Judge rules favorably on Sansom motion

State Attorney Willie Meggs has until next Friday to lay out the case leading to the indictment of Rep. Ray Sansom, Bob Richburg and Jay Odom.

Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis has ruled in favor of a motion by defense attorneys that Meggs provide a statement, or bill, of "particulars." (background here) "We're very pleased," said Sansom attorney Steve Dobson. "We genuinely want to know what our clients have done that is illegal."

Sansom, Richburg and Odom have been charged with felony official misconduct for allegedly scheming to get $6 million in taxpayer money for a building Odom planned to store aircraft in at Destin Airport.

A grand jury based the charges on, among other things, a 2006 budget document that implies the money was for a college training and emergency response facility only. The final document omitted that the building would be at Destin Airport. (more on that here) But Dobson says that is not proof enough. "How on earth do you falsify the general appropriations act?" he asked.

A House investigator, Steve Kahn, reached the same basic conclusion as Meggs, plus found fault with other actions, including a secretive meeting Sansom and Richburg set up with the Northwest Florida State College Board of Trustees. An ethics commission review is under way.

Comments

[Willie Meggs]

OMG....I thought ya'll told me the Lewis would be on board with this like Reggie Walton was with that Libby guy. You mean to tell me I've actually got to present a CASE against these GOPers?Those interns you sent me from the FLA DEM party that wrote that indictment said everything would be ok. You told me those kids were bonafide Ivy leaguers!!!

[Willie Meggs]

OMG....I thought ya'll told me the Lewis would be on board with this like Reggie Walton was with that Libby guy. You mean to tell me I've actually got to present a CASE against these GOPers?Those interns you sent me from the FLA DEM party that wrote that indictment said everything would be ok. You told me those kids were bonafide Ivy leaguers!!!

[:)]

Wouldn't it be call EXTORTION!

[Steve]

Sansom,Odom and Richberg are ruined...but they need to be punished when found quilty...and serve the max time !

[Willie Meggs]

Why Steve, you seem like one of them opartive types they sent me to do this whole gig, but you might wanna spell that Richburg fella's name right. I know they don't grade on all that spellin' and what not on those FCAT tests ya'll kids take now but ya'll kids are gonna hafta learn how to ca'muuunikate better than that twitter stuff you kids like ta do.

[Wille Meggs]

Damn. I was hopin' you boys would be able to take care of this yourself, but I see you had to go get that Axelrod feller fer backup. wunder what name you boys are gonna use this time.

[white collar criminals call this a technicality? if this were a blue collar criminal a judge wouldn't have ruled in favor of the Republican crook Sansom]

Sansom is a crook,he circumnavigated the "in the sunshine" law knowingly and used tax payer funds to help a large contributor.The Republican majority don't want to oust them,well they don't have to.
We the voters and tax payers can do it for them.
This is NOT the Republican party I have been a member of for 40 years.I do not condone this and expect my legislators to represent me in a moral and ethical manor.

[Willie Meggs]

I really 'preciate all ya'll pretandin' ta be republicans, but what would reeely help most is if ya'll get them damn college kids off the troll payroll with their old fashioned labels they learned from them demcrat social studies teachers. Ain't no one used that blue collar-white collar nonsense in 20 years.

Maybe you boys need to seend them difrint talkin points as those Clinton folks used to tell us about back in the 90's.

And you still ain't told me how I'm gonna prosecute this Sansom feller when he ain't done nothin illegal? obama and his Chicago folks and guys like John murtha been doin worse for years.

[Jim]

Dear Steve and White Collar--

I agree with Steve, except it would be "if" found guilty, not when. You have to remember, both sides of this story haven't been played out in front of a jury or in the media. I have had my doubts all along whether this indictment could hold up. It is more of an indictment of the process-- which we all know awards those in power. If Willie can't show some quid-pro-quo for the job (which I don't think there was) then he won't get a conviction. You can't convict a process just because you didn't get enough money in your budget Willie. If people want the process changed, it can be done by statute or constitutional revision.

As for White Collar and all the others who want to convict someone on what they read in the paper, I certainly hope you are never charged with a crime and the media gets to decide your guilt. As for me, I'll take the process our founding fathers gave us any day over trial by media assault.

[Wait there's more...]

Wow, Sansom may not be guilty. How can that be - SP Times says so?

[sansom cant be a crook,otherwise his actions would have been condemned by Republican leadership]

Used public money to secure a part time $110,000 a year job for himself.
Using public money to re-pay a generous Republican benefactor.
Part of a conspiracy to break the government is the sunshine law.
This guy is a crook and the Republican leadership refuses to even condemn his actions!
This will NOT blow over in a few days.

[GET A CLUE!!!]

Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets, usually financial in nature, by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted!

[NoneyaBiz]

It is called EMBEZZLEMENT!

[Get A Clue!!!]

Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets, usually financial in nature, by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted

[concern citizen]

If Sansoom is found not guilty, I wonder if he will file a claims bill and how long it will take for it to pass?

