as the funds from CaliforniaALL actually went to the UC Irvine Foundation, where the present executive director of the State Bar of California (Senator Joe Dunn) serves as a member of the audit committee, and it turns out that the SALUCI was actually already created in 2005 and was fully operational before CaliforniaALL arrived on the scene. In addition, some records seem to indicate that Verizon Wireless funneled the money directly to SALUCI , while CaliforniaALL took the credit.
Nevertheless, I continued with the inquiry as large pieces of the puzzle were missing, and in fact stated so in a letter seeking information about one of the actor’s employment history. However, within the past several weeks, I believe that I finally managed to put all the pieces together. In my opinion, and based on the information I’ve discovered, it appears that funds were misappropriated and/or laundered through the California Bar Foundation by various individuals through the misuse of CaliforniaALL. Although other potential explanations certainly exist, based on these individuals’ involvement in the ‘Obama for America’ 2008 presidential campaign (as discussed below), one likely possibility is that the funds were unlawfully misdirected to that campaign.
PART 2: INTRODUCTION OF MAIN ACTORS:
1. AMBASSADOR JEFFREY BLEICH — Mr. Bleich served as a director with the Foundation in approximately 2007-2008, as well as president of the State Bar of California.
In 2007, Mr. Bleich established Barack Obama’s National Finance Committee and served as its Chair.
He is a personal friend of President Obama, who served as President Obama’s personal attorney and subsequently was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to Australia. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Mr. Bleich was a partner with the San Francisco office of Munger Tolles & Olson, which represents client Verizon Wireless.
Out of close to 230,000 lawyers in California, also serving as a director with the Foundation in approximately 2007-2008 was another attorney from Munger Tulles Olsen, Mr. Bradley Phillips. Presently, Ms. Mary Ann Todd (also of Munger Tolles & Olson) is a director with the Foundation.
2. DEREK ANTHONY WEST OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE — Mr. West, who goes by the name ‘Tony West,’ presently serves as third in command within the Department of Justice below Eric Holder and Lanny Breuer.
Around 2007-2008, Mr. Tony West also served as Chair of the ‘California Finance Committee’ of ‘Obama for America.’
Prior to joining the DOJ, Mr. West was a partner at the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster, the law firm which assisted with the legal aspects of creating CaliforniaALL.
Along with attorneys Raj Chaterjee and Susan Mac Cormac, Mr. West was part of senior partner James Brosnahan’s clique. For example, it was Brosnahan, West, and Chaterjee who defended John Walker Lindh, who is more widely known as the ‘American Taliban.’ (It should be noted that it was actually Mr. Brosnahan who initially agreed to the representation since he knows Lindh’s father — Frank Lindh — who served as in-house Chief Legal Counsel at PG&E; Mr. Lindh is presently the Chief Legal Counsel of the CPUC.)
Mr. West is married to Maya Harris, sister of Kamala Harris, who was part of CaliforniaALL.
3. JAMES J. BROSNAHAN OF MORRISON & FOERSTER - Mr. Brosnahan is presently a senior partner at the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster.
He considers himself to be the ‘mastermind behind the Democratic Party.’ CaliforniaALL was created by Morrison & Foerster, under the supervision of Mr. Brosnahan (known as the prosecutor of Caspar Weinberger). Specifically Susan Mac Cormac and Eric Tate assisted with the legal aspects of creating the entity. Mr. Brosnahan represented utility companies during California’s energy crisis (which Joe Dunn, Martha Escutia, and Geoffrey Brown were investigating) opposite Thomas Girardi.
Later, Dunn, Escutia, Brosnahan, and Girardi launched the online publication known as Voice of OC.
4. CHRISTOPHER JACOB YOUNG OF KEKER & VAN NEST — Mr. Young, commonly known as ‘Chris Young,’ is currently listed on the State Bar of California’s database as an associate with Keker & Van Nest. Around 2007-2008, Mr. Young was an associate at Morrison & Foerster.
Around 2007-2008, Mr. Young served as ‘Northern California Deputy Finance Director’ for ‘Obama for America.’
As noted above, State Bar of California records still show that Chris Young is an employee of Keker & Van Nest. However, very recently, Keker & Van Nest ( at the direction of partners John Keker and Jon Streeter, who also worked on the 2008 campaign as a ‘bundler’ and is presently a director with the Foundation) abruptly removed Chris Young’s name from its web-site.
5. ANNETTE CARNEGIE — Ms. Carnegie is presently employed at the Kaiser Foundation. Around 2007-2008, she was a partner at Morrison & Foerster and served as a director of the Foundation. In 2008, the Foundation poured into CaliforniaALL the large sum of $774,247; by comparison, most other donations were around $10,000 to $20,000. As shown below, the transfer of said money appears to be imbued with fraud and secrecy, especially in connection with four utility companies (Verizon, PG&E, Edison, and AT&T).
6. KAMALA HARRIS — In around 2007-2008, Ms. Harris served as the District Attorney in San Francisco while at the same time she was also Co-Chair of ‘Obama for America.’ Ms. Harris was part of CaliforniaALL’s ‘Advisory Council.’ She is the sister of Maya Harris, who is married to Tony West. Media reports provide that parliamentarian Willie Brown served as mentor to both Tony West and Kamala Harris, and was Ms. Harris’s paramour. John Keker of Keker & Van Nest (known as the prosecutor of Oliver North) is also considered to be a ‘mentor’ of Kamala Harris. (Incidentally, State Bar of California Board of Governor member Gwen Moore — also a ‘mentee’ of Willie Brown — was honored by CaliforniaALL at a lavish dinner in a Sacramento hotel. Parliamentarian Moore is no stranger to your agency, having been the target of a sting operation known as Shrimpscam.)
