The case against Ben Kuehne and the co-defendants has been dismissed by the Feds. Happy Thanksgiving.
UPDATE -- The government moved to dismiss the pending appeal against Gloria Velez and also moved to dismiss the entire indictment in the district court against Velez, Oscar Saldarriaga, and Ben Kuehne. The motion simply says that it is based on the changed circumstances from the Court of Appeal's decision and in the interest of justice. Indeed. It was signed by Ken Blanco, Deputy Assistant Attorney General.
UPDATE 2 -- Ben Kuehne issued the following statement:
On this, the day before Thanksgiving, I am gratified beyond measure that the United States Department of Justice has decided to abandon all charges against me. I have had throughout a deep and abiding belief that things would turn out well in the end. However, I did not know the end result would come about by decision of the Department of Justice. We are all fortunate to be able to say that we have a Justice Department whose goal is to try to do the right thing—not to win at all costs.
Although I would have preferred not to go through this experience, I am also gratified that my case has been the occasion for an important precedent-setting legal ruling by the District Court, recently affirmed by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and embraced by the legal community, in preserving and protecting the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. This ruling deals with an area of law that is close to my heart. It is to the right to counsel in criminal cases that I have dedicated much of my career at the Bar. I want to, once again, thank the many members of our community who have, over the past two years, so consistently expressed their confidence in my innocence. Throughout this period, I have continued to do what I have been trained to do, and what I love most, which is to practice law. I am grateful to the many clients who have reposed their confidence in me by seeking to utilize my legal services.
I am also grateful to my amazing lawyers, John Nields, Jason Raofield, and Laura Shores from Howrey in Washington, D.C., and my good friend, Jane Moscowitz, from Miami. I wish to thank them for their skill, dedication, and commitment to me and my case.
Finally, throughout this legal drama, my greatest strength has been the unsinkable spirit and love of my wife, Lynn, and our entire family. I want to thank them for knowing who I am, and of my sincere dedication to the law.
The SDFLA Blog is dedicated to providing news and notes regarding federal practice in the Southern District of Florida. The New Times calls the blog "the definitive source on South Florida's federal court system." All tips on court happenings are welcome and will remain anonymous. Please email David Markus at dmarkus@markuslaw.com
WOW! FANTASTIC!!
ReplyDeleteJustice would not have brought such a risky action unless it had merit. It's ironic that my brothers in the defense bar cried politics when this is clearly a political ending? Fantastic? More like unfortunate.
ReplyDeletewhy is it political??? the eleventh circuit affirmed the dismissal of the lynchpin count. What was justice supposed to do? Try a case that had its legs kicked out from under it? You are a fool 1:32. Oh and the fact you assume it "must have" had merit shows how naive you are. Go back to your palin rally.
ReplyDelete1:32's comment has to be the stupidest comment ever on this blog.
ReplyDeleteDoes ben's classy release mean that he won't be hiring David to pursue fees and costs?
ReplyDeleteDoes ben's classy release mean that he won't be hiring David to pursue fees and costs?
ReplyDeleteAn outstanding statement by Ben. He has demonstrated much more class than the Department of Justice is entitled to.
ReplyDeleteHis lawyers did a fantastic job.
Happy Holidays all.
Congrats! Ben. We were pulling for you ...
ReplyDeleteVery soon, the rapture will occur (I believe this event will happen in less than two years' time). The rapture is where the people of Jesus Christ (the church) get removed from the earth suddenly to keep them out of harm's way (the tribulation). Unfortunately, people who only study the old testament don't believe in the rapture or the tribulation. The old testament prophesied about Jesus Christ many times. God said I will raise you up a prophet like unto Moses. That prophet was Jesus Christ, but when Jesus came, the Jewish people did not believe he was the promised messiah or "meshiah". I warn all people now to accept Christ because there is not much time left. When the rapture hits, it will shock the world like 9/11 ten times over and people will wonder why they didn't heed my comments on the blog. The tribulation will begin as the antichrist from the European Union tries to take over the world. We are already seeing these things shaping up to happen. This is very serious business. If the police warned you that someone was on his way over to your house right now to kill you, would you not act? God's relationship with the Jewish people was a foreshadowing of the new covenant to come. His covenant still applies and he loves the Jewish people. However, even they are called to accept Christ because no man is perfect by his own actions. After the rapture occurs, people may be wondering who was writing these messages on the blog. If the Lord allows, I will reveal myself at that time. But trust me, I am concerned for people in this decadent and depraved society. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MARK OF THE BEAST when the gov't tells you you need it in order to make financial transactions.
ReplyDeleteIncredible news for Mr Kuehne and others who are being unjustly and unfairly prosecuted.
ReplyDelete10:12
ReplyDeleteThanks to some recent case law lawyers are exempted from having to have the mark of the beast to engage in financial transactions, although we may have to give the money back.