"Dianne is a thief.... Dianne knew better"
Related: Criminal State Senator Also a Liar
Criminal State Senator Returns For Cover-Up and links within.
"Witness stops cooperating in sting case; Says FBI used him to topple Turner and Wilkerson" by Adrian Walker, Globe Staff | February 20, 2009
Ronald Wilburn, the federal government's "cooperating witness" in a bribery sting targeting former state Senator Dianne Wilkerson and Councilor Chuck Turner of Boston, said he is no longer cooperating.
In an interview with the Globe, Wilburn, a businessman, said he felt he had been used by the FBI to topple a pair of prominent black politicians, while four months after the first arrest, no white officials have been charged in the investigation.
He acknowledged, with some anger, that the FBI's use of him in the undercover operation to pay alleged bribes helped insulate the government against accusations that blacks were being targeted. Describing himself as disillusioned and betrayed by the government, he said he no longer intends to testify willingly.
I know that feeling, buddy!!! The disillusionment and betrayal I mean!
"At this juncture, it is unlikely that I will testify in this case or in any other cases," Wilburn said in the interview this week. "That is almost not subject to change."
Wilburn's dramatic statements - and their effect on his credibility as the government's key witness in the bribery and conspiracy case - could significantly damage the investigation.
But how much damage his change of heart will have remains unclear. Wilburn, 69, can still be subpoenaed by prosecutors to testify, although defense lawyers would probably find him to be a friendlier witness.
Wilkerson and Turner have pleaded not guilty to the attempted extortion and conspiracy charges lodged against them; Wilkerson resigned her seat last year after she was indicted; Turner continues to hold his Boston City Council seat.
Wilburn agreed to help the FBI investigate corruption because he was frustrated with the insular politics of city and state government, he told the Globe Nov. 24. But now, he said, he is disappointed that the FBI has not toppled more officials in City Hall and the State House.....
Yeah, ME TOO!!!
Despite the widespread expectation of a broader investigation that was fueled by the subpoenas, no additional arrests have been made. Assistant US Attorney Brian T. Kelly declined to discuss the investigation in detail. "The investigation is ongoing," he said. "I can't comment on where it may lead."
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In the interview this week, Wilburn offered some of his opinions of the case and drew a contrast between his dealings with the two politicians....
"Dianne is a thief.... Dianne knew better...."Legal specialists cautioned that Wilburn cannot simply refuse to testify if Wilkerson and Turner go to trial. To resist a subpoena by the government, he would have to assert that his testimony could incriminate him, an assertion that the government could challenge in court. Even if that were upheld, he could be granted immunity, which a witness cannot refuse. If he were to refuse beyond that point, he would potentially face contempt charges. Still, an openly hostile star witness could be problematic.
"A witness has the right to refuse to speak to a police officer, a prosecutor, or a reporter, but not a court," said J.W. Carney Jr., a Boston defense lawyer. "I think the real concern is that such a witness would be much more malleable under cross-examination than a normal witness."
Wilburn said he is not seeking to exit the case out of any kind of coercion. But he made it clear that his life has been uncomfortable since it became clear that he has been the chief informant against Wilkerson and Turner. A Globe report last fall disclosed Wilburn's identity; he was referred to in government documents as the "cooperating witness" and "CW."
"My daughter asked me, 'Dad, is someone going to shoot me?' " he recalled. "That really brought it all home for me."
In an interview late last year, Wilburn expressed little sympathy for either Wilkerson or Turner, saying they were victims of their own bad choices. This week he appeared more sympathetic, with his scorn mostly directed at federal officials.
His attempt to take on the power structure appeared to have left him chastened. "It's all camouflage for them to steal money and cut deals," he said.
Translation: He's had HIS EYES OPENED!
And you better WATCH YOUR BACK, Ron!!
"Unwilling witness in murder trial jailed" by Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff | February 20, 2009
A Brighton man whose cooperation with police led to the arrest of two men in connection with the 2005 murder of a cab driver was sentenced to a year in jail for refusing to testify against the men at trial.
Phillip J. Williams initially helped police in exchange for leniency on a separate trespassing charge, but then refused to testify "for no reason but to stymie the justice system," Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement yesterday.
"This defendant helped investigators catch his friends, not because it was the right and moral thing to do, but to get out from under a minor offense," Conley said. "He's served only himself every step of the way. It's despicable and contemptible."
BUT LYING US INTO WARS, TORTURING PEOPLE, and CORPORATE LOOTING are not worth the time, 'eh, Dan? Heck, they PUNISH WHISTLE-BLOWERS NOW!!
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Conley, who has pushed legislation giving prosecutors more authority to prosecute people who lie under oath, said he will seek laws imposing harsher penalties for people who refuse to cooperate during trials.
That include the LYING COP on the STAND, too!!
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Wheeeeeewwww!
Can you SMELL that RANK STATE FASCISM here in "LIBERAL" Massachusetts!!!
