Tag: Preet Bharara

With conviction of Sheldon Silver, Moreland Corruption Commission must be revived

On By leonkozioljdIn Book Publishing, Call To Action, Moreland Commission on Public Corruption, NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct, Preet Bharara, Uncategorized, Voyage to Armageddon3 Comments

 

Governor Cuomo’s announcement of Moreland Commission featuring later testimony by federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, Leon Koziol and good government advocates.

 

By  Dr. Leon R. Koziol

Remember the Moreland Commission on Public Corruption? It was created by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2013 to clean up government in Albany.

At least that was the case until investigations by that Commission began implicating the Governor himself along with legislative leaders like Sheldon Silver, convicted yesterday on all counts of a federal indictment.

The Moreland Commission was prematurely dissolved in March of last year despite testimony by federal prosecutor Preet Bharara who commended its existence. The dissolution moved him to seize commission files resulting in the criminal prosecutions we see today.

I was invited as well to give testimony before that Commission. But now serious questions linger. For example, what came of all the shocking testimony and petitions lodged by the general public, limited as it was, on Constitution Day, 2013 at Pace University?

What about the hundreds of speakers excluded from that hearing who were left outside protesting as a result? Why was the Commission prematurely disbanded, and why were so many citizens misled into believing they could be heard and answered?

Finally, how much corruption remains rampant here in New York State due to the utterly impotent nature of that Commission? It certainly cost our taxpayers substantial money to create this “dream team” of prosecutors and experts to root out corruption?

While we certainly commend U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara for his follow-up investigations and prosecutions, a review of the public testimony raises far more concerns. It calls upon the Governor to revive his Commission if in fact the conviction of Silver is yet another wake-up call in state government.

The Moreland testimony is found on our site at Leon Koziol.com. As one of the few who were allowed to participate from the general public, I raised serious issues concerning documented retaliation for my public criticisms and my complaints of judicial misconduct. The retaliation has only escalated dramatically since that hearing.

My particular testimony can be viewed here at approximately the 2 hours, 31 minutes and 45 seconds mark:

If the Moreland Commission is not revived, Mr. Bharara should call for independent hearings. I am recommending the creation of a citizens Commission on Public Corruption headed by a “dream team” of good government advocates who can complete the work of the governor’s quickly dissolved entity.

Here are a number of observations from the Moreland proceedings which warrants such a public commission:

1) Ellen Oxman, of Women for Justice in New York Courts, provided compelling testimony of her abuse at the hands of a wealthy opponent with connections to the judges in her divorce and family proceedings. Where did her petition go, where is she today, and what came of the brazen level of injustice she carefully documented before the Moreland Commission?

2) Carl Lanzisera of Americans for Legal Reform and a co-member gave startling revelations regarding a 20 year history of court corruption including the similar impotent conclusion of the 2009 Senate hearings on judicial reform. The chair of that Senate Committee, John Sampson, was later indicted for official misconduct while in office. Among the recommendations made by this organization was the mandatory psychological testing of judges who take our children from us to bring them on par with other government officials.

3) Michael Kraveski, a regular citizen, provided a heart wrenching seven year ordeal in Kings County Family Court which has become all too commonplace in America today, one which led to an unarmed father shot to death in the back while fleeing a support warrant at a traffic stop in South Carolina less than two years later. He described himself as a victim of a “money extortion scheme” through impossible obligations, fraudulent tactical petitions and a “Star Chamber” court. He suffered a stroke in the end after losing his job and life savings.

4) Rich Velotti, an attorney for Act Now New York made an ominous prediction of sorts when he described how Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver, Senate Leader Dean Skelos and former leader Joe Bruno conspired to influence and limit the work of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, an entity comprised of members selected by them and the governor to investigate misconduct in Albany. All three were prosecuted criminally by federal authorities, none by the state. Attorney Velotti labeled the JCPE “a joke” with a strong recommendation that the Moreland Commission, with its independent investigatory powers, be made permanent.

5) Marie Tooker, a single mother of three, described a criminal enterprise in our courts which left her homeless with $12 in her bank account.

6) A Fordham law professor commended the Commission as an example of good government, never imagining that it would be dissolved in six months for doing the very work it was charged to perform. She emphasized the need for permanent “structural” changes to replace the “prophylactic” approach to public corruption which remains in place.

7) Elena Sassower was so emotional over the lack of judicial accountability over many years that she refused to yield to her allotted time as a speaker, even under threats of removal.

8) Katherine Wilson, a victim of divorce court, began her testimony with a request that certain Commission members cease their texting during the general public segment of the hearing. She also asked that one or more members who had left for the lobby during that segment return to their seats so that she could have the benefit of a full Commission. Needless to say, she elicited a resounding applause for her bold introductions after emphasizing her experience with “guns in her face” while living in Ireland. It left her without any fear of this Commission. When asked to conclude her remarks, she defended her few minutes of space with the one hour spent by the Commission chair lauding the credentials of members which were already found in the table brochures. She cited shocking examples of domestic violence victims who preferred to return to their abusive home environments than face the “battering” they sustained in New York’s matrimonial courts. You simply have to listen to her full presentation as I cannot do it justice here.

