Rudy Warnock filed an unopposed motion to continue his trial scheduled for October 1. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate has not ruled on the motion.
A federal grand jury indicted the former Canton Municipal Utilities Engineer Rudy Warnock for conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud.
Synopsis of Case
A federal grand jury indicted former Canton Municipal Utilities engineer Rudy Warnock for conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud and Cleveland Anderson for two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery in December 2021. The indictments were unsealed nearly a year later on November 22, 2022.
The grand jury also indicted former Canton Alderman Andrew Grant and Canton Alderman Eric Gilkey for Conspiracy to commit bribery (2 counts), conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud in December 2021. The two defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.
The indictment alleges the defendants bilked CMU from the beginning of 2016 to the end of 2017. Commissioner Anderson moved to hire Warnock as CMU's civil engineer on August 16, 2016.
The indictment charges Warnock made regular payments to Anderson, Gilkey, and Grant in exchange for contracts and "favorable treatment" at CMU.
Some of the Warnock gifts included tickets to luxury suites at New Orleans Saints games and concerts in the Crescent City.
The indictment charges Warnock deposited a check "in the amount of $9,200, made payable to J.M. through the automated clearinghouse system of the Federal Reserve Bank System. Part of the proceeds of this transaction were given to defendants Grant and Gilkey in the form of $4,000 cash each.
The maximum penalty for the conspiracy to commit bribery is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalties for the wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges are 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Anderson pulled a little bit of bait and switch with Judge Wingate. The defendant submitted a petition to plead guilty in February. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate held a hearing on September 26 to accept the plea but that is where things got squirrely for Anderson.
Judge Wingate denied the petition as he decreed:
On September 13, 2023, defendant CLEVELAND ANDERSON appeared before the Court with the stated purpose of changing his prior plea of “not guilty” to a plea of “guilty.” The Court questioned Defendant Anderson concerning the essential elements of the offense charged in Count 1 of the indictment, and Defendant Anderson denied that he acted corruptly or had corrupt intent as required by the elements of the charge in Count 1 of the indictment. Consequently, the Court did not accept Defendant Anderson’s plea of guilty, and set this case for trial on December 4, 2023 along with co-Defendant Rudolph M. Warnock, Jr.
Anderson's trial has been continued.
18 comments:
The Tale of the Wayward Engineer continues. What's another continuance after the eighth has already been granted? Or is the sixth or the ninth?
Sphincters up in MadCo need a break from all this clinching and releasing, clinching and releasing.
While I sit here drinking my Guinness, I have to wonder if there is a record in Guinness for the number of court continuances.
The grift continues.
Is this the case where several Canton city council members were convicted of fraudulent sales of non existent tornado policies?
Henry T will not grant this motion absent exceptional circumstances
This trial gets continued more often than I get haircuts
"Henry T will not grant this motion absent exceptional circumstances". You or me, yes, but Rudy has a Gold Spike up his arse.
Rudy has been an embarrassment to other engineers for years. It’s time they wrap this up and move on.
According to wlbt: The filing represents the 13th request to delay the trial since Warnock was indicted back in December 2021.
It's past time to see justice served. This guy deserves the max sentence when convicted.
Unless..........
This is working. As much as I hate to admit it, the endless continuances have numbed the general public and distanced Warnock from the crime. People have all but given up on ever seeing this criminal punished. It is disgusting how long this has been going on.
I’m trying to understand why this guy is getting special treatment. Can someone explain this?
Hahahahahahaha. 💯
Maybe he is hoping that anyone who was going to testify against him will dye of old age.
It’s Wingate. He’s the King of Delay. And a trial that takes a week in any other courtroom will take two months.
Wingate is barely capable of trying a case and has many, many cases in his docket way older than Warnock’s. He’s the most inefficient judge ever!
Sounds like a former Canton PD chief, his buddy and STAR investigator, and another Canton PD narcotics minion might be concerned. Will be interesting to see who else from Madison Co. SO and elsewhere will request a Xanax script to get through the day......he he he.
This stage play has turned into a symphony. But who, exactly, is being played like a fiddle?
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