The Soros Dozen: Big City Prosecutors Backed by George Soros

[Geee]

Breitbart

 

Soros-backed prosecutors include:

Supported by Soros through spending by political action committees (PACs) and super PACs:

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón – Elected in 2020, he ousted incumbent D.A. Jackie Lacey, the first black woman to hold the job, and has prided himself on reducing prison sentences, even as violent crime has soared in L.A.

 

(Chicago) Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx – Foxx became notorious for her intervention in the Jussie Smollett case, dropping charges against the actor for a hate crime hoax. (Smollett was later convicted.) Chicago hit 800 homicides in 2021.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner – Soros supported Krasner with nearly $1.7 million in spending in 2017, more than five times as much as Kranser spent himself. Philadelphia set a new record for homicides in 2021, with 562 in total.

(Houston) Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg – Ogg is considered one of the more moderate of Soros’s prosecutors, and had to overcome opposition from even more left-wing prosecutors in 2020. Houston’s homicide rate rose 71% in 2021.

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot – Cruezot dropped prosecutions for thefts of “personal items” valued at less than $750, among other radical reforms, and was reduced to reminding residents that theft was still against the law.

 

 

(San Antonio) Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales – Gonzales has been described as “one of Soros’s favorite DAs,” presiding over a stunning 52% increase in homicides in San Antonio since 2019, though violent crime was down overall.

(Phoenix) Maricopa County District Attorney Paul Penzone – Soros spent millions to defeat Joe Arpaio and support Penzone, who gained national attention in 2020 when he resisted efforts by Republicans to audit the ballots in the 2020 election.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner – Gardner has faced ethical complaints over the prosecution of former Governor Eric Greitens, as well as that of Mark and Patricia McCloskey. She was kicked off the latter prosecution after using it to fundraise.

(East San Francisco Bay Area) Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton – Becton famously charged a couple with a “hate crime” for painting over a “Black Lives Matter” mural that was painted on a public road in Martinez, California.

Supported by Soros indirectly:

(New York) Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg – Bragg was elected with help from the Color of Change PAC, to which Soros donated $1 million. He has banned pre-trial incarceration and prison for all but homicide and a few other cases.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby – Mosby, one of the original “Black Lives Matter” prosecutors, reportedly took a trip abroad sponsored by a Soros-backed group. She was recently indicted on federal charges of mortgage fraud and perjury.

(Orlando) Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monque Worrell – Worrell succeeded Soros-backed Aramis Ayala, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis kicked off a murder case for declining to seek charges in a murder because she opposed the death penalty.

 

 

[Valin]

Felony murder in a good cause: Fox News edition

Scott Johnson

Jan. 28 2022

I was invited to appear on FOX News last night for a brief segment to discuss the January 14 sentencing of Montez Terriel Lee, Jr. The segment was tentatively rescheduled to this evening. I am posting this for viewers in the event that the segment runs tonight. The relevance of the story is enhanced by the fact that sentencing judge Wilhelmina “Mimi” Wright is now reportedly on the shortlist of potential nominees to succeed Justice Breyer on the Supreme Court:

(Snip)

One such arsonist was Montez Terriel Lee, Jr. Lee came up to the Twin Cities from Rochester to get in on the action on May 28. Lee was part of a small group that broke into the Max It Pawn Shop on East Lake Street in Minneapolis, home to many minority-owned businesses. The pawn shop was looted. Lee poured out a can of gasoline and ignited a fire that consumed the shop.

Videos captured the action. Lee was proud of it. Filmed outside the shop as it burned, Lee commented: “f%@# this place. We’re gonna burn this bitch down.”

