No Justice in Iran for Jailed American Journalist Roxana Saberi

Hunt for Justice by Cynthia Hunt

Roxana Dreamed of Becoming a Journalist Who Helps America

She was a lot like me...but much more courageous.

We dreamed of being journalists, and the hard work and hard lifestyle it takes to be successful didn’t stop us.

We both started out as one-man bands which is TV news lingo for a reporter who has to shoot all her own footage—a reporter and photographer in one.

She was a one-man band in the large market of Houston, Texas. By then, I had experienced photographers, editors and engineers. They were needed to keep up with the fast competitive pace of Houston news.

Most TV reporters dream of making it to network news in New York City, but Roxana Saberi had a bigger dream than most journalists…much bigger.

Roxana dreamed of making a difference by reporting from a dangerous part of the world that most Americans don’t understand and don’t trust. Roxana grew up in Fargo, North Dakota with a mom from Japan and a dad from Iran. Her dad grew up in North Dakota but his birth in Iran gave Roxana dual American-Iranian citizenship.

At the tender age of 25, Roxana moved to Iran. The former Miss North Dakota and top ten finalist in Miss America started wearing traditional Muslim dress so she could live in Iran and work as a freelance journalist for NPR, the BBC, and other prestigious news organizations. She started working on a Masters degree in Iranian studies and writing a book to explain the culture and people.

Now, six years later this beautiful, smart, hard working American journalist is locked up in Iran’s notorious Evin prison convicted of espionage. (Roxana's Dad Pictured Left Is In Iran Hiring Attorneys to Fight for His Daughter's Release)

Once again Iranian officials have proven why they cannot be trusted or underestimated.

Iranian Officials Arrested Roxana and Charged Her With Spying

On January 31st, Iranian officials arrested Roxana and put her in prison. Roxana told her parents she was arrested for buying a bottle of wine. Buying alcohol is illegal in Iran. Iran’s foreign-ministry spokesperson said Roxana was being jailed for reporting without valid press credentials. Iranian officials had taken away Roxana’s press credentials but then allowed her to keep reporting for some time.

Iranian officials hinted for months Roxana would be released and then all of sudden Iran’s judiciary said Roxana was being investigated for passing information to American intelligence members. Then they claimed she confessed to this ridiculous allegation. Roxana told her dad they threatened to kill her if she didn’t admit to spying. Roxana was charged with espionage, convicted in secret, and sentenced to 8 years in prison. The verdict was "beyond belief."

Looking duplicitous as usual, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday sent a letter to the judiciary calling for a fair appeal for Roxana.

Many experts believe Iranian officials are playing a sick game of political chess with Roxana’s life. They think Iran has trumped up these charges against Roxana in order to get the United States to free five Revolutionary Guard members Americans found training insurgents in Iraq.

President Obama Should Secure Roxana’s Release

The White House and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have both said they are deeply disappointed by Iran’s actions. I hope that behind those politically safe statements, the White House is putting the fear back in Iran.

I am outraged as an American and as a journalist.

Iran has had no fear of any repercussions from the United States for some time. They are moving forward with an aggressive nuclear program. Remember, President Ahmadinejad said he wanted to wipe Israel off the map. We should all worry when a nation is building nuclear capability and has no fear.

Now a young journalist is locked up in an Iranian prison for using her pen to help Americans and the world at a critical time when we all need as much understanding of the Iranian people as we can get.

My longtime friend Ray Magnant was Creative Services Director at News 34 Houston where Roxana worked. He says she earned the respect of all who knew her.

“She was smart and very driven. She was one of the best reporters we had. You knew she wouldn’t stay in Houston that long because she was so smart. We knew she was destined for bigger stories.” Magnant said.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, George Stephanopoulos asked Ahmadinejad if he would release Roxana as a good will gesture. I suggest you take a deep breath so you don’t blow a gasket or vomit when you read his response.

"I think Mr. Obama, as a sign of change and also to encourage friendship, should allow laws to be processed fairly and allow the judiciary to carry out its duties," Ahmadinejad said.

How dare he say President Obama, the leader of the free world, should just sit by while Iran trumps up charges and convicts an American journalist of espionage. President Kennedy once reminded Americans that the only job protected by the constitution is that of journalists. Journalists are crucial to justice. Nothing sanitizes like a pen writing the truth.

As for the White House, I can only hope they are using Big Stick Diplomacy which calls for speaking softly in public as to not worsen the situation while carrying a big stick and threatening Iran behind closed doors.

For now, I urge all Americans to contact the White House and let the president know you want strong actions that will bring Roxana home. You can visit the website dedicated to freeing her to follow her case and the fight for her. As we sit in our comfortable American homes, Roxana is starting a hunger strike today from prison doing what little she can to fight for her own freedom.

Courageous indeed.

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Is the Mexican Government Conspiring to Sue American Ranchers Who Stop Illegals?

(picture shows Roger Barnett on his ranch in Arizona)
Hunt for Justice by Cynthia Hunt

I thought I had misread The Washington Times headline:

“16 Illegals Sue Arizona Rancher:
Claim Violation of Rights as They Cross His Land”

It gets worse.

The 16 illegal immigrants sued Arizona rancher Roger Barnett for $32 million. They claimed he violated their civil rights when he stopped them at gunpoint as they illegally crossed his land. The invading illegals said the incident caused them emotional distress.

Now really hold on.

The jury awarded four of the female illegal immigrants $73,000 for four claims of assault and emotional distress.

“I couldn’t believe it,” 64-year-old Barnett told me in a phone interview. “Americans need to get involved. It’s going to be frightening. Pay attention to what’s happening in our country.”