[...]

The more I think about it... I am sure a little mention by Kahn will be very helpful for Sansom...

Kahn's identification of what certain markings on documents meant is proof that the process existed before Sansom... and was well known by staff who have been around longer than legislators due to term limits...

[Ray Sansom]

EXCELLENT!....It looks like Jay's pal was able to make the drop. The fix is in. The good old boy network is alive and well. Jay said we'd get away with it and I guess he knew what he was talking about! Hey Richburg can I still have the office with the view of the runways?

[...]

Excatly how do you embezzel money if its a part of Florida's General Appropriations Act and approved by a majority of Legislators and the Governor?

[Digg!]

8:53 has a point. There should be more indictments.

[For just a little while longer]

The prosecution has to spell out the illegal acts they're accusing these guys of doing? Wow, what a concept!

[HELLO]

Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets, usually financial in nature, by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted

[JOHN]

IRS.

[Very easy to prove guilt.]

Embezzlement will be an easy to prove charge. As will the circumventing of the FL Sunshine Law. The evidence is too clear that the monies appropriated for the Emergency Training facility were the exact same plans as the ones submitted earlier for the Airplane Hanger. EXACTLY THE SAME PLANS! Which in and of itself... proves that the Million dollar contribution to the RPOF in soft money was to shore up the deal!

[little details tell the whole story.]

Don't forget that Sansom was also "rewarded" with an unadvertised job that he was not qualified to fill. He does not hold a graduate degree, which is required for university post he was given.

[Coach]

DEM hacks: there are only two charges - one for "official misconduct" and perjury. There is neither an embezzelment nor an extortion charge, although I'm sure Willie Meggs will be attempting to try the case as there are. It's little wonder that Judge Lewis slapped down Meggs as he just wanted to be able to submit some talking points to a jury and have them conduct a Scooter Libby deliberation with a case of post-it notes to convict.

[the tan can man lied to the camera]

Scooter Libby was also guilty (4 charges) and even though he had the highest officials in our great country obstructing and Libby still needed a pardon,because HE WAS GUILTY!!
Here is a thought maybe some of the narrow minded folks way over in the extremist fringe of the republican party won't get,more charges can be handed down on Sansom.

"DEM hacks: there are only two charges - one for "official misconduct" and perjury. There is neither an embezzelment nor an extortion charge, although I'm sure Willie Meggs will be attempting to try the case as there are. It's little wonder that Judge Lewis slapped down Meggs as he just wanted to be able to submit some talking points to a jury and have them conduct a Scooter Libby deliberation with a case of post-it notes to convict.

Posted by: Coach | July 17, 2009 at 11:27 AM"

[Ignore the obvious?]

11:27 So you don't think Sansom is guilty?

[Coach]

Where to start, hacks and trolls? Lets start with Libby. While you wanted to, no other person was indicted and in fact a later ruling by a judge in another Plame case stated that as Joe Wilson was publically criticising the current administration any push back was done in the conduct of their position. Plame was never covert and by the narrowist of margains was classified and if she had been outed in any way it was by Aldrige Ames prior to 1994. Libby fell into a perjury trap set by Fitzgerald whom knew who the name of the 'leaker' was when he began questioning Scooter Libby. The hyperpartisan DC jury who convicted Libby let their vail down when two openly quoted they really wanted to 'get' Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. No crime was ever committed with respect to the Plames, but partisan elements in DOJ and in the Senate drove the prosecution that was created out of the investigation of a non-crime. To correct your statement, Libby's sentence was commuted by the President and he never received a full pardon. And no, I do not think Sansom is guilty of any crime. The similarities between the Fitzgerald investigation and the Meggs grand jury show are striking and continues to demonstrat that the Democrat party looks to criminalize political activity of republicans

[Diagnosis: Channel 13-itis]

3:23 Coach Norquista your tin-foil hat is really showing now. Relentless failure and blanket denial is causing a cognitive breakdown.

[Coach]

Hiya, piggie. Knew you'd clock at the Club Turf at some point. As usual, you are unable to provide anything more than usual frat boy stuff that contains nothing of substance. No new "rhetorical flourishes" either. Sad

[Coach's Fact Checker]

Fact Check of 3:41 Post:

"Hiya, piggie."

FALSE (but thanks for the compliment)

"Knew you'd clock at the Club Turf at some point"

FALSE (been here all day owning you)

"frat boy stuff"

FALSE (fraid I didn't have time for it, keg-meister.)

"No new "rhetorical flourishes" either"

TRUE (just the facts)

"sad"

FALSE (I'm OK - you need to seek help)

Everythig else is blather.

[Coach]

Is that it? Wow. Youre still real good with the name calling, but its hacks like you whom assure lots of Dem loses next fall. You've got nothing. Oh, and you're supervisor's got nothing either.

[Coach]

And a big wow goes to you little boys not being able to at least say something about that stench you're side did against Libby while we were fighting terrorist. Of course you little rodents choose the DNC over America....just like the rest of your party