9) Marguerita Walter gave yet another heart wrenching ordeal at the hands of a corrupt divorce system with a “de facto termination of (her) parental rights,” some $150,000 spent on “supervised visits” and the ultimate permanent alienation of her children. She described 12 years of cruel and retaliatory acts for her exercise of fundamental rights after giving birth to children abandoned at an early age by their father. She was a Cuban refugee as a child herself fleeing from a corrupt communist regime headed by dictator Fidel Castro only to find far worse oppression here.

10) Not to be out done, Mr. Gallison, a reporter for secondary news sources, Truth-out and Black Star News, provided the Commission and its audience with a shocking rendition of corruption involving the selection of Jonathan Lippman to the highest judicial post of Chief Justice at New York’s Court of Appeals. He gave testimony before the 2009 Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, provided complaints before the state Judicial Conduct Commission and furnished reports in response to Preet Bharara’s request for input following the disbanding of the Moreland Commission, all of which went un-answered.

What happened to these speakers and their presentations? Where are they today? More to the point, what can we, the people, do to get the answers? What can we do to obtain follow-up on all the corruption which could have been heard from all those good citizens left out in the audience or in the streets?

Why is all this being swept under the carpet? If we do nothing, we guarantee more of the same or worse corruption in years to come, not a very good legacy for all the children and future generations harmed by the same corruption. It’s a trillion dollar “cottage industry” as one speaker plainly put it, and it shows no sign of correction.

Consequently I am asking our followers and advocates of good government everywhere to join my public requests. Contact your representatives and spread the word, make it viral as you are so good at doing, send me your credentials, suggestions and support, and let’s give this government something it never expected. An organized protest is long overdue on this critical subject.

Contact me at (315) 796-4000 or leonkoziol@parentingrightsinstitute.com. You can also mail your input to my attention at P.O. Box 8302; Utica, New York 13505.

Finally it must be emphasized that there are many court ordeals which warrant a book or documentary publication. As a publishing consultant, I can offer professional assistance to anyone interested in this powerful means of influencing justice and reform. You will find the details in my October 7, 2015 post here at Leon Koziol.com.

Best regards,

Leon R. Koziol, J.D.

Civil Rights Advocate

Extraordinary Lawsuit Exposes Human Rights Violations in U.S. Courts

On By leonkozioljdIn Court Filings5 Comments
Dr. Leon R.Koziol in Paris seeking international recognition of human rights violations in America’s domestic relations courts

While our federal government is promoting human rights across the globe, its military is returning to domestic courts which exploit children for profit. That’s the opening statement in a precedent seeking action being filed on November 16, 2015 in a federal appeals court in Manhattan.

Known as a mandamus action, it seeks extraordinary relief due to human rights violations exhibited by presiding judges abusing public office to promote a trillion dollar industry in America’s divorce and family courts. It is a “must-read” for any abused parent. See a copy of Dr. Koziol’s mandamus action: (Click Here)

The lawsuit targets judicial corruption, free speech retributions and a federal funding scheme known as Title IV-D of the Social Security Act. Highly suppressed in public, this law rewards state judges for the number and size of child support orders issued in these courts.

The federal incentive grants render support magistrates inherently biased because they generate revenues for court operations and performance standards for higher office. The atrocities caused by this discriminatory and oppressive law include veteran suicides, heightened risks for public safety officers and needless controversy for parents and children.

The recent murder of Walter Scott, an unarmed father fleeing a support warrant in South Carolina, is one of many examples cited in the action commenced by Dr. Leon R. Koziol, a civil rights advocate. He won substantial verdicts, precedent and a judgment declaring the largest casino in New York unconstitutional.

It is an extraordinary writ for additional reasons including complicity in the human rights violations by a federal judge. This life tenured judge, Gary Sharpe, was previously removed from a case for inventing a human gene yet to be discovered by the scientific community to explain criminal conduct.

Dr. Koziol practiced law in both federal and state courts for more than 23 unblemished years until he became a target of retribution by custody, support and disciplinary judges. They even cited his exposure of judicial misconduct at New York’s prematurely disbanded Moreland Commission on Public Corruption as a reason to keep him in a suspended state concerning his precious daughters and law license.

It is an ordeal which reads like a John Grisham novel. Now you can read it here. The text of Koziol’s lawsuit explains how these domestic courts are seizing increased controls over our children for fee and revenue generating purposes to their ultimate detriment, why our society is suffering as a consequence and how the moral fiber of an entire nation is harmed.

If you have a similar ordeal which needs public exposure, feel free to contact Leon for a free publication consultation at (315)  796-4000. He is being retained by abused parents to write books. As a published author his professional services can be reviewed at Leon Koziol.com

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DID SUPPRESSION OF FREE SPEECH AT PUBLIC CORRUPTION HEARINGS INSULATE GOVERNMENT FROM ACCOUNTABILITY?