Rancher’s Attorney Believes Mexican Government Money Behind Lawsuit

The Rancher’s attorney, David T. Hardy, says we will see more lawsuits whenever ranchers become too successful at stopping the illegal traffic on their land. Barnett has caught and turned over 12,000 illegal immigrants who were trespassing on his land to border patrol. (picture shows a group of 60 illegal immigrants Barnett found on his land and turned over to border patrol)

“It’s pretty obvious that MALDEF (The Mexican American Legal and Education Fund) targeted Roger because he was so prominent on border issues,” Hardy said.

But Hardy told me something even more disturbing in our interview: “I suspect the Mexican government may have been behind this as well because of the enormous amount of money spent.”

Illegals’ 9 Attorneys Versus American’s 2

Hardy says he and one assistant defended Barnett while the illegal immigrants had nine attorneys on their case. For that small two-person defense team, Barnett has had to spend a large chunk of his own money to pay his almost $100,000 in legal bills.

Also, whoever was behind the lawsuit had to locate all 16 illegal immigrants and get them to testify long after the incident. Do you have any concept how hard that would be?

As a reporter, I covered the railroad serial killer, Angel Maturino Resendiz, as he crossed the border into Texas again and again to kill. He was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List and our government failed to detect him even when he was caught by Border Patrol in 1999. Things have improved some since then, but as a journalist I can tell you it would take power from the Mexican government to track down this many illegal immigrants months after they were deported by Border Patrol. Some would go home, but many would cross back into the United States to work in the shadows of our broken system.

Rancher Says Illegals Killed His Cows, Trashed his Property & Left Dead Behind

Barnett says he is the real victim here. He said illegals dump plastic on his land and, before he can stop it, his cows eat the plastic. He has watched four die a painful death after eating the illegals’ trash. (picture shows trash dumped by illegal immigrants on Barnett's ranch)

Barnett and his wife had refurbished a mobile home and put it on the middle of their large ranch to use as a getaway home. Illegals broke into the home and built a fire on the floor, even though there was a working propane stove. Instead of using the bathroom, they defecated on the floors.

The most disturbing thing to Barnett is that when one illegal dies crossing on his ranch, the rest just leave the body there. “We get phone calls from people from Mexico looking for the bodies of loved ones,” Barnett said.

Why in the World Did a Federal Judge Allow this Lawsuit to Continue?

The relatively few Americans who have heard about this case were outraged that a judge allowed it to proceed. But even Barnett’s attorney Hardy says U.S. laws forced the judge to allow the lawsuit. He says a 1787 law extended federal courts to illegal immigrants, and in 1866, Congress outlawed discrimination against aliens. Barnett says these outdated laws are not the real problem. He cannot believe the federal government, in 2009, isn’t protecting our borders.

“Our government has let myself and citizens down. They haven’t performed their duties like they should. It’s mind boggling they don’t get more serious,” the aging rancher says.

Who Are The Illegals Who Sued the Rancher?

•One man admitted he has illegally entered the United States 8 times. U.S. records document 5 of those.

•Another man had been convicted of felony drug distribution.

•The defense proved the illegal immigrants had been robbed and sexually assaulted by Mexican bandits as they tried to cross the border. They didn’t sue the bandits who committed those terrible crimes. They sued the rancher who stopped them on his land. (picture shows one of the many large quanities of marijuana found with illegal immigrants Barnett has stopped on his ranch).

The Rancher & His Gun & His Appeal

Hardy, a well known Second Amendment expert, says Barnett was well within the laws to pull his gun on the 16 aliens. The law says you may pull a gun when you think you may be in danger, and he says any reasonable American would pull a gun when they ran into 16 illegal aliens.

Hardy says the judge did not give the jury this instruction on self-defense. He expects the $73,000 awarded to 4 illegal immigrants to be turned over on appeal. The attorney says he has bigger concerns about this case. He is convinced our nation has stopped protecting its citizens, and he's concerned the media is failing in its job to tell Americans what is happening on our borders.

“I found the media coverage mystifying. No local papers showed up. The AP reporter showed up the last day,” Hardy said.

What Do You Americans Think?

As a journalist, I’ve lived in Texas for the last decade. I’ve covered stories where homeowners have shot people on their property at night and been legally cleared as they were protecting themselves against an intruder. The so-called Castle Doctrine laws are very protective of a homeowner protecting his life and property so when I read this case I was truly shocked that an American had to spend a small fortune to defend himself against a case that all the facts show was orchestrated.

Every allegation the illegals made the rancher was able to disprove. They told the jury wild stories about their emotional injuries left by this man, yet they had no proof of any of it. The Border Patrol says Barnett was calm when they found him as he usually is when turning over a group. Yet these illegals claimed they had post-traumatic stress disorder from the few minutes Barnett had them. The illegals claimed Barnett told them things in Spanish that he doesn’t even know the words to say.

Barnett says he will continue to protect his land. His wife Barbara rarely stays by herself in their ranch home because of the illegals that our government fails to stop. Barnett continues to drive across his ranch looking for the illegal immigrants who are ruining his land. He carries water with him as they often need help.

Barnett cannot believe the great United States is not protecting its borders.

He cannot believe he had to spend a fortune defending himself against a lawsuit by illegal immigrants and now must rely on a defense fund to help him.

He cannot believe that he has to continue to protect his own ranch as great risk to himself.

He worries about this nation and gave me this warning, “If they don’t to something really quickly, this country is lost.”

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Casey Anthony’s Attorney Goes After Volunteers Who Searched for Caylee

Hunt for Justice by Cynthia Hunt

The defense attorney for America’s most notorious jailed mother is targeting volunteers who searched for Caylee Anthony, and it has Tim Miller fuming mad.

