Here's the AP account of closing arguments:
''The defendant acted with specific intent to cause severe pain and suffering,'' [Karen] Rochlin told the jury.
Emmanuel's attorney said some of the victims who testified were opponents of the ex-president's government who might have been motivated by a political vendetta. Others, he suggested, would say anything to escape Liberia.
''They all have a strong motive to get out of West Africa, to better the lives of their families and themselves,'' public defender Miguel Caridad said. ``My client has not been proven guilty of anything.''
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" Attorney General Mukasey and Deputy Attorney General Mark R. Filip presented the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service to two prosecution teams responsible for the prosecution of United States v. Padilla and United States v. Seale. The Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service is the Department's highest award.
ReplyDelete"The achievements of the people we honor today span the globe, and are as broad as the mission of the Department: To enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law," said Attorney General Mukasey. "We all serve that mission in different ways, but what all of these award recipients have in common is that they have reached the highest level of accomplishment in the work that they do."
The Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service was presented to the team that investigated and prosecuted Jose Padilla, Adham Hassoun and Kifah Jayyousi for supporting Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations engaged in murder, kidnapping and maiming persons overseas. Their unprecedented determination and courage in pursuing this unique and highly complex prosecution for five years, brought an end to the terrorist activities of a network of Islamic extremists committed to damaging the national security of the United States. This trial team cemented a new prosecutorial model in terrorism cases and set the standard for others to follow.
The recipients of the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service include, from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell R. Killinger, Brian K. Frazier, John C. Shipley Jr., Lisa Tobin Rubio, Anne R. Schultz and Robert K. Senior; Eileen C. Stafford, Legal Administrative Specialist; Angel L. Martinez, Intelligence Specialist; and Hanif K. Ali, Computer Specialist; from the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, Stephanie K. Pell, Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General; from the FBI Miami Division, Special Agents Kent T. Hukill and John T. Kavanaugh Jr."
Jury is back. Guilty on all counts.
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