7. OPHELIA BASGAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (‘HUD’) — In around 2007-2008 , Ms. Basgal was Vice President of Civic Partnership and Community Initiatives at PG&E, where she managed the company’s $18 million charitable contributions program, and oversaw its community engagement programs and partnerships with community-based organizations. Separately, around that time she surprisingly served as ‘Treasurer’ with the ‘California Supreme Court Historical Society.’ In that role, she presumably had contact with many judges, including those who were handling matters dealing with PG&E, such as Justice (Ret.) Joseph Grodin who acted as the mediator in a case Attorney General Bill Lockyer advanced against PG&E, which Jerry Brown (cousin of Geoffrey Brown) later dismissed in his capacity as the new Attorney General for California.
Ms. Basgal served as a director of CaliforniaALL.
8. VICTOR MIRMAONTES — Mr. Victor Miramontes, a resident of San Antonio, TX and business partner of former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros in an entity known as CityView, was the chairman of CaliforniaALL.
Mr. Miramontes has various connections to Orange County, and is otherwise familiar with its various legal circles.
9. SARAH E. REDFIELD — Ms. Redfield is presently a professor at the University of New Hampshire School of Law, and served as the interim director of CaliforniaALL. Events surrounding Redfield, as shown below, also appear to be imbued with fraud and deceit, and it appears her role was to create a subterfuge to justify the existence of CaliforniaALL. Since CaliforniaALL’s main achievement was the purported creation of a ‘Saturday Academy of Law’ at UC Irvine (‘SALUCI’), Ms. Redfield pretended to have engaged in Requests for Proposals (‘RFP’), as well as falsely claiming that she ‘launched’ SALUCI. For her services as interim executive director and an alleged consultant of CaliforniaALL, Professor Redfield was paid approximately $160,000 as an ‘independent contractor.’ She gave very little, if anything, in return for the $160,000 she was paid. In fact, she took credit for the extremely hard work of others, especially that of Rob Vacario of Santa Ana who co-founded SALUCI several years earlier.
10. JUDY JOHNSON – Ms. Johnson is the former Executive Director of the State Bar of California. Ms. Johnson (along with Robert Hawley and Starr Babcock) is no stranger to financial schemes. For the past 8 years, she has been quietly serving as the president of an entity with a misleading name (California Consumer Protection Foundation AKA ‘CCPF’). This entity absorbed close to $30 million in class action cy pres awards, as well as fines and settlements imposed by the CPUC on utility companies. CCPF forwarded those funds to mostly questionable ACORN-like entities in South Los Angeles or to an entity headed by Michael Shames known as UCAN — presently under federal grand jury investigation in San Diego. It appears that Ms. Johnson used her position as executive director of the State Bar of California (which is supposed to supervise and discipline lawyers) as ‘clout’ to obtain cy pres awards from the settlement of class actions prosecuted and defended by various law firms in courts and before the CPUC. In addition, while never prosecuted for the scheme, some have speculated that Johnson and cohorts Hawley (whom Johnson labeled the ‘Wizard of OZ’) and Babcock were ‘in’ on a financial scheme perpetrated by former State Bar employee Sharon Pearl, who was lightly prosecuted by then-attorney general Jerry Brown, cousin of Geoffrey Brown.
Ms. Johnson was part of CaliforniaALL’s Advisory Council and was responsible for maintaining secrecy over the project by misleading the public, including a quadriplegic law-student, litigant Sara Granda.
11. RUTHE CATOLICO ASHLEY — Ms. Ashley is a former employee of McGeorge School of Law who later served as a ‘Diversity Officer’ at Cal PERS. Ms. Ashley also served as member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors alongside Mr. Bleich, and came up with the idea to create CaliforniaALL during a meeting with Sarah Redfield and Peter Arth, Jr. (the assistant to CPUC President Michael Peevey). After CaliforniaALL came into existence, Ms. Ashley, after a simulated search, was selected to serve as CaliforniaALL’s executive director.
12. SONIA GONZALES — Ms. Gonzales presently serves as the Foundation’s executive director as of earlier this year, after the former executive director (Ms. Leslie Hatamyia) suddenly quit. Ms. Gonzales is a close friend and confidante of Ms. Maya Harris, the wife of Mr. Tony West.
She presently serves the same function as current Foundation directors Mary Ann Todd of Munger Tolles & Olson, Jon Streeter of Keker & Van Nest, Douglas Winthrop of Howard Rice, and Raj Chatterjee of Morrison & Foerster.
PART 2: FORTUTIOUS DISCOVERY OF CaliforniaALL
At the outset, and to deflect potential allegations that I am motivated by politics, I wish to assure you and the agency that my inquiry into these issues was not and is not motivated by politics. In fact, the only actor referenced above that I have ever met is James Brosnahan, who I met once for a short period of time while a volunteer with BASF - VLSP, a volunteer organization that awarded me a volunteer of the year award. In fact, I initially suspected the misconduct described herein was committed primarily by various other people (i.e. Holly Fujie, Leslie Hatamiya, Ruthe Catolico Ashley, Robert Hawley, Starr Babcock, and Judy Johnson). However, the facts eventually led me to Mr. Brosnahan. Following is a brief overview describing how I stumbled upon this information.
In 2010, the United States Federal Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit issued its final ruling in the disciplinary matter of In Re Girardi by imposing close to $500,000 in sanctions on Walter Lack of Engstrom Lispcomb & Lack and Thomas Girardi of Girardi & Keese stemming from an attempt to defraud the court and cause injury to Dole Food Company in the underlying litigation. You may have heard of Walter Lack and Thomas Girardi as they are the lawyers who were featured in the movie ‘Erin Brokovich’ involving utility company PG&E.
The court ruled that Walter Lack (who stipulated to special prosecutor Rory Little that his prolonged acts of misconduct were intentional) and Thomas Girardi intentionally and recklessly resorted to the use of known falsehoods for years. The Ninth Circuit ordered Girardi and Lack to report their misconduct to the State Bar of California.
The State Bar of California disqualified itself from handling the matter since Howard Miller (of Girardi & Keese) served at that time as its president, and had also made the decision to hire then-chief prosecutor, James Towery.