Attorney Jose Baez (pictured left with Anthony) is trying to force Texas Equusearch to give him every single record the organization has—more than 20,000 documents. Equusearch searched for Caylee, but it was not them who located her body in the end. Tim Miller leads the well-known nonprofit search organization, and he’s ready for a fight.

“Jose Baez, as far as I'm concerned, is not going to get one single piece of paper from me. Not one piece of paper,” Tim Miller told Greta Van Susteren on Fox News Channel’s Monday Night broadcast.

“These volunteers have been very, very valuable in the past on searches. They're going to be very valuable in the future on searches for missing children. And will they come the next time, when they're afraid that their information is going to be given out? We have not one piece of paper that will be valuable to Jose Baez in any way, shape or form. So I will fight this to the very, very end,” Miller said. (Picture Above Texas Equusearch had around 150 volunteers searching for Caylee September 1, 2008)

Tim Miller’s Story is One of Grieving Parent Turned Everyday Hero

If you don’t know Tim Miller’s story, you should. In 1984, Miller’s 16-year-old daughter Laura was abducted. During the next year and a half, Miller says he tried to drink himself to death. He knew in his heart that his daughter was dead, but the fact police never found Laura’s body made every parent’s worst nightmare even darker.

A year and a half after her disappearance, some kids stumbled onto a foul odor in a remote Galveston County field about an hour outside of Houston. The bodies of four girls had been buried and Laura Miller was one of them. A serial killer had used the field as a place to dump his young victims.

Miller never forgave himself for not searching every square foot of Texas for Laura. This father’s pain led to Miller’s founding of Texas Equusearch 15 years later (Miller left, at his daughter Laura's Grave).

As a reporter, I’ve watched Miller and his heroic army of volunteer searchers time and time again. They brave the worst weather and land conditions to exhaustively help families and police find missing people. They provide invaluable manpower and assistance that police just don’t have. Often Miller and his compassionate army will locate a body that in all likelihood would never have been found without them.

Miller’s single purpose for living is to provide this heroic service. You should see this compassionate man help families. He knows exactly how they feel. It’s been amazing for me to see the sacrifices he and his proficient and professional volunteers make. They take vacation time from work. They often use their own equipment and money to help. The leave their families and travel wherever needed. They suffer harsh weather conditions and the worst terrain just to serve families at their most desperate hour. (Left,Texas Equusearch volunteers comb the woods looking for Caylee)

Tim Miller has spent his entire life’s savings to fund Texas Equusearch which evolved into a nonprofit. In the group’s first six years, they found more than 500 bodies. They have helped in countless high profile cases, but they are just as quick to respond to any family in need. Many times I have seen Miller’s people searching even when police are barely working the case. Miller is expanding and starting new branches across the United States because the tragic business of missing people is booming.

Should Anthony’s Attorney Get Documents about Volunteer Searchers?

When I first heard Anthony’s defense attorney wanted Miller’s records, I felt conflicted. The pro-information journalist in me reasoned that since the search was done in public, for the public good, perhaps the information of all volunteers involved should be available to anyone who wants it. Journalists believe in free information, and that public light sanitizes events and helps ensure justice.

There is what’s right legally, and there’s what’s right ethically.

The thought of an attorney, who is defending the ultimate monster mother for the murder of her precious daughter, combing Miller’s volunteer records to try to find anything that could cast a shadow of doubt on his searchers, makes me sick.

However, there are legitimate legal questions that need answering. We still don’t know how long Caylee's body was buried in the woods near the Anthony home. Could the body have been placed there while Casey was in jail? Knowing the facts that all of us know—that’s unlikely.

Some questioned how Miller’s volunteers could have missed the remains when they were searching, but Miller explains that the wooded area was under several feet of water until recently; a fact police records substantiate. Miller didn’t want to search an area covered in three feet of water because he was afraid their equipment would damage the toddler’s body and the evidence if she were there.

How do you think the court will rule? Will Miller have to turn over all of his records to Casey’s attorney? What do you think is right?

Can you imagine a technicality that would allow this mother to walk free? I know you are thinking that will never happen. Two letters come to mind-O.J.

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Legal & Life Lessons from a Dallas Cowboy

Hunt for Justice by Cynthia Hunt

How could he not be bitter?

Marcus Dixon’s case proves our justice system can fail miserably.

Still, he’s not bitter.

How would you feel if our justice system stole almost two years of your life and a dream you had defied odds to make come true?

You may remember Marcus’s story. It sparked national outrage and a change in Georgia laws.

His Father Abandoned Him & His Mother Went To Prison but the Little Boy Still Excelled

Marcus Dixon (pictured above) was always special despite how unfair his life seemed to be. His spirit and athletic talent made him stand out even in little league. After his father vanished and his mother went to prison, his grandmother gave her blessings when a white family asked to adopt 9-year-old Marcus, who is black.

Kenneth and Peri Jones, a school maintenance manager and teacher, lost relationships with two immediate family members but never regretted their decision to adopt a black child in the mostly white community of Rome, Georgia. They treated him the same as their son by birth. (Pictured Below Peri & Ken Jones Appear on CBS to Discuss Marcus's Case)

Marcus was a superstar in the classroom and on the field. As a high school senior, he had a 3.96 grade-point average and a full football scholarship to Vanderbilt University. The Joneses never dreamed they would soon be spending their life savings defending their star son.

The Racially Charged Case Begins

When Marcus was 18, he had sex with a white girl who was just shy of her 16th birthday. She later claimed he raped her. He said the sex was consensual and the girl had told him her father was a racist and would never approve. Many felt the prosecution that followed was harsh and racially motivated. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine the following if the boy had been white and the girl black.

