The recent trial of Chief Probation Officer John O'Brien and two of his colleagues who were charge with fraud and racketeering for allegedly running a rigged hiring and promotion scheme is very disturbing beyond what is painted to the public on the surface.
Because of what is exposed and who's who who are involved, one has to question the overlap of the ongoing bias, bribery, or abuse in family court cases involving child custody and abuse. Where do we draw the line? How many more children in the end and families are going to get hurt before the BIGGER picture is addressed. This trial has a very fowl odor and presents more like a smoke screen for a bigger systemic corruption problem. Gee political hires with drug abuse issues, political patronage, bribery, fraud, racketeering, and really at the hands of our elected officials.
To back some of those concerns and questions are the who's who testifying. The current head Chief Justice of Plymouth/Brockton Family Courts, Judge Catherine Sebatis, is the latest Massachusetts Official who was granted IMMUNITY in exchange for her testimony in the ongoing widespread probation department corruption case.
The list of officials to testify in exchange for IMMUNITY is large with over 60 witnesses. That rampant immunity deals of high ranking political officials and officers of the court is enough to raise a red flag as to the real source of corruption.
- The murder of Jennifer Martel by Remy in a systemic failure in this domestic violence case.
- The recent DCF investigation involving the death of four children in custody of DCF over a period of six months.
- Questionable foster parents with violent backgrounds.
- The recent appointment of an unqualified individual by Governor Deval Patrick to run DCF whose experience is as a lawyer who ran the Registry of Motor Vehicles. What does a Registry of Motor Vehicles lawyer know about DCF or social service?
- The gross injustice in the recent Justina Pellitier Case. You can follow this case on facebook
- Then what just seems to get lost in the shuffle as well are the 58,000 children legally stolen from protective parents every year in this country. Usually money has a big role in these cases as well as discrimination if you do not have the funds to pay these court officials
- I personally even know of a protective parent who was incarcerated for 7 months for failing to pay $5,000 legal bill.
With all this scandel in the last couple months involving corruption, blatent disregard for victims, and other systemic failures, one has to wonder why Governor Deval Patrick has not been investigated or impeached? This NEEDS to be followed because it affects EVERY domestic violence, custody, abuse related cases in Massachusetts.
What raises a bigger concern is the role the Probation Department played in money schemes and favors. According to WBUR, "Former Top Aide Says Probation Department Hired Politically Connected - "The federal government says O’Brien and two former deputies, Elizabeth Tavares and William Burke, doled out jobs to the friends, family and constituents of state legislators in exchange for influence on Beacon Hill." Prosecutors say the patronage itself was not illegal. But they contend that an elaborate cover-up — involving sham interviews for competing job candidates with little chance of being hired — amounts to fraud."
How many of these individuals were also court appointed supervisors who are typically a state worker who moonlight as a supervisor being paid cash of unreported income (nothing less that court licensed tax evasion) or appointed GAL? Families are denied receipts or other information to put on their tax returns, and if received are heavily intimidated by family court judges and probation officers. As far as the GAL, many are unqualified yet appointed to investigate such things as child abuse and domestic violence at exorbitant rates of $300-500 an hour. For instance, Harry Somers was ordered to investigate domestic violence yet lacked the very credentials to do so, and as a result, the protective parent lost custody.
Massachusetts judges are appointed by a Governor and many lawyers, advocacy groups, law organizations are resistant to taking on family court judges and corruption because it is deemed a "lawless court" for good reason. Some lawyers in Massachusetts have been disbarred for reporting judges despite obligations to do so and despite having those judges removed.
In my blog, 24yrs Later: Massachusetts Family Courts STILL Fail Abuse Victims More Than Ever, I cite the last 24 years of research on family courts, corruption, and needs to fix a broken system. What we are experiencing in Massachusetts is gross corruption by top officials at the expense of our children. By ignoring these abuses, the end result cost to the taxpayer is in the TRILLIONS of DOLLARS.
Local officials, judges among potential witnesses in corruption trial of former probation commissioner John J. O'Brien and two of his top aides is frightening. The three are accused of running a hiring system that favored candidates sponsored by state legislators over more qualified ones in exchange for favorable budget appropriations. What I find most disturbing is how many high ranking state officials, judges, and politicians were called to testify and all granted FULL IMMUNITY for their testimony. Am I missing something here?
The U.S. Attorney prosecuting this case is Carmen Ortiz. The list of officials to testify include:
- Democratic Congressman Bill Keating
- State Sen. Mark Montigny, D-New Bedford
- State Sen. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton
- Retired Bristol County Probate Judge Elizabeth LaStaiti
- Plymouth County Probate Judge Catherine Sabaitis
- Fall River District Court Judge Gilbert Nadeau
- Robert Kane, Superior Court justice from Dartmouth.
- Bristol County Juvenile Court Judge Bettina Borders.
- House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo
- Former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi,
- Senate President Therese Murray
- Attorney General Martha Coakley,
- U.S. Sen. Edward Markey,
- Former state and U.S. Sen. Scott Brown
- Boston Mayor Martin Walsh
- Former Probation Officer Michael LeFranc
Question??? What does this trial have to do with custody, domestic violence and family court?
If those that are appointed we're done so fraudulently, then the money trail does not end with former probation officer O' Brian and his two colleagues. When you have court appointed supervisors getting paid cash under the table and forcing financially strapped safe protective parents with no safety concerns to pay for supervised visits with their children as well as well as court appointed guardian at litems, one must question the system.