Mr. Towery, in turn, appointed Jerome Falk of Howard Rice (now Arnold & Porter) as outside ‘special prosecutor’ to determine whether or not to bring charges against Girardi and Lack. (Mr. Falk is a colleague of Douglas Winthrop, and both represented PG&E in its massive bankruptcy proceedings.)
Mr. Falk, in turn, exercised prosecutorial discretion and concluded that he did not believe Lack acted intentionally and that no charges will be brought against the two attorneys.
Within days of Mr. Falk’s decision, I filed an ethics complaint with the State Bar of California against Jerome Falk, James Towery, Howard Miller, and Douglas Winthrop (managing partner of Howard Rice and then-elected president of the Foundation), alleging that it was improper for Mr. Towery to appoint Mr. Falk given the close personal relationship between Howard Miller and Douglas Winthrop. Specifically, Howard Miller — in his capacity as president of the State Bar — had appointed Douglas Winthrop as president of the California Bar Foundation, a foundation maintained and controlled by the State Bar. (Much later I also discovered that Jerome Falk is actually the personal attorney of Thomas Girardi, and that Howard Rice and Jerome Falk represented Walter Lack, Thomas Girardi, Engstrom Lispcomb & Lack, and Girardi & Keese in approximately 2007, and for a period of 2 years, in a malpractice action.)
As such, while at the time I was not familiar with those individuals, I reviewed the Foundation’s annual reports to familiarize myself with the names of the Foundation’s board of directors, and to try to resolve various inconsistencies regarding who was serving as the Foundation’s president and why Robert Scott Wylie appeared to be the president when data showed that he had relocated to Indiana in 2006. I checked the Foundation’s tax returns and it was then that I fortuitously stumbled upon the fact that the Foundation ended 2008 close to $500,000 in the negative. Specifically, the Foundation reported to the IRS that REVENUE LESS EXPENSES in 2007 equaled plus +$373.842.00. However, in 2008, the Foundation reported to the IRS that REVENUE LESS EXPENSES equaled minus -$537,712.
I was also troubled by the fact that the 2008 California Bar Journal Annual Report noted that the Foundation was the ‘fiscal sponsor’ of CaliforniaALL, while the same report also mentioned that the source of the money was 4 utility companies.
In its 2008 Annual Report ( See ), the Foundation alludes to CaliforniaALL by stating:
‘In 2007-2008, the Foundation supported the launching of CaliforniaALL and, as the project filed for incorporation and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, served as CaliforniaALL’s fiscal sponsor. A collaboration between the California Public Employment Retirement System, the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Department of Insurance, and the State Bar of California, CaliforniaALL was created in an effort to close the achievement gap among California students from preschool to the profession and, specifically, to bolster the pipeline of young people of diverse backgrounds headed for careers in law, financial services, and technology. Once CaliforniaALL obtained its tax-exempt status and was able to function as a fully independent nonprofit organization, the foundation granted the balance of funds raised for the project – totaling $769,247 – to the new entity.’
Also cleverly buried in the California Bar Foundation’s 2008 annual report was the following sentence (which should be scrutinized by your agency):
‘We thank the following corporations for their gifts in support of CaliforniaALL:
AT & T
Edison International
PG & E Corporation Foundation
Verizon’
*
I believe that the statement that the Foundation granted ‘the balance’ of funds raised for the project most likely refers to a previous $5000 sum which the Foundation awarded to CaliforniaALL for ‘research,’ also in 2008. As such, $769,247 plus $5000 equals $774,247, which is the sum the Foundation reported to the IRS.
However, I find mildly problematic the claim that the Foundation raised funds specifically for ‘the project’ in 2007 (per the sentence ‘granted the balance of funds raised for the project’), especially in conjunction with a separate disclosure by which the Foundation thanks four utility companies (which are incidentally clients of Morrison & Foerster, Howard Rice, and Munger Tolles Olsen). In my opinion, this may reflect an attempt to engage in financial shenanigans through the Foundation — otherwise, why wouldn’t the four utility companies just give the funds to CaliforniaALL directly?
Even more troubling, while I was able to ascertain from Foundation’s tax records an ‘exit’ of the $774,247 in 2008 (the apparent source of which was allegedly the above-referenced 4 utility companies), I was unable to ascertain when and where the Foundation reported to the IRS — either in 2008 or 2007 or 2006 or 2005 — an ‘entry’ of those funds which it allegedly held in trust for CaliforniaALL.
(Later, Jill Sperber of the State Bar of California, in a letter she sent to me dated July 28, 2011 claimed that ‘....No State Bar or California Bar Foundation funds were used for CaliforniaALL creation...The California Bar Foundation served as CaliforniaALL’s escrow holder only to hold fundraising funds before its formal incorporation... Once CaliforniaALL was formed as a non-profit entity, the funds were paid over to it...’
Ultimately, by conducting further research into the actors and events surrounding the Foundation, CaliforniaALL, and related entities, individuals, and events, I unearthed what appears to be a lengthy trail of attempts to mislead and defraud.
PART 3: FACTUAL BACKGROUND
In approximately 2007, Ruthe Catolico Ashley — an attorney from Sacramento and a member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors — was employed by Cal PERS as a ‘Diversity Officer.’ Prior to her employment with Cal PERS, Ms. Ashley was employed as a career counsel at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. While at McGeorge, Ms. Ashley met diversity expert Sarah Redfield. At that time, Jeffrey Bleich of Munger Tolles & Olson was serving as President of the State Bar. Both Bleich and Ashley are politically active, and were supporting the 2008 campaign of Barack Obama for President. Ruthe Ashley was involved in the Asian-Americans for Obama branch in Sacramento.