For the most part, the jury believed Marcus and rejected the long list of charges the prosecutor had thrown at the teen—rape, sexual battery, false imprisonment, and aggravated assault. However in this “she said—he said” case, the jury convicted Marcus of the odd combination of statutory rape, a misdemeanor, and the more serious charge of aggravated child molestation because it was illegal for him as an 18-year-old to have sex with a girl who was just shy of 16.

The jurors were shocked and outraged when the judge, who was bound by Georgia’s mandatory sentencing laws, sent Marcus to prison for 10 years with no possibility of parole. The jurors did not realize what they had done until it was too late, and Marcus was headed to prison for the next decade. Five of the jurors said they never would have voted for what they thought were lesser convictions if they had known the result of their decision.

Outrage Spread Across the Nation Over How Legal System Treated Marcus

Marcus’s story sparked a national outcry and charges of Old South injustice. A white attorney saw the teen’s story and worked on Marcus’s appeal pro bono. After Marcus served 15 months in prison, the Georgia Supreme Court threw out Marcus's conviction and sentence for the molestation charges agreeing with his attorneys that it was cruel and unusual punishment. It's interesting to note that in this racially charged controversy, it was a white corporate Georgia attorney who donated $400,000 worth of legal work to free Marcus. Lawmakers themselves said they never realized that the law they had passed to strengthen sentencing guidelines for child molesters could be applied to consensual sex between teenagers. (Above, Marcus is freed)

Marcus Shows the Dallas Cowboys the Stuff of a Real Champion

Marcus could not regain everything he had lost, especially the full scholarship to Vanderbilt University. Marcus got a football scholarship to Hampton University in Virginia. Now five years after this legal nightmare started, Marcus is getting a second chance at his dream. He’s on the practice team for the Dallas Cowboys with hopes of making the team.

Pam Oliver, FOX’s awesome and respected NFL Correspondent, updated the story of Marcus Oliver last Sunday. In her interview, I was struck when he told her he is NOT bitter. (Watch video of Pam’s story on Marcus.)

NOT Bitter?

Marcus's Story Presents a Question for Us All

During this miraculous time of the year when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, there is so much to learn from this 24-year-old kid who lost so much because of a failure in our legal system.

Holiday Flying & A Cold-Hearted, Continental Gate Agent Made Me Daydream about Breaking Laws

I know people who are bitter about all events great and small in their lives. As I was flying home to Alabama to see my family yesterday, a bitter Continental gate agent went on the plane just before takeoff to yank me off the flight because she could not find my ticket for my 5-pound Chihuahua who was sitting in a carrier underneath my seat. I begged her to let me work it out with Continental in Nashville, but nope. She took me off the plane and let the plane leave with my seat empty.

I’m bitter about that.

At first, I had visions of this obviously miserable woman going hunting with Dick Cheney. That made me ashamed. Then I had visions of her going clubbing with Plaxico Burress. That made me laugh. The woman who had been incredibly rude all morning to even elderly passengers is obviously a bitter person. After spending almost six hours waiting for the next flight . . . hours I was supposed to be spending with my terminally ill younger sister . . . I became more embittered.

Still my thoughts go back to Marcus Dixon—a young man with so much grace that he can forgive and forget how unfair life has often been to him and persevere. My six hours of airport waiting was nothing compared to his 15 months in prison. Could you feel the same way if our legal system robbed you of an experience you richly earned and stole two years from your life? Our legal system is made by humans and therefore will have more cases like this.

I’ve decided the world is made up of the bitter and the not bitter. The bitter are petty about everything, worrying that someone, somewhere is getting a better deal. These people are so overwhelmed with insecurity and jealousy, they spend valuable energy trying to bring others down . . . even others who are on the same team as they.

Marcus & My Sister Share a Secret

The “not bitter” are the champions in life. The people of all ages and races who refuse to let life’s circumstances ever damage their spirit. The ones who want good things for all their peers because they understand when one wins, we all win.

My sister Angelia (left) isn’t bitter. After a massive heart attack at age 23, she was told she had inoperable brain aneurysms and a heart aneurysm and that she would probably live only a few more months. I am incredibly blessed to tell you nine beautiful years later she is still alive and doctors call her a little miracle, a word MD's don't use lightly.

Angelia takes 12 medications a day. She cannot lift more than five pounds or exercise. She cannot dream of becoming a mother. There is no treatment for her DNA flaw that causes her collagen to be so weak and therefore her blood vessels to be so fragile. Doctors don't know how long she can defy the odds, but I know she is blessing all in her path with her happy spirit . . . a spirit of faith and thankfulness for each day she wakes up alive . . . a spirit with no bitterness.

In this season of Christ, I hope I can be more like my sister and Marcus. I hope I can rise above anything that comes in my path and find the grace to be thankful. Since this is a crime blog, I guess I am somewhat helped by the fact many people aren’t like Marcus. . . . We wouldn’t have so many murders and crimes to fill our blog with lively writing and debate.

Marcus told a Dallas Morning News reporter "I stayed in the Word. I stayed prayed up. My faith can't be broken. It's so strong, nothing can break it. It's always hard to have faith because you are tested every day."

Thank you Marcus for being wise at only 24 . . . and for reminding me the best revenge is to beat bitterness. The Dallas Cowboys will be lucky to have you on their team to remind some of the spoiled and the petty multi-millionaire star athletes what a true champion is like.

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Cyber Bullies & Killers: Defining Justice in Cyberspace

Hunt for Justice
by Cynthia Hunt

Megan Meier was only 13. She had a big smile, braces, and fragile eyes that hinted at the pain that adolescence often brings. It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to hurt this little girl, but someone did.

