H. Beatty Chadwick asks Congressman Joe Sestak to use his influence to spring him from jail.
“I recognize the limitations on your ability to become involved in a state proceeding,” he writes. “As an opinion leader by virtue of your office, however, I ask for your assistance to compel a public focus on a confinement that should be abhorrent to fundamental notions of fairness. Pennsylvania should not confine its citizen indefinitely without trial and criminal process.”
Chadwick, 72, could go down as the most stubborn man in American history.
For 14 years, the defrocked attorney has brazenly lied to judge after judge concerning the whereabouts of millions of dollars he shuffled off shore to prevent his estranged second wife from getting any in their divorce settlement. He has set an American record for civil contempt and continues to set a new one every day.
Some years ago, a former Chadwick attorney once tried to convince me his client was mentally ill. After all, who would stay in prison so long over money if not a crazy man?
There is a difference between being crazy and having a narcissistic personality disorder. Chadwick never seemed crazy to me. Just stubborn in the extreme.
Still, I think Chadwick would have done much better to appeal to Santa Claus or one of his elves than to Sestak, in so far at it might have caused an opinion leader, or judge, to think the poor man had gone stir crazy.
He comes up again today for his annual review for a Christmas furlough. As has been pointed out many times before, Chadwick has the key to his own jail cell in his hands but he prefers to defiantly lie to the court.
His choice.
Gil, you and I have been down this road before, and I really don't want to go there again, but I have to say, I think you're the Scrooge here. Chadwick is 72 years old and has cancer, for crying out loud. Why do you have to beat up on a sick old man every time his name comes up? Can't you just get over it?
ReplyDeleteHis ex-wife says she doesn't care about the money. So why are we taxpayers paying to keep him in prison? Because she owes her lawyer $1M+, and this is his only hope of getting paid. I think Al Momjian has enough money, thank you very much. I don't want my tax dollars being spent to get his fees paid.
Say what you will about Chadwick -- and you've said alot over the years -- the fact is, this contempt thing isn't working. It's time to let the guy out.
This case shows just how arbitrarily justice is rendered in this country where class envy rules. Think this guy would be locked up if the amount of cash in question was, say, $1000? Think Libs would stand for, say, a poor black being held so long without being criminally charged? And yet they weep about our sworn enemy terrorists’ treatment in plush resorts like Gitmo…
ReplyDeleteThis is an injustice. No good is being served by keeping this old man behind bars all this time. Valuable prison space should be reserved only for violent offenders. Bush should pardon him.