In April 2007, Ashley and Sarah Redfield were urged to meet Peter Arth, Jr. of the California Public Utilities Commission at a restaurant in San Francisco. During that meeting, the idea to create CaliforniaALL (initially named CaAAL or CaALL) was conceived. Eventually, Cal PERS, the CPUC, and the State Bar of California endorsed in principle the creation of CaliforniaALL – a Section 501(c)(3) entity that would raise funds to be used to support a more diverse workforce in California.
At that time, both Ashley and Redfield were also part of the State Bar of California’s Council on Fairness and Access, as well as a separate project by the State Bar of California known as The Diversity Pipeline Task Force, through which both presumably amassed vast amounts of data and information on the topic of diversity pipeline projects.
Subsequent to the meeting with Peter Arth, on June 26, 2007 State Bar BOG member Ruthe Catolico Ashley and Patricia Lee presented to the entire BOG a proposal (see ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48713393/1-In-June-26-2007-Member-of-State-Bar-Board-of-Governors-Ruthe-Ashley-Presen ) urging the BOG to support the creation of California Aspire Achieve Lead Pipeline Project (CaAAL), later named CaliforniaALL.
Eventually, Cal PERS (Ashley’s employer), the CPUC, and the State Bar of California endorsed in principle the creation of CaAAL. For reasons that are not clear to me, CaAAL was apparently a secret project since the California Bar Journal never bothered to report about it, and a press release issued by the State Bar of California was only delivered to CaAAL. Specifically, on August 1, 2007, California Bar Journal’s editor Diane Curtis issued a very limited press release on behalf of the State Bar which I was only able to locate on CaAAL’s now defunct website (www.calall.org) stating:
“STATE BAR JOINS DIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP
San Francisco, August 01, 2007 — The State Bar of California is joining forces with the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Public Retirement System and the state Department of Insurance in a united effort to promote diversity in the workplace.
California Aspire Achieve Lead Pipeline Project (CaAAL Pipeline Project) will focus on education and mentoring, starting as early as pre-school, to provide skills and instill motivation in young people who are not well represented in the legal, financial and information technology professions.
‘The real winners are the young people of California who will advance from these programs and the entire populace of California that will have the benefit of a diverse and vibrant pool of bright young people from all sectors of our diverse population,’ said State Bar President Sheldon Sloan. Sloan beefed up a bar diversity pipeline project put in place by his predecessors that has been embraced by lawyers and jurists statewide.
Bar Vice President Ruthe Ashley, who chairs the bar’s Pipeline Task Force and recently became Cal PERS’ Diversity Officer for External Affairs, ‘has done a fantastic job of moving this initiative forward,’ added Sloan. ‘Now that she has brought in Cal PERS and CAL PUC, this program is here to stay for the foreseeable future.’
In large part because of the bar’s experience and success in identifying programs that help young people move on to successful careers in law, CaAAL’s first-year focus will be on diversifying the legal profession. ‘We have relationships in place. We have best practices. We have done the research,’ said Ashley. The second-year focus will be on financial institutions and the third year on information technology. Funding for the new nonprofit is expected to come from private partners and public sector grants.
Ashley said the nonprofit will be the umbrella organization that will coordinate activities in five different geographic ‘centers of excellence.’ She is hoping that the board for the new nonprofit will promote replication proven programs, such as Street Law, Pacific Pathways and the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, and that the new entity ‘will be a model for other states.’
‘The vision is that it will change the face of the future in the workplace and of our leaders,’ said Ashley.”
Papers were filed with both state and federal agencies to allow CaliforniaALL to operate as a tax exempt entity. Victor Miramontes listed himself as Chairman of the Board, and Sarah E. Redfield served as CaliforniaALL’s interim executive director for a period of 6 months. Serving as CaliforniaALL’s legal counsel were Susan Mac Cormac and Eric Tate of Morrison & Foerster.
Despite the fact that she served as interim executive director, and despite the fact that it was a given that Ruthe Catolico Ashley would be hired as the permanent CEO, Sarah Redfield nevertheless apparently engaged in an RFP (request for proposal) which was closed just as quickly as it started even before Ms. Ashley was hired as the permanent CEO.
CaliforniaALL’s web site (www.calall.org) stated:
‘Saturday Law Academy RFP
PLEASE NOTE:
The application process for this RFP is closed. Please contact Sarah Redfield at sarah.redfield@gmail.com or (207) 752-1721.
RFP PROPOSAL INFORMATION
California ALL seeks proposals to implement its law career pathway starting with the 2008-09 academic year (AY).
The following and attached document describes a program area in which California ALL has particular interest based on its initial research. An additional RFP will follow for college level prelaw work. Self generated proposal for other parts of the pipeline will also be considered, and another round of RFPs is possible. California ALL has not attached a specific dollar amount to the RFP, though cost effectiveness and the presence of a competitive match will be part of its consideration. California ALL has some funding in hand from a generous grant from Verizon for the Saturday Academy and intends to seek additional funding as needed to support programs selected. It is anticipated that funding will be provided for year one of the (3 year) proposal, with following years contingent on successful completion of the prior year(s).’
The California Attorney General RCT reflects that CaliforniaALL obtained its ‘Charity’ status on March 14, 2008 (FEIN Number 510656213). The address for CaliforniaALL is listed as 400 Capitol Mall, Suite 2400, Sacramento, California. This is actually the address of the law firm of DLA Piper, where CaliforniaALL resided free of charge courtesy of partner Gilles Attia — an attorney specialized in the representation of wi-fi companies.
CaliforniaALL’s 2008 tax-return shows an expense of around $16,000 for ‘occupancy.’ See ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48714110/6-CaliforniaALL-2008-Tax-Return
In June 2008, after a nationwide search and aided by a pro bono head-hunting firm in its search for a permanent CEO, CaliforniaALL not surprisingly hired Ruthe Catolico Ashley as its chief executive officer. (See Press Release ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48717715/5-California-ALL-Announces-Hiring-of-Ruthe-Ashley-as-CEO-on-June-4-2008 )
As the purpose of CaliforniaALL was to transfer funds forward, it did so by awarding small grants to the UCI Foundation (FEIN Number 952540117), where State Bar of California executive director Joe Dunn serves as trustee and chair of the Audit Committee, for the purported purpose of establishing a Saturday Law Academy at UC Irvine known as SALUCI.