The Mother’s Evil Plan

Her family’s neighbor, a mother of another 13-year-old girl, created a fake identity of a teenage boy on MySpace just so she could hurt Megan. After weeks of a fake courtship, the mother then sent a message to Megan saying, “The world would be a better place without you.”

Megan believed her MySpace crush had sent that cruel message. That afternoon, Megan hanged herself in her bedroom.

Getting Away with Murder? . . . Sort of. . . .

At first it seemed the mother, Lori Drew, would get away with these acts after Missouri law enforcement officials said she had not broken any law on their books. People across the nation were outraged Drew could get away with acts that seem criminal to any person with a lick of common sense. That’s when the United States attorney in Los Angeles, Thomas P. O’Brien, took action.

Lori Drew Convicted by Federal Jury of Computer Fraud After Bullying Teen

U.S. Attorney Fights for Justice

O’Brien, a father himself, took a personal interest in Megan’s case. Using a creative legal strategy, O’Brien asserted jurisdiction because MySpace is based in Los Angeles where its servers are located. He prosecuted Drew on computer fraud charges for creating a phony account on MySpace.

This case marks the first time the federal statute designed to fight computer crime was used to prosecute someone for abusing a user agreement on a social networking site.

O’Brien said the verdict sends an “overwhelming message” to Internet users everywhere.

“If you are going to attempt to annoy or go after a little girl and you’re going to use the Internet to do so," O'Brien said, "this office and others across the country will hold you responsible.”

The Mother Should Go to Prison

I’m not sure how strong the message is though. The jury reduced the charges from felonies to misdemeanors. Drew could face up to three years in prison and a $300,000 fine. It seems light for someone with an elaborate scheme to torture a little girl.

Reporters described Drew as emotionless during most of the trial. After the verdict was read, she left the courtroom so angry her face was red. I hope the judge sentences Drew to the maximum. Her obvious lack of remorse might help.

I remember distinctly when the Missouri officials passed on the case. Credit should go to O’Brien for working so hard at his job despite the fact lawmakers haven’t done theirs.

Lawmakers need to act to address the growth of crime on the Internet. In the meantime, I hope there are more prosecutors like O’Brien who will fight for justice. People need to take responsibility for their actions on the Internet.

Florida Teen Commits Suicide on Web Cam While Internet Users Encourage It

Last week, a 19-year-old student in Florida committed suicide in front of his Web cam while more than a thousand watched. On a message board at BodyBuilding.com, Abraham Biggs (pictured below) posted a suicide note and listed the pills he was going to use to take his life.

Strangers encouraged him to take the pills.

Over 1,300 strangers watched him take the pills.

And strangers watched him die on his bed.

By the time one of the watchers finally called police to check on Andrew, it was too late.

Biggs’ father believes the Web site operators and the Internet users that encouraged Abraham must share some blame for Abraham’s suicide.

Experts say the users' comments did play a role in his suicide. I believe that all the Web users who encouraged Abraham and especially the one who told him "go ahead and do it, faggot" should face serious charges.

While Biggs’ father is hoping police can file some kind of charges in his son’s suicide, Megan’s mother is waiting for her daughter’s cyber bully Lori Drew to be sentenced. Meanwhile, the unrepentant mother-bully is asking for a new trial. I think the only new thing she deserves is three long years facing federal prisoners who will know her as the big, mean, Internet bully who hurt little Megan. She may find what it's like to face a bully her own size.

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Wishing We Could Send Congress to Federal Prison Over the Financial Crisis

Hunt for Justice by Cynthia Hunt

A joke in Washington goes like this: "What's the difference between Enron and Fannie Mae? Answer: The guys at Enron have been convicted.”

That's no new joke. In the beginning of a Wall Street Journal editorial from June 2006—that's right, two years ago—the WSJ wrote 20 editorials starting all the way back in February 2002, and continuing through June 2006, warning of the impending mortgage crisis.

Again and again, the WSJ described the disaster that was being created, a building crisis that could endanger our entire financial system. In 2004, a top FBI official also warned that the mortgage boom made the market ripe for shady operators, but he said the FBI was on top of it.

Convictions aren’t the only difference between Enron and the current crisis. If you remember, Enron executives fooled everyone for a long time with their voodoo accounting. A special investigative committee worked for months to unravel and explain how Enron executives cooked the books. The committee released its findings in what was called the “Powers Report.”

The current financial crisis is no surprise. A WSJ editorial in October 2004 said Fannie has been “cooking the books. Big time.” (at left: NYSE traders yesterday after the Dow plummetted 800 points).

Repeated warnings were sounded.

Our elected government do-nothings did nothing.

And yes, greed on Wall Street contributed too. As a matter of fact, there's plenty of blame for us all to be sickened as taxpayers with Congress and with Wall Street.

Here's what you need to know. Fannie and Freddie are the two biggest mortgage holders in the country. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government-sponsored entities that were designed to help with the noble goal of allowing more Americans to own a home. Congress gave Fan and Fred special privileges long ago. They were allowed the benefits of completely private companies but not required to follow the same rules. They don't have to register their securities or file insider trading forms with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In other words, they don't have to disclose how they are running their business to investors.

This exemption from the rules allowed Fannie and Freddie to pile up massive debt knowing there was an implicit guarantee by the American taxpayers. To make matters worse, this accounting funny business with Fan and Fred allowed their executives to manipulate numbers and make huge bonuses.

While Fan and Fred were engaged in their bad business, Wall Street investment firms were buying up subprime mortgages and bundling them as investments so complicated that few understood what they were. When the housing bubble burst, the firm's investments were in deep trouble.

