I was sitting at my desk in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office when one of our “top gun” trial prosecutors marched into my office. He demanded, “What’s this about you guys not paying taxes?” Me: “What are you talking about?" DA: “Mormons don’t pay taxes.” Me: “That’s ridiculous.” DA: “I’m in the middle of … Continue reading LDS Tax Cheat
Years ago, I received a phone call in the middle of the night from the Lieutenant of the Orange County Sheriff’s Judicial Protection Unit (JPU). A jailhouse informant told a jailer that the informant’s associate was going to murder a judge because he was Mormon. The threat was considered credible. It is widely known among law enforcement … Continue reading The Threat to Murder a Mormon Judge
Some criminal cases are heartbreaking, not because of harm to a victim, but because of the circumstances of the criminal. As a criminal prosecutor and as a judge I have some discretion to “do the right thing.” The WWII Vet Shoplifter As a young criminal prosecutor in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, I was … Continue reading Heartbreaking Criminal Cases
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