Sarah Redfield’s CV, which states (falsely) that she launched SALUCI, can be found at: ►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48772426/10-Resume-CV-of-University-of-New-Hampshire-School-of-Law-Professor-Sarah-E-
In September 2009, Ruthe Catolico Ashley exited CaliforniaALL (►http://www.scribd.com/doc/48713268/7-Ruthe-Ashley-Announces-Departure-from-CaliforniaALL-in-September-of-2009 ), the entity which she previously proclaimed to Diane Curtis that it ‘will change the face of the future in the workplace and of our leaders,’ “will be a model for other states,” and ‘is here to stay for the foreseeable future.’
Ultimately, the following events prompted me to ask Voice of OC to make its tax returns available for my review, as required by IRS regulations: the sham RFP by Sarah Redfield, who pre-selected the UCI Foundation as the only recipient of funds from CaliforniaALL; Joe Dunn served as chair of the UCI Foundation audit committee; in September 2009 Ruthe Ashley abruptly exited CaliforniaALL; in September 2009 Joe Dunn (together with his business partner Martha Escutia, James Brosnahan — who created CaliforniaALL, and Thomas Girardi of In Re Girardi, Erin Brokovich, and the one who James Towery appointed his personal attorney (Jerome Falk of Howard Rice) to act as special prosecutor against him) launched an online ‘news agency’ known as Voice of OC. I also suspected that James Brosnahan of Morrison & Foerster (who represented various utility companies during California’s energy crisis) may have engaged in a scheme with Joe Dunn, as Dunn was the person investigating those utility companies and California’s energy crisis. In fact, Dunn was discredited by the media for claiming that he was the one who ‘cracked’ Enron.
Voice of OC ignored my request for its tax records, whereupon I filed a complaint with the IRS. To date, I have not received a response from the IRS indicating that it has taken any steps to help me obtain those much needed records and impose the appropriate sanctions against Voice of OC.
Nevertheless, I continued with the inquiry as large pieces of the puzzle were missing. Later, when Mr. Tony West was appointed third in command at the DOJ, I learned of his identity due to wide media coverage and his association with Morrison & Forester and James Brosnahan. From there, it became harder to ignore the common denominator of ‘Obama for America’ involving Morrison & Foerster’s James Brosnahan, Tony West, Chris Young, Annette Carnegie, and Susan Mac Cormac, in conjunction with Geoffrey Bleich and Ruthe Ashley — which is that money was misappropriated or laundered through the Foundation.
Thank you for your assistance. I will keep you updated if I obtain any further information. In the interim, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Munger Tolles & Olson’s Jeffrey Bleich (AKA Jeff Bleich) — Friend of Barack Obama, US Ambassador to Australia, 2008 California Bar Foundation Board Member, Attorney for Verizon Wireless — Under Renewed Scrutiny Amid New Revelations
Jeffrey Bleich of Munger Tolles & Olson – presently the U.S. ambassador to Australia and a close friend of U.S. President Barack Obama — is under renewed scrutiny in connection with recent revelations dealing with DOJ’s Tony West, MoFo’s James Brosnahan, and KVN’s Chris Young.
Mr. Bleich served as member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors, as well as board member of the California Bar Foundation.
Verizon Communications (which heavily contributed to CaliforniaALL) is a client of Munger Tules & Olson, where Bleich serves as partner.
According to sources seeking anonymity, the very recent sudden and abrupt departure of associate Christopher J. Young (AKA Chris Young) from San Francisco-based Keker & Van Nest is viewed with intense interest in seeking to further solve the mystery surrounding a sub-Rosa “hush-hush” transfer of $780,000 from the California Bar Foundation to now defunct non-profit entity CaliforniaALL.
According to the sources, Chris Young (who in 2008 served as Barack Obama’s Northern California Deputy Finance Director ) prior employment with Morrison & Foerster at around 2008 is a very important piece of the puzzle, indeed, as in 2008 Susan Mac Cormac of Morrison & Foerster created the entity known as CaliforniaALL; Annette Carnegie of Morrison & Foerster served as California Bar Foundation board member which had transferred the funds to CaliforniaALL, sub-rosa ; Derek Anthony West (AKA Tony West) of Morrison & Foerster served as Barack Obama’s Co-Chair, California Finance Committee; and lurking in the background was James Brosnahan of Morrison & Foerster — a self-described mastermind behind the Democratic Party.
Per the sources, in addition to the above, other suspicious and unsettling circumstances surrounding CaliforniaALL may cause one to entertain thoughts quartet Brosnahan/West/Young/Carnegie were instrumental in causing money to be moved from Cal Bar Foundation to Barack Obama’s election campaign, vis-a-vis CaliforniaALL, unlawfully.
Please continue @:
http://lesliebrodie.posterous.com/munger-tolles-olsons-jeffrey-bleich-aka-jeff
BREAKING NEWS: News Media Platforms Maintained by The Leslie Brodie Report Sabotaged to Exclude Search Results Dealing with Energy Giant PG&E — A Client of Keker & Van Nest and Howard Rice — PG & E Involved in Shady Bankruptcy Proceedings, Sham Entity CaliforniaALL, El Paso / CPUC Litigation
Effected sites:
►http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk
Support and research platform @
lesliebrodie.wordpress.com
The Terrifying Ways #Google Is Destroying Your #Privacy | | AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/story/155479/the_terrifying_ways_google_is_destroying_your_privacy?page=entire
(rien de spécial) via @opironet
Après SOPA et PIPA, la menace CISPA
http://www.pcinpact.com/news/70073-cispa-sopa-pipa-congres-rogers.htm
Quelques semaines après le succès de la forte mobilisation à l’encontre des projets de lois SOPA et PIPA, l’attention des internautes américains se tourne à présent vers un nouveau texte, le « Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act » (CISPA). Ayant pour objet de lutter contre les menaces informatiques, CISPA instaure une collaboration accrue entre le secteur privé et les pouvoirs publics. Afin de prévenir d’éventuelles cyberattaques, ce projet de loi autoriserait le gouvernement américain à accéder à de nombreuses données personnelles au nom de la sécurité des États-Unis.