In 2003, The Bush White House tried half-heartedly to impose regulation and stop the runaway train. But the president never took his case to the American people so that he could rally support and force Congress's hand. In 2004, the mighty Alan Greenspan said Fannie and Freddie must be reformed or they posed a risk to the entire financial system. However, the bipartisan Fan and Fred defenders in Congress, who were lining their pockets with campaign contributions from the duo, defended and protected the ugly couple.

Now the FBI and SEC have launched more than 75 investigations into this debacle to find out if laws were broken. Government lawyers are already warning that the current crisis is so complex that it may be impossible to prove that a crime was actually committed.

Two WSJ editorials in 2002 and 2004 were entitled "Fannie Mae Enron" in an attempt to show the scary similarities between Enron and Fannie Mae. The losses in the current banking crisis dwarf those of Enron, and it took government investigators five years to make their complicated case against the Enron executives. One wonders if they'll ever figure this one out.

Years ago when I covered the Enron cases, I sat in the beautiful Houston mansion owned by former Enron Executive Jeff Skilling (pictured left) while he meticulously presented his case to me that he committed no crime at Enron. Bad business decisions are not necessarily crimes. But in 2006, a jury convicted him of fraud saying he intentionally misled investors. He is in federal prison appealing his case and is scheduled to get out in 2028.

I remember Skilling describing the collapse of Enron as an "old-fashioned run on the bank" when investors lost confidence in that business. I am struck now as I am already starting to hear some use that same phrase in the current crisis. Remember, Skilling didn't plead the Fifth. He went before Congress and answered all their questions because he was and still is convinced that he did no wrong.

The current crisis makes Enron look like a hiccup. Common sense says that someone should be put in a federal jumpsuit over this. Perhaps the most deserving culprit is the body of Congress. If Jeff Skilling misled investors, then Congress not only misled Americans but was a willing accomplice to this horrific crime.

I believe this is the real "crime of the century," and like O. J. Simpson after his first trial, I predict Congress members will spend the next few years feigning disgust in congressional hearings and on beautiful golf courses while looking for the "real killers" of our economy.

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Did Beautiful, Young Florida Mom Kill Her Baby Girl? Two Legendary Homicide Detectives Weigh In

Along with the rest of the nation, Women in Crime Ink has been following the mysterious case of Caylee Anthony, the missing toddler whose mother, Casey, has been jailed in connection with her child's disappearance. We asked two veteran Texas homicide legends, Detective Roger Wedgeworth (above left) and his partner Detective Harry Fikaris (right), to give us their seasoned take on the case. Specifically, did a beautiful, young Florida mom kill her baby girl?

Q: What do you think happened to Caylee Anthony?

A: The case is very bizarre. If we’ve learned anything over the years, it's that you can't look at people like Casey Anthony and compare her to a normal person. People who have kids and are from a semi-functional family cannot even comprehend how a toddler like Caylee can go missing for an hour, much less 31 days, without getting police involved. The mother’s nanny story is a complete lie because there is not one person or piece of evidence that can prove the "nanny" ever existed.

Homicide 101 says you have to clear the mother first and her lack of cooperation has made it impossible to eliminate her as a suspect. Every part of this unfolding story points to the mother having killed her daughter and disposed of the body. Make no mistake. This woman knows what has happened to her child. Her calm, matter-of-fact attitude, her lies to police, and her clubbing with friends after her daughter was allegedly kidnapped, all raise plenty of red flags.

There has been speculation that Casey sold her daughter. We believe if the girl had been sold, Casey would have already given that information up just to get out of jail. We can only believe the worst has happened.

Q: Do investigators have as little to go on as it appears?

A: Trust us when we tell you that investigators are not giving out all the information. That’s a strategy detectives use. Sometimes you withhold information so people will come forward with everything they know. People are often scared but if some evidence is withheld, especially in an emotional case like this, the burden will start weighing on the person who knows something.

Investigators are looking at every credit card receipt and every cell phone call Casey made after her daughter disappeared. Every time she made a call, there’s a record of her location based on cell phone towers. If she made calls or bought anything on her credit card from an odd remote place, then that gives investigators more clues to what happened.

Q: What does Casey Anthony's behavior suggest to you?

A: Casey Anthony’s completely cold, matter-of-way she discusses her missing baby girl is a disturbing clue not just to any homicide detective but to any normal person. In our experience, this can only mean two things. She is extremely mentally ill, which we do not believe is the case, or she is responsible for what happened to her daughter.

We’ve interviewed parents who killed their kids, and we’ve interviewed parents whose kids were actually kidnapped. There is a huge difference. The killer parents speak cold, calmly, matter-of-factly and are worried more about themselves more than their children. That fits Casey. The only time we've seen her cry is for herself at her bond hearing (shown right). If killer parents do appear upset, you can tell the emotions are not sincere, but in this case Casey isn’t even faking concern. Her hateful phone calls from jail with friends and family highlight her selfishness. She never once during the 13-minute phone call expresses concern for her Caylee—only anger that she had been arrested.

One of us worked with a special F.B.I. task force in June involving a Texas dad who killed his two children but had reported them missing. The dad, Randy Sylvester, waited six hours to report the kids’ “abduction” to police. As Sylvester discussed his missing children, he was calm and matter-of-fact. He led investigators on wild goose chases to ponds and lakes.

After a week of lies, investigators got a somewhat controversial community activist—"Quanell X"—involved. He was able to get the suspect to lead investigators to the bodies. Some people might criticize investigators for bringing in a controversial figure. But we believe you do what it takes to find missing kids and prosecute the killer. When no one else could establish rapport with this father, the activist could. In Florida, the police need someone to help them establish rapport with Casey unless evidence solves the case.

Q: The latest pictures show Casey Anthony clubbing with friends one week after her daughter was “kidnapped.” What does that tell you?