(Snip)

In a statement posted at Minnesota Uprising Arrestee Support prior to his guilty plea, Lee explained himself:

My name is Montez Lee. I am a 25 year old African American male from Rochester, MN. I am a father to two kids. I am being charged by the federal government on the charges of 1st degree arson. On May 28th, I decided to go to Minneapolis and protest with my community. I have faced injustices from local police departments myself and have been subjected to racism. I wanted to be a part of something bigger. I wanted to show my kids and peers that you fight for what you believe in. I’m sick of seeing people of color murdered by the same people sworn to serve and protect. I’m tired of people turning a blind eye to what’s going on in this country. I am accused of burning down max it pawn on lake street. I did not burn that building nor did I loot or take anything that didn’t belong to me. I went to make my voice heard and my presence known. I am currently being held at the Washington county jail. Though I’ve been here for months fighting this case, I will not let it break my spirit or make me forget my principles. I stand with my community and my people. Until there is change and we are treated as equals, we will fight. No justice means no peace.

(Snip)

Reasonable minds can disagree about the appropriate sentence. However, the prosecutor’s rationale for leniency is, shall we say, troubling (emphasis added, citation omitted):

The Guidelines state that departure below this range is not ordinarily appropriate. However this is an extraordinary case. The United States therefore seeks a downward variance, and a sentence of 144 months.

Mr. Lee’s motive for setting the fire is a foremost issue. Mr. Lee credibly states that he was in the streets to protest unlawful police violence against black men, and there is no basis to disbelieve this statement. Mr. Lee, appropriately, acknowledges that he “could have demonstrated in a different way,” but that he was “caught up in the fury of the mob after living as a black man watching his peers suffer at the hands of police.” As anyone watching the news world-wide knows, many other people in Minnesota were similarly caught up. There appear to have been many people in those days looking only to exploit the chaos and disorder in the interests of personal gain or random violence. There appear also to have been many people who felt angry, frustrated, and disenfranchised, and who were attempting, in many cases in an unacceptably reckless and dangerous manner, to give voice to those feelings. Mr. Lee appears to be squarely in this latter category. And even the great American advocate for non-violence and social justice, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stated in an interview with CBC’s Mike Wallace in 1966 that “we’ve got to see that a riot is the language of the unheard.” Lily Rothman, What Martin Luther King Jr Really Thought About Riots, Time Magazine (2015), https://time.com/3838515.

In light of these circumstances, the analysis of the Guidelines does not appear appropriate.

On January 14 Judge Wilhelmina Wright sentenced Lee to 10 years, half the sentence suggested by the sentencing guidelines. The Star Tribune covered the sentencing here, but the Star Tribune reporter does not appear to have attended the sentencing hearing. His story includes none of Judge Wright’s comments. By contrast, Erica Cutts quoted Judge Wright in her Rochester Post Bullet story:

(Snip)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Montez Lee, will be out of prison in 2030, with 2 years probation. 8 years for arson and murder. He'll be 34 and have (probably) gotten a real education in Crime.

[Geee]

2 hours ago, Valin said:

Felony murder in a good cause: Fox News edition

Scott Johnson

Jan. 28 2022

I was invited to appear on FOX News last night for a brief segment to discuss the January 14 sentencing of Montez Terriel Lee, Jr. The segment was tentatively rescheduled to this evening. I am posting this for viewers in the event that the segment runs tonight. The relevance of the story is enhanced by the fact that sentencing judge Wilhelmina “Mimi” Wright is now reportedly on the shortlist of potential nominees to succeed Justice Breyer on the Supreme Court:

(Snip)

One such arsonist was Montez Terriel Lee, Jr. Lee came up to the Twin Cities from Rochester to get in on the action on May 28. Lee was part of a small group that broke into the Max It Pawn Shop on East Lake Street in Minneapolis, home to many minority-owned businesses. The pawn shop was looted. Lee poured out a can of gasoline and ignited a fire that consumed the shop.

Videos captured the action. Lee was proud of it. Filmed outside the shop as it burned, Lee commented: “f%@# this place. We’re gonna burn this bitch down.”