L’Electronic Frontier Foundation pointe les dangers de CISPA
https://wfc2.wiredforchange.com/o/9042/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8444
Worst of all, the stated definition of “cybersecurity purpose” is so broad that it leaves the door open to censor any speech that a company believes would “degrade the network.” Parts of the proposed legislation specifically state that cybersecurity purpose includes protecting against the “theft or misappropriation of private or government information” including “intellectual property.” Such sweeping language would give companies and the government new powers to monitor and censor communications for copyright infringement. It could also be a powerful weapon to use against whistleblower websites like WikiLeaks.
Verizon lit dans les entrailles du piratage et les journalistes plongent | kitetoa
http://reflets.info/verizon-lit-dans-les-entrailles-du-piratage-et-les-journalistes-plongent
Le saviez-vous, l’an dernier 58% des vols de données ont été le fait des hacktivistes. Si, si, c’est Verizon qui le dit et toute la presse, selon ce que nous dit Google News, qui le répercute. Evidemment, quand on part d’une étude pourrie ou du communiqué de presse qui lui est associé, l’article risque bien d’être complètement foiré. Mais voyez-vous, cette étude est un truc en or pour les journalistes. Elle comporte tous les bons mots-clef qui font du clic (hackers, pirates, vols de données, hacktivistes, etc.) et elle permet de faire un papier à peu de frais. Au pire, une heure pour copier/coller, remanier l’ordre des paragraphes du communiqué de presse, éditer un peu… Non vraiment, c’est du pain béni. Sauf que c’est de la merde marketing en barre et que l’on pourrait attendre un tout petit peu plus d’esprit critique de la part de la presse. Méthodologie… Verizon se base, semble-t-il (nous n’avons même pas ouvert l’étude pour éviter de perdre plus de temps que celui qui nous aura été nécessaire à pondre ce petit billet) sur des « données recueillies auprès des autorités américaines, néerlandaises, australiennes, irlandaises ou encore britanniques« . Tiens, le monde se limiterait-il à ces pays (...)
Un rootkit dans nos téléphones Android – C’est la fêêêête ! | Korben
http://korben.info/carrieriq-android.html
Au fond des couches basse de nos téléphones Android (Sur les version OEM des Samsung, HTC et probablement d’autres comme RIM et Nokia) se cache un soft développé par la société CarrierIQ, qui permet de remonter à l’insu de notre plein grès tout un tas d’infos aux constructeurs.
Autre article sur le même sujet (#CarrierIQ)
http://www.ecrans.fr/Carrier-IQ-le-mouchard-de-poche-d,13654.html
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT WILL BE ASKED TO DISBAR TOM GIRARDI, WALTER LACK, HOWARD RICE’S JEROME FALK FOR SCHEME TO CIRCUMVENT NINTH CIRCUIT ORDER IN MATTER OF “IN RE GIRARDI”
<p style="text-align: justify;">Contending that Howard Rice’s Jerome Falk, acting as Special Prosecutor on behalf of the State Bar of California, repeatedly sought to subvert justice by failing to disclose that those he was suppose to prosecute (Thomas Girardi of Girardi & Keese and Walter Lack of Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack) were actually his and his firm’s clients, sources familiar with the situation claim plans are underway to seek the disbarment of Girardi, Lack and Falk.<br /><br />In a letter to Jerome Falk and the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California, complainant minced no words in accusing Falk (as well as Girardi and Lack) of egregious misconduct.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As a service to the community, we shall publish* the communication, below:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Dear Mr. Falk:<br /> <br /> This will serve as a formal meet and confer attempt regarding various matters, primarily relating to your repugnant and continuous deceitful actions taken in connection with your willingness to serve as a special prosecutor on behalf of the State Bar of California against two of your and your firm’s clients (Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack) as part of a scheme to exploit your authority as special prosecutor for financial gain.<br /> <br /> In addition, this letter will serve to explore potential misconduct in connection with misrepresentations made to an official tribunal (i.e. the RAD Committee of the State Bar of California Board of Governors (“BOG”)) that appointed a special master in proceedings I initiated against you.</p>
<p><img src='http://static3.seenthis.net/►http://vietnam.eastmeetswest.org/images/staff&board/jfalk08.jpg" alt="" width="185" height="246" /><br /> <em>Mr. Jerome Falk of Howard Rice (Image:courtesy photo)</em><br /> <br /> To illustrate my point, State Bar of California Board of Governors member William Gailey is a man of high honor with a prior distinguished career as a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. Presently, he operates his own investigation firm (<a href="http://www.gaileyassociates.com/William-Gailey.htm">Gailey Associates, Inc</a>.), which as I understand is one of the best in the country and offers a wide array of services, including industrial espionage and the like.<br /> <br /> Assume, hypothetically speaking only, that Mr. X is an industrialist and a client of Gailey Associates in connection with various business-related transactions. Assume also that Mr. X, while a client of Gailey Associates, was charged by the federal government for participating in a conspiracy to kidnap and murder Mr. Y, the owner of a competing business located in Los Angeles. Mr. X is tried and convicted and sentenced to serve a 30 year sentence in a federal correctional facility. However, after one year he is mysteriously pardoned by the U.S. president.<br /> <br /> Public and media pressure prompt the Los Angeles District Attorney to file an information against Mr. X for violations of State Penal Code provisions, including PC 182 and 187 in connection with the crimes Mr. X committed against Mr. Y. A shortage of qualified detectives prompts the DA to seek volunteer detectives, and Mr. Gailey is deputized, issued a badge, and appointed the role of lead detective in amassing the case against Mr. X on behalf of the People.<br /> <br /> Mr. Gailey shortly thereafter announces the closure of the investigation, and declares that, as far as he is concerned, Mr. X is innocent. As a second hypothetical, assume that with these facts in mind, Mr. Gailey is instead an attorney in private practice who is deputized to act as special prosecutor to try Mr. X, and likewise Mr. Gailey declares Mr. X to be innocent. <br /> <br /> If you don’t see anything wrong with the above two hypothetical examples, please delete this email; otherwise, keep reading because the above hypo is very similar to the scenario that ensued when you agreed to act as special prosecutor against your clients (Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack) on behalf of the People of the State of California to examine the grave and previously adjudicated attorney misconduct Messrs. Girardi and Lack committed against the Ninth Circuit in the litigation against the Dole Food Company.