CDR: Re: Lee Free - Judge Apologizes For Government's Conduct

[Tim May]

At 6:49 PM -0400 9/13/00, Harmon Seaver wrote:
>Tim May wrote:
>
>>
>>  As to why the deal included this single remaining count, the news
>>  stories are filled with much verbosity on this. Stuff about fig
>>  leaves, sending messages to other secret holders, etc.
>>
>>  You claim to be a librarian...look it up.
>>
>
>         The question was rhetorical, Tim. I followed all the news 
>reports, etc.
>It's bullshit -- Lee gets totally screwed, since the files he downloaded
>weren't (or so the news story goes) even classified material when he 
>downloaded
>them, only later to cover the government's ass.  My question remains - if the
>judge really felt he was getting screwed, all he had to do was dismiss the
>case.

They rarely just dismiss a case...that redounds negatively on the 
government's side (and the judge would not be paranoid in thinking 
that one of the many covert ops ninjas might make a car bomb 
mysteriously appear under his seat one fine morning).

Lee had no power. He was being held in solitary confinement, in 
shackles at times. The government held all the cards, though there 
hand was falling apart as time passed. They wrote the plea agreement, 
Lee signed it, the judge then accepted it.

Again, this was all covered ad nauseum in the articles.


--Tim May


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Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
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