The Attorney General's office suffered another humiliating setback in Rankin County yesterday after Circuit Judge Bradley Mills issued a directed verdict in favor of former Richland Mayor William "Pat Sullivan. The Attorney General was prosecuting Sullivan for alleged payroll fraud. WLBT reported:
The Attorney General prosecuted Sullivan's brother, former Rankin County Tax Assessor John Sullivan, for sexual battery and simple assault in 2023 but the jury returned a not guilty verdict.
How bad were things for the A.G. yesterday? Judge Mills said:
There’s so much wrong with the state’s case, I don’t know where to begin, The state not only failed to prove intent, they failed to prove fraud, they failed to prove the fraudulent timesheets were submitted. We’re not gonna waste this jury’s time, not one more second.
Kingfish note: The grand jury refused to indict the late Dean Scott on similar charges. One must wonder if the Attorney General felt pressured by WLBT's reporting.
22 comments:
The AG fired most of their competent attorneys when she took office.
There was a possibility of him taking a plea bargain. He sure dodged a bullet by going to trial.
Well, Rankin County where careers the Teflon criminals live.
If I was WLBT/Gray Media leadership, I would be asking their little investigative reporter some serious questions, starting with why he reported that Pat Sullivan "... used leave time that he had not earned"? This bald and unsupported allegation, which the little guy reported as fact/true, has now been exposed as utterly defamatory. Will there be a retraction? Will there be an apology to Mr. Sullivan for defamatory reporting? Will the little guy and his tripod be shown the door for dishonest, slip-shod, click-bait reporting? Time for little guy to peddle his @$$ back to Booneville and find another line of work.
yet another loss to add to the lynn fitch collection.
only this collection , unlike the martha stewart collection, isn't made up of furniture and dishes.
He was found "not guilty," which is not the same thing as "innocent."
10:55...............another JJ, social media, and television trained ''lawyer''.
got news for you . in our system there is no such thing as being ''found innocent''.
you really should go retake 7th grade civics.
The Rankin Mafia will never be held accountable for their crimes.
@1055
No. It was worse than that.
The jury didn't find him "not guilty" because the judge literally wouldn't allow the them to deliberate. The prosecutor's case was so bad.
Pass the peas and cornbread this is some Rankin County Home Cookin!
10:55, a person enjoys a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, so “not guilty” IS the same as innocent.
Claims made from public documents are protected from defamation under the law. Kingfish knows, 10:41.
But, But, But Haley Barbour said she would make a great Governor.
Mississippi AG. Glass houses and such.
You have a firm grasp on the obvious, bright spark.
Wrong. It's called a "directed verdict" because the trial judge directs the jury to find him not guilty.
There is no one at the AGs office competent to try a case…worse no one to advise when a case is bad. She’s been begging old school guys to come back….nope.
@ 11:20 - that is what 10:55 said. He said he was found not guilty, which is not the same as being innocent. He did not say found innocent. Also, my understanding is that there is such a thing - rarely - as an actual innocent verdict. Perhaps someone more versed in the legal system than I can find an example.
@11:50 - cite please! Don't know that Barbour ever said any such thing; similar words may have come out of his office (assuming the COS was not away on the golf course) from her job provider and promoter.
NOPE! WRONG!
The AG and her crew putting the Stank in Rankin!
Somebody please explain the legal concept of directed verdict to the non-attorney Attorney General.
Hint: Think ass-whipping
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