A: This shows us the child was a burden to her and interfered with her lifestyle. When you see suspects enjoying life so soon after a tragedy, especially with a child missing, it almost always means they are guilty.

We worked a case in the early '90s where a father and two sons were killed in an upper-middle class suburb of Houston. The night of the murders, the “grieving” woman who lost her husband and sons was acting weird. She was drinking and cutting up with neighbors. Her behavior was not appropriate for someone who just lost her three immediate family members. A year later, the mother married her tennis coach. All evidence pointed to a murder-for-hire. Unfortunately, we never got the evidence to prosecute her. The woman later died of alcoholism. We believe her guilty conscience killed her.

Q: What should detectives look for?

A: Mistakes, slip-ups, telling inconsistencies. Many murderers are so vain and narcissistic they think they are smarter than everyone else. Most often, they make a mistake through physical evidence or something they said. We believe the investigators in Florida are carefully getting Casey Anthony’s friends to recount every word she said to them in recent months.

What her friends say about how Casey was acting while she was conducting “her own investigation” will be a major clue. She may have told a friend that her life would be a lot easier if she didn’t have a daughter. That would be compelling evidence to a jury. It’s part of the puzzle.

Q: What do you make of the 911 calls?

A: Those initial 911 calls to police by the grandmother are instructive about the family. Is the grandmother that naive? Her daughter (Casey) had lied to her for a month about her grandbaby Caylee, but during the first call, Grandma wants Casey arrested for stealing her car and her money? . . . Then Grandma frantically calls back and tells the dispatcher "it smells like there’s been a dead body in the damn car."

As homicide detectives, we have smelled hundreds of dead bodies. We can tell you that the smell of a dead body is unmistakable. Once you’ve smelled it, you know it’s not a decaying animal or "rotten pizza." Death's smell is unique and unforgettable.

Last year, our homicide squad solved a murder where a man confessed to killing his girlfriend and then barbecuing her body. Neighbors described his “barbecue” as the most foul odor they’ve ever smelled. Detectives found plenty of evidence that Tynesha Stewart, an intelligent 19-year-old freshman engineering student, had been mutilated in the house, dismembered. After all, you can’t barbecue bones.

As for the trunk of the car in the Anthony case, the sheriff’s spokesperson said in his first statements that forensics found a blood stain, dirt, and hair in the trunk consistent with the child's hair. The investigators are playing their cards close to the vest, as they should, and not releasing much information.

Q: What if investigators never find Caylee?

A: It’s not impossible to prosecute a case without a body, but sometimes it takes patience. We’ve done it successfully. In the case of beautiful 24-year-old Tracy Jo Shine, we never found her body because the killer cut it into pieces and destroyed it in barrels of acid. It was 1987, and we didn’t have the advanced DNA testing we have now. We confiscated the refrigerator that we believed the suspect used in some way. We later determined he used it to move the body before he dismembered it.

A decade later we reopened the case. DNA testing confirmed the victim’s DNA was on the back part of the refrigerator on the wiring harness. Her DNA was not found anywhere else in that refrigerator because the boyfriend-killer had cleaned it thoroughly except for that wire. The killer is sitting in prison today.

Q: What's it going to take to crack this case?

A: We are confident the detectives in Orlando will solve this case and determine what happened to Casey. If we were questioning Casey Anthony, we would try to keep her talking about anything. She’s defensive. She has been watching the news and she knows the nation believes she is guilty. A strong-arm approach with her would shut her down and make her more defensive.

The public might not understand this but we would approach Casey in a friendly, "we want to help you" manner. It takes incredible patience with lying suspects like Casey. The first thing you need to do in an interview is establish rapport. Confrontational methods rarely work. The key reason we’ve successfully secured so many confessions is extreme patience.

Often we say “We know you did it, but we know it was a mistake. We just need to know why.” If they curse and deny it, we must stay calm and friendly. A great homicide detective exercises extreme discipline and never loses his or her cool with the suspect. We’ve often stayed up straight for twenty-four hours questioning suspects we knew were guilty of murder.

Q: If Casey is not "extremely mentally ill" . . . could she still be a sociopath?

A: We’ve dealt with sociopaths. They don’t have any feelings for other people. Casey seems to have no conscience in her daughter’s situation. If Casey’s story were true, she should be feeling very guilty for leaving her daughter with a babysitter who would kidnap the child. A normal mother would blame herself for even a kidnapping. The public hasn't seen a morsel of guilt or remorse for supposedly leaving her child with the “kidnapper.”

Sociopaths are known for having an abundance of charm and wit. Casey was a cheerleader in high school (pictured left)—a social, outgoing girl. The pictures of her in the bar show her outgoing nature. Yet the photos also reveal she has no moral conscience for the well-being of her child.

A homicide detective always does a background on the family. Casey’s mother’s behavior alone sets off big warning bells (pictured below smiling and running from media after visiting daughter in jail last week). She goes onto news programs and thinks she can use the public’s airwaves how she sees fit. She shows arrogance and refuses to answer questions about her own daughter’s involvement.

We believe Casey is not a real mother. There are evil people out there and they do evil things—things that are unimaginable to most normal people. We believe the investigators will prove Casey Anthony is a beautiful, sociopathic monster.

Read more about the careers of Legendary Detectives Fikaris and Wedgeworth below in our Mystery Man column promo. Make sure to click on their Biographical Video.

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Government Charged with Accessory to Murder—Federal, State & City Leaders Thrown Behind Bars

Hunt for Justice by Cynthia Hunt

My title is wishful. If there were to be real justice, we could hold elected leaders responsible in some way other than just voting them out of office.