(Snip)

In a statement posted at Minnesota Uprising Arrestee Support prior to his guilty plea, Lee explained himself:

My name is Montez Lee. I am a 25 year old African American male from Rochester, MN. I am a father to two kids. I am being charged by the federal government on the charges of 1st degree arson. On May 28th, I decided to go to Minneapolis and protest with my community. I have faced injustices from local police departments myself and have been subjected to racism. I wanted to be a part of something bigger. I wanted to show my kids and peers that you fight for what you believe in. I’m sick of seeing people of color murdered by the same people sworn to serve and protect. I’m tired of people turning a blind eye to what’s going on in this country. I am accused of burning down max it pawn on lake street. I did not burn that building nor did I loot or take anything that didn’t belong to me. I went to make my voice heard and my presence known. I am currently being held at the Washington county jail. Though I’ve been here for months fighting this case, I will not let it break my spirit or make me forget my principles. I stand with my community and my people. Until there is change and we are treated as equals, we will fight. No justice means no peace.

(Snip)

Reasonable minds can disagree about the appropriate sentence. However, the prosecutor’s rationale for leniency is, shall we say, troubling (emphasis added, citation omitted):

The Guidelines state that departure below this range is not ordinarily appropriate. However this is an extraordinary case. The United States therefore seeks a downward variance, and a sentence of 144 months.

Mr. Lee’s motive for setting the fire is a foremost issue. Mr. Lee credibly states that he was in the streets to protest unlawful police violence against black men, and there is no basis to disbelieve this statement. Mr. Lee, appropriately, acknowledges that he “could have demonstrated in a different way,” but that he was “caught up in the fury of the mob after living as a black man watching his peers suffer at the hands of police.” As anyone watching the news world-wide knows, many other people in Minnesota were similarly caught up. There appear to have been many people in those days looking only to exploit the chaos and disorder in the interests of personal gain or random violence. There appear also to have been many people who felt angry, frustrated, and disenfranchised, and who were attempting, in many cases in an unacceptably reckless and dangerous manner, to give voice to those feelings. Mr. Lee appears to be squarely in this latter category. And even the great American advocate for non-violence and social justice, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stated in an interview with CBC’s Mike Wallace in 1966 that “we’ve got to see that a riot is the language of the unheard.” Lily Rothman, What Martin Luther King Jr Really Thought About Riots, Time Magazine (2015), https://time.com/3838515.

In light of these circumstances, the analysis of the Guidelines does not appear appropriate.

On January 14 Judge Wilhelmina Wright sentenced Lee to 10 years, half the sentence suggested by the sentencing guidelines. The Star Tribune covered the sentencing here, but the Star Tribune reporter does not appear to have attended the sentencing hearing. His story includes none of Judge Wright’s comments. By contrast, Erica Cutts quoted Judge Wright in her Rochester Post Bullet story:

(Snip)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Montez Lee, will be out of prison in 2030, with 2 years probation. 8 years for arson and murder. He'll be 34 and have (probably) gotten a real education in Crime.

@Valin I posted a similar article on this guy from the Washington Examiner on the January 6th thread. I used it to contrast the fact that the jan 6th guy got 44 months (about 3 1/2 years) for assaulting a police officer and this guy got only 10 years for arson and murder !!!!! 

[Valin]

33 minutes ago, Geee said:

@Valin I posted a similar article on this guy from the Washington Examiner on the January 6th thread. I used it to contrast the fact that the jan 6th guy got 44 months (about 3 1/2 years) for assaulting a police officer and this guy got only 10 years for arson and murder !!!!! 

 

[Geee]

Shhh! Don’t tell anyone, but major crimes are up 24% in Chicago this year (and your neighborhood is probably even worse)

The new year is still quite young, but things aren’t looking good on CompStat, the Chicago Police Department’s internal scoreboard report. You can see the PDF here. Through the first 23 days of January, reports in seven major crime categories were up a combined 24% citywide compared to last year — and up 14% compared to 2020 and 2% compared to pre-COVID 2019.

The major crimes — so-called “index crimes” — are murder, criminal sexual assault, robbery, aggravated battery, burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft.

Theft reports are up 56%. Motor vehicle thefts are up 37%. Burglaries up 13%. Aggravated batteries and criminal sexual assaults are both up 12%.

[Geee]

Trans child molester, 26, who sexually assaulted girl, 10, is sentenced to just two years in a JUVENILE facility: Judge slams woke LA DA George Gascon who refused to prosecute her as an adult