<br /> <br /> The misconduct on the part of Girardi and Lack was investigated by a special master (Senior Judge Hon. Wallace Tashima) appointed by the Ninth Circuit, and his recommendations were adopted by a panel of three Ninth Circuit judges after a full opportunity was afforded to Girardi and Lack to present defenses and bargain with a special prosecutor (Rory Little); these findings were memorialized in the published decision of <a href="http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?xmldoc=in%20fco%2020100713157.xml&docbase=cslwar3-2007-cu Re Girardi</a>. Some of the findings included that Lack and Girardi have resorted to employing “the persistent use of known falsehoods” and that “false representations” were made “knowingly, intentionally, and recklessly” during years of litigation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img style="margin: 0px;" src='http://static3.seenthis.net/►http://data7.blog.de/media/249/6011249_eb1485d01e_m.jpeg" alt="UC Hastings Prof Rory Little" width="185" height="246" /><br /> <em><span style="font-size: 6px;">Rory Little, Ninth Circuit judicial aspirant and professor of law at U.C. Hastings. Professor Little <a href="http://legalpad.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/06/ninth-circuit-a.html">was appointed</a> special prosecutor in the matter of In Re Girardi by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski. Prior to entering academia, Professor Little served as a federal prosecutor for the Organized Crime and Racketeering Strike Force, prosecuting cases of labor racketeering, money-laundering, narcotics and other organized criminal activity. (image:courtesy photo)</span></em></p>
<p>As you surely recall, the Ninth Circuit also ordered Girardi and Lack to report the findings to the State Bar of California. Because Howard Miller of Girardi & Keese served as President of the State Bar, the Bar disqualified itself and you were appointed as Special Prosecutor by the State Bar to further look into this matter on behalf of the People.<br /> <br /> Despite ample opportunities, you (nor Lack, Girardi, or members of your firm whom I contacted on several occasions in search of information) mentioned that Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack were your and your firm’s clients. <br /> <br /> Shortly thereafter, when you had issued the decision to “exonerate” Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack (as memorialized in a <a href="http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/01/31/jerome-falk-s-letter-to-robert-baker-10474846/">"Dear Bob" letter you sent Mr. Robert Baker</a> of Baker Keener & Nahara), I immediately protested by filing both an ethics complaint with the State Bar of California, and asking the BOG to inquire into the matter. Named in the complaint were yourself, Douglas Wintrhrop, Howard Miller, and <a href="http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/06/16/d-e-v-e-l-o-p-i-n-g-james-towery-california-bar-embattled-chief-prosecutor-to-resign-11327086/">James Towery</a>.<br /> <br /> At that time, I was unaware that Girardi and Lack were your clients, and the ethics complaint alleged you were biased because of your and your firm’s ongoing business relationship with Skadden Arps and partner Tom Nolan, who served as Girardi’s defense counsel in the matter of In Re Girardi. Also, I argued that since the State Bar of California had disqualified itself, you and your firm should also have been disqualified as the managing partner of your firm (Douglas Wintrhrop) is an officer of the State Bar of California, and was appointed to the position by the BOG headed by Howard Miller of Girardi & Keese.<br /> <br /> Mr. Robert Hawley immediately appointed himself the point of contact, and only several months ago informed me that the complaint was assigned to RAD, which in turn appointed a special master who examined the complaint and found no ethical violations; <a href="http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/07/21/rad-committee-of-state-bar-of-california-adopts-finding-of-no-misconduct-by-james-towery-howard-rice-s-jerry-falk-and-doug-winthrop-11520291/">RAD voted to accept this conclusion</a>.</p>
<p><a title="Mr Tom Girardi of Girardi & Keese" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/mr_tom_girardi_of_girardi_keese/6013138">
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #000000; font-family: ’Times New Roman’; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #020000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></p>
<p>Nevertheless, the serious nature of the offenses and the harm caused by your corrupt activities (as well as the corrupt activities of Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack, primarily as a result of their failure to speak up and reject your appointment) leaves me no choice but to, again, seek discipline against you, Walter Lack, and Thomas Girardi. Additional factors surrounding Thomas Girardi and Girardi & Keese have also become relevant, including the recent malpractice suits filed by Gutierez and <a href="http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/11/03/tom-girardi-lashes-out-at-victim-as-girardi-keese-sued-for-legal-malpractice-12110166/">Demeter Energy</a>; the secretive<a href="►http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/04/05/ethics-complaint-filed-with-california-state-bar-against-skadde"> attorney-client relationship between Girardi & Keese and Skadden Arps</a> in the Fogel vs. Farmers matter, the identity and nature of the firms defending MGA in the litigation against Mattel; <a href="http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/07/21/complainant-reply-to-rad-committee-s-decision-as-was-communicated-to-state-bar-s-robert-hawley-11520925/">Alec Chang’s membership on RAD</a>; the overall corruption within the State Bar of California manifested in its unwillingness to prosecute Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack; Girardi’s unsettling<a href="►http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/09/30/muslim-community-of-orange-county-mulls-aiding-ronald-gottschal"> friendship with Ronald George</a> and “mentoring” of former crack-addict Mike Nisperos. These factors, coupled with my impression that the firms of Girardi & Keese, Skadden Arps, and Howard Rice have somehow exempted themselves from complying with the rules, make clear that I must press ahead to ensure that you, Walter Lack, and Thomas Girardi are held fully accountable and otherwise prevented from practicing before any federal or state court.