For example Judge James Menno was the keynote speaker for the Fatherhood collision for incarcerated fathers out of Plymouth County Jail June 2007 on how to get custody and visitation of their children. The state of Massachusetts paid for the story which cited fathers who were released from prison less than two weeks from prison to gain full legal and physical custody of their children after being incarcerated for manufacturing and drug distribution of methamphetamines.
Some key facts to consider. Is there a link to this current trial?
- This program was headed up by the Plymouth County Probation Department.
- Probation Officer Michael LeFranc who testified last week under IMMUNITY was part of the same Plymouth probation department with reports of discrimination against victims of domestic violence in child custody cases in the Plymouth Brockton Family Courts.
- I have been persecuted with huge retaliations by Plymouth Brockton family court judges for questioning and investigating the role of the probation department in child custody and domestic violence cases in family courts. 3 weeks after I made a series of phone calls to the Plymouth County Probation department, I was subsequently incarcerated shut me up and hinder my ability to look into this further. It has also cost me my ability not seeing my children for almost 7 years as a result.
- Judge Catherine Sebatis is the Chief Justice of the Plymouth and Brockton Family Court who recently testified in this trial under full IMMUNITY. Judge Sebatis is Judge Menno's boss.
One has to question is the Family Court and the probation department abusing their power to extort extra money from the everyday person to secure jobs and under the table cash income for their friends, constituents, and colleagues at the expense of the taxpayers and children. One wonders if any of these actions and legal tax evasion and other frauds constitute any violation of the Constitution of Massachusetts or the US Constitution. At the end of the day, what role does Governor Deval Patrick have in all of this?
UPDATE: The trio was found GUILTY of conspiracy and racketeering scam on July 25, 2014. Former Probation Officer, John O’Brien’s wife was screaming in the courtroom that “the government is corrupt” and fainted in the courtroom.
However, corruptions of higher government officials still escapes.
"Federal prosecutors had their chance to chip away at corruption under the Golden Dome, but for some reason — a lack of evidence, unwilling witnesses or indicted bureaucrats refusing to drop a dime — they didn’t.
Now, with John J. O’Brien and his two top lieutenants facing serious time behind bars, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz can try to strong-arm the disgraced probation trio into spilling the beans on high-ranking pols, but that ship has likely sailed, according to a number of top Bay State attorneys." ( Boston Herald, July 25, 2014)
For example, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo acknowledged how his role in this trial has scarred his reputation. DeLeo was one of the few who was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony. He has not been charged criminally and he has no plans to step down from the House’s top spot following the guilty verdicts.
What is Ortiz going to do about the corruption in family courts?
UPDATE: The trio was found GUILTY of conspiracy and racketeering scam on July 25, 2014. Former Probation Officer, John O’Brien’s wife was screaming in the courtroom that “the government is corrupt” and fainted in the courtroom.
However, corruptions of higher government officials still escapes.
"Federal prosecutors had their chance to chip away at corruption under the Golden Dome, but for some reason — a lack of evidence, unwilling witnesses or indicted bureaucrats refusing to drop a dime — they didn’t.
Now, with John J. O’Brien and his two top lieutenants facing serious time behind bars, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz can try to strong-arm the disgraced probation trio into spilling the beans on high-ranking pols, but that ship has likely sailed, according to a number of top Bay State attorneys." ( Boston Herald, July 25, 2014)
For example, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo acknowledged how his role in this trial has scarred his reputation. DeLeo was one of the few who was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony. He has not been charged criminally and he has no plans to step down from the House’s top spot following the guilty verdicts.
What is Ortiz going to do about the corruption in family courts?
Other articles worth reading:
Judge James V. Menno Keynote Speaker for Fatherhood Group for Incarcerated Fathers in How to Gain Visitation and CUSTODY http://massachusettsfamilycourtjustice.blogspot.com/2013/02/judge-james-v-menno-keynote-speaker-for.html
Judge James Menno's Recusal in a Domestic Abuse / Custody Case ADMITTING Bias http://massachusettsfamilycourtjustice.blogspot.com/2013/02/judge-james-mennos-recusal-in-domestic.html
Judges That Have Committed Judicial Misconduct Outside Of Rhode Island - Sebatis
http://www.caught.net/caught/brewster.htm
http://www.caught.net/caught/brewster.htm
http://www.wbur.org/2014/05/14/probation-testimony-john-cremens
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/11/trial-former-probation-chief-john-brien-nears-end-brien-declines-testify/OhrVkmbC4xRSJGcctXOnPI/story.html
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/07/probation_trio_guilty_in_racketeering_scam
http://www.bostoncriminallawyerblog.com/2014/07/former_probation_commissioner_2.html
http://wgbhnews.org/post/obrien-juror-fingers-deleo-criticizes-walsh
http://wgbhnews.org/post/drama-follows-obrien-probation-conviction
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/11/trial-former-probation-chief-john-brien-nears-end-brien-declines-testify/OhrVkmbC4xRSJGcctXOnPI/story.html
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/07/probation_trio_guilty_in_racketeering_scam
http://www.bostoncriminallawyerblog.com/2014/07/former_probation_commissioner_2.html
http://wgbhnews.org/post/obrien-juror-fingers-deleo-criticizes-walsh
http://wgbhnews.org/post/drama-follows-obrien-probation-conviction
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