A Mother Warns It Could Happen to Your Family

A San Francisco mother had to bury her husband and two sons because the City of San Francisco under its “sanctuary city” policy did not report a convicted violent offender and illegal immigrant to federal authorities. Twenty-one-year-old Edwin Ramos (pictured above), an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, is charged in the triple murder of a father and his two sons.

Prosecutors say Ramos gunned down Tony Bologna, 48, and his two sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16, in a fit of “road rage.” Tony apparently made the unforgivable mistake of briefly blocking Ramos’s car from making a left turn, and officers say Ramos gunned down the family right there in their vehicle. They were driving home from a family picnic.

“It was a senseless crime, and had [authorities] done something this animal would not have taken my family," mother and widow Danielle Bologna told FOX News on Monday. "I feel that the government should have stepped in. I feel that they allow these immigrants to come in and how dare they strip our families like this." (Watch the widow's tearful plea to the community.)

Rap Sheet Includes Membership is MS-13 Gang and Violent Offenses

Police say Ramos is a member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang. The FBI considers Ms-13 the most violent and dangerous gang in the United States. Ramos had a rap sheet that I’m confident made his fellow thugs proud.

When Ramos was 17, he and two other men flashed gang signs, boarded a bus, and beat a man who was not in a gang. The attack was recorded by the bus video camera. He was convicted and released back to his mother a short six months later.

Days after his release, he tried to rob a pregnant woman in the middle of the day. This time Ramos was sent to a city-run camp and again released back to his family. NEVER did San Francisco report this upstanding illegal to the feds. In San Francisco, Ramos was treated and protected in the juvenile justice system because he was only 17 when he committed the crimes. San Francisco's 1989 "City of Refuge" ordinance prohibits city agencies from contacting the feds on immigration matters.

Three Months Before Killings Feds Failed to Protect Citizens

This year, three months before Ramos allegedly shot and killed the Bologna dad and sons, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Ramos was pulled over for having illegally tinted windows and for failing to display a front license plate. Police say an alleged gang member in Ramos’s car discarded a gun that had been used in a double murder.

Prosecutors didn’t file charges against Ramos, saying they couldn’t prove he knew his companion had the gun. At this point, a member of the sheriff’s department (a county-run agency) DID REPORT his immigration status to the ICE (the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). But the sheriff’s department says ICE decided NOT to place a detainer on Ramos and the department released Ramos. What brainchild at ICE made that call?

San Francisco Spends Taxpayer Money to Brag about Its Sanctuary City Status

When Ramos allegedly killed three innocent Americans, the City of San Francisco was spending $83,000 in taxpayers’ money running ads that told illegal immigrants about all kinds of taxpayer-funded city services they could get without having to worry about their illegal status being reported to the feds. A TV ad ends with the city’s top leader bragging “I’m Mayor Gavin Newsom. San Francisco is a sanctuary city making public services safe and accessible for everywhere.”

On Monday in a segment about the triple murder, Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly said Newsom is “perhaps the most despicable public servant” in America.” San Francisco conservative columnist Debra Saunders declared that San Francisco is an example of “political correctness run amuck.”

Our Government Leaders Are Completely Incompetent on This Issue

Is it just me or does it feel like our government leaders have gone mad? Forget the conservative and liberal labels that may be coming to your minds. Both sides have had a chance to correct this, and both have failed to solve the illegal immigration crisis. Is it not insanely dangerous for cities to protect violent illegal immigrants?

As a reporter, I’ve talked to illegal immigrants about this issue and even they support the deportation of violent illegal immigrants. Ramos was 17 when he committed these vicious crimes. Why not certify him as an adult and deport this dangerous MS-13 gang member before he decimated the Bologna family?

The One Part of Sanctuary City Policy that Makes Sense

I understand where the concept of sanctuary city originated. As a journalist in another sanctuary city, Houston, Texas, I can tell you that it started with a legitimate police need. Investigators needed to have a working relationship with the illegal population to solve crimes.

The federal government wasn’t protecting our borders and keeping illegals out of the cities, but the locals have always been the ones who had to deal with the crime problems. Police desperately needed to get cooperation from illegal residents to solve crimes for the safety of all. Therefore, it became policy that people knew they could cooperate and call local police without having to worry about their immigration status being reported.

How did the need for police to communicate with all people morph into a system where our city leaders are breaking federal law, endangering the hardworking, taxpaying Americans, and then even running ads to brag about it?

Cities and Federal Government Clashing Over Illegal Immigration

In Houston, Texas a beloved veteran police officer and dad of five, Rodney Johnson, was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant during a traffic stop. In the two years since then, the case has become a battle cry against illegal immigration. The shooting happened as Houston police were facing pressure to become more involved in immigration enforcement.

Just four months ago. The U. S. Supreme Court decided President Bush had to no power to tell the State of Texas to reopen the case of an illegal immigrant who had been sentenced to death for the 1993 murder and rape of two teenage girls. Jose E. Medellin is scheduled for execution on August 5th, two weeks from today. The President had argued for the case to be reopened because officers failed to tell Medellin he had a right under the Vienna Convention to contact Mexican diplomats about his arrest.

The mayor of Los Angeles is criticizing ICE saying the agency is using scarce resources to round up illegal workers instead of focusing on the wanted violent illegal aliens.

Please, Senators McCain and Obama: Show Some Leadership and Provide a Plan

Is it too much to ask that the next President of the United States show some leadership and give us an immigration policy that works and protects Americans while maintaining our special place in the world as the land of dreams and opportunity for immigrants?

I am sure if a high-profile leader in this country lost what Danielle Bologna lost—three loved ones—suddenly they would find the time and the motivation to address this crisis. Bologna wants San Francisco to stop being a sanctuary city. What do you think should happen?

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