<br /> <br /> As such, in the near future the federal district court, appellate court, and U.S. Supreme Court will be asked to investigate your misconduct (and that of Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack), and to otherwise permanently remove your names from the roll of members allowed to practice before each of those courts. <br /> <br /> Particularly, I plan to ask the Ninth Circuit to appoint a Special Master to investigate the matter, and to reopen the matter of In Re Girardi to examine whether Walter Lack and Thomas Girardi fully complied with the order in the matter of In Re Girardi and to report their misconduct to the State Bar of California. It is my position that the order to report their misconduct to the State Bar of California included an implied covenant that any State Bar of California proceedings would be conducted in good faith and in conformity with all rules and duties and principles consistent with the fair administration of justice. By not speaking up when you were appointed, Messrs. Girardi and Lack further aggravated matters and, arguably, violated the order handed down by the Ninth Circuit.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img style="margin: 0px;" src='http://static3.seenthis.net/►http://data6.blog.de/media/317/4844317_33623fac42_m.jpeg" alt="" width="185" height="246" /><br /> <span style="color: #000000;"><em><span style="background-color: #ffffff;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><span style="font-size: 8px;">Mr. Walter Lack of Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack. In the matter of In Re Girardi, the Ninth Circuit adjudicated: “with respect to Respondents Lack and Traina, we conclude that the mitigating factors can affect only the length of the suspension we impose. Although Lack’s involvement in the enforcement proceedings was more long-standing than Traina’s, each was specifically responsible for the falsehoods presented to this court. Consequently, each is suspended from the practice of law in this court for six months, effective on the filing date of this order. Fed. R.App. P. 46(c). Respondents Lack and Traina may each file a petition for reinstatement after the period of suspension pursuant to Ninth Circuit Rule 46-2(h). Each shall file the petition using this docket number and include evidence that he is in good standing, with no discipline pending, in all courts and bars to which he is admitted.” (Image:courtesy photo)</span></span></span></em></span><br /><br /> <br /> Similarly, when Walter Lack sought to reinstate himself via a motion advanced to Ninth Circuit Commissioner Shaw, he relied heavily on the fact that the State Bar of California decided not to discipline him. In aggravation and while exponentially compounding his lack of credibility, Mr. Lack conveniently failed to mention that he and you (who represented the State Bar of California) have an attorney-client relationship, and that your decision to not prosecute him was the fruit of an unlawful and highly unethical scheme.<br /> <br /> In addition, please note that I plan to file a writ with the California Supreme Court seeking to invalidate your decision, and asking the Court to order the State Bar of California to commence proceedings consistent with the State Bar Act and the Rules of Professional Conduct against you, Walter Lack, Thomas Girardi, and your respective firms, and to otherwise take action on the original complaint I submitted to the Intake Office which was never processed.<br /> <br /> The writ will be filed prior to the end of this year so as to allow the Court to also address separate matters, and to otherwise maintain jurisdiction over <a href="http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/03/09/californiaall-part-7-state-bar-of-california-board-of-governors-asked-to-investigate-foundation-refusal-to-comply-with-irs-rules-and-policies-10792916/">Douglas Winthrop (also of Howard Rice) and Holly Fujie</a> in their capacities as President and Vice President of the California Bar Foundation, and in connection with the overall circumstances, particularly the hush-hush and unlawful transfer of $780,000 from the Foundation to sham charity <a href="http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/2011/09/08/orange-county-investigative-news-agency-voice-of-oc-asked-to-produce-all-documents-submitted-to-the-internal-revenue-service-within-the-past-thre-11803606/">CaliforniaALLa>. <br /> <br /> Hence, at your earliest convenience I ask that you provide information, as well as, if you wish, any memorandum containing legal authority explaining why your actions did not constitute professional misconduct. <br /> <br /> Below is a synopsis of the various acts of misconduct I intend to allege. If you believe I am wrong, legally or factually, please so advise as soon as possible:<br /> <br /> Your first act of misconduct took place once the State Bar initially contacted you. Rather than rejecting the appointment, you intentionally, deliberately, and with aforethought accepted the assignment, knowing full well that you were unable to take a position adverse to your clients Walter Lack and Thomas Girardi, and also knowing full well that you would exonerate both of them regardless of the weight of the evidence. In doing so, you hoped to maintain your attorney-client relationship with Walter Lack and Thomas Girardi in order to obtain a future stream of business from them, as well as from Thomas Girardi’s defense lawyer — your confederate, Thomas Nolan of Skadden Arps. By doing so, you have completely breached the duties expected of a prosecutor. Moreover, while temporarily holding public office, you placed your financial interests, as well as the financial interest of your firm, before those of the People, causing injury to the federal judiciary, the Dole Food Company, the State Bar of California, the People of the State of California, the fair administration of justice, myself, and frankly, even your own clients Thomas Girardi and Walter Lack.<br /> <br /> Your second act of misconduct involved the hampering of an investigation, and misleading a tribunal (i.e. the BOG/RAD and the appointed Special Master) by not fully disclosing the attorney-client relationship.<br /> <br /> Thirdly, and in aggravation, even to this date, and after members of your firm were informed of the recent discovery and you had ample opportunity to admit you mistakes, you still have not taken any action to remedy the situation. Instead, you appear to hope that by ignoring the problem, it will somehow disappear. It shall not.<br /> <br /> Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any further information or clarification of the above-described facts.</p>
<p>*Links and photos inserted by <a href="http://lesliebrodie.blog.co.uk/">The Leslie Brodie Report</a>.</p>