On By leonkozioljdIn Civil Rights, Civil Rights Report, Divorce Corp Movie, Justice DepartmentLeave a comment

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THE ARREST OF NEW YORK’S TOP ASSEMBLY LEADER MAY BE THE TIP OF AN ICEBERG

Parental Advocate, Dr. Leon R. Koziol, was one of the fortunate few selected from the general public to speak before the Governor’s Moreland Commission on Public Corruption at New York’s Pace University on September 17, 2013 (Constitution Day). Meanwhile vast numbers were denied access altogether in the streets outside the building. If you recall our website posts at the time, public emotions erupted into spontaneous protests and arrests as a well scripted Commission deliberated ultimately to a point of impotence, achieving nothing in the months of its costly existence.

When evidence began to surface implicating the Governor himself and top state officials, the Commission was prematurely dissolved in March, 2014. Fortunately one of the speakers, federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, chastised the unexpected move during an interview in Buffalo, New York. He then secured Commission files progressively leading to the January 22, 2015 arrest of New York Assembly Speaker, Sheldon Silver, on bribery and corruption charges involving New York law firms and millions of dollars in public money. While the federal investigations were underway, Mr. Koziol was being targeted and punished for his own testimony at the same hearing by disciplinary agents of the state’s judiciary.

Only weeks after the Moreland Commission was disbanded, a report was issued on April 8, 2014 opposing reinstatement of Leon’s law license with a complete copy of his testimony. This report was not issued by an independent entity like Mr. Bharara’s office, it was prepared by attorneys hired and supervised by the very court being criticized and responsible for the licensing decisions. Only nine months earlier, the chief attorney and his associate engaged in the same targeting activity were fired for falsifying their time sheets, publicly financed time which was also misappropriated to violate Leon’s civil rights. No public charges were lodged against them.

The targeting of Leon’s speech and reform efforts after 23 unblemished years as a successful civil rights attorney was admitted in an unrecorded, confidential hearing held by the same licensing court in May, 2013. Clearly provocative but never alleged to be false, Leon’s Commission testimony cited extensive judicial misconduct including a Syracuse judge assigned to his custody case who was removed from the bench for sexual misconduct upon his handicapped five year old niece. He also asked for an investigation into the state’s Judicial Conduct Commission due to its political nature and failure over the years to hold judges properly accountable. Like Sheldon Silver, many were later arrested and convicted by federal authorities.

Federal mandamus and civil rights actions were accordingly filed by Mr. Koziol in lower Manhattan and the state’s capital, but indications are that the constitutional atrocities will be suppressed, dismissed and otherwise punished to assure business as usual in America’s divorce and family courts. Any logical observer must therefore conclude that our third branch of government is simply placing itself above the law, in this case our supreme laws entrusted to its care under the Constitution. Mr. Koziol sacrificed his career and family to promote a long overdue cause for the people against his own profession. So is that it? We simply walk away while our veterans and public safety officers return to alienated children, draconian enforcement practices and discriminatory treatment by the government they swore to protect?

As Americans, we are charged with a duty to do much more. Ominous signs are everywhere concerning the ongoing erosion of our most cherished rights and beliefs, from NSA surveillance to IRS targeting of conservative groups and more. We simply cannot ignore all this by returning to our couches and routines. After Mr. Koziol’s return from Paris on a mission to accord parenting rights international protection, a million people rallied in that city to support free speech. When will a similar rally emerge here in Washington to promote the same rights, equal treatment of fathers and support for truly struggling mothers?

Many thanks to three recent benefactors in Paris, New York and Tennessee for their major donations. A trip to Nashville is set for March as stated in an earlier post. Once again, we need everyone’s involvement to promote this vital cause. Help us with media contact and other potential donors. We also ask for personal contributions and purchase of our court program which has helped so many parents navigate their way successfully and economically through family court. Obtain it at http://www.parentingrightsinstitute.com. You may call our office, Parenting Rights Institute, at (315) 380-3420 or Dr. Koziol direct at (315) 796-4000.

Public Corruption Commission: Was Free Speech Suppressed Again at Taxpayer Expense for Political Gain?

On By leonkozioljdIn Moreland Commission on Public CorruptionLeave a comment

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When the Governor of New York created the Commission on Public Corruption last year, there was much talk about his eventual candidacy for president. Then Hillary came along to upstage his aspirations and the Commission was suddenly disbanded with nothing to show for its year-long deliberations at taxpayer expense. Indeed a “dream team” of public officials and law enforcement was assembled in the wake of federal indictments lodged against members of the state Legislature and their co-conspirators. The Governor insisted that the crisis required a broad based investigation to reform the way the state does business in Albany.

At the first public hearing of this Commission on Constitution Day, September 17, 2013, hundreds of speakers showed up for what would be a closed session. A long line of people was left outside waiting for hours, deprived access to the Pace University public forum. Only 17 members of the public were allowed to present testimony. Among them was Leon Koziol who spent more than 23 years litigating civil rights cases in federal and state courts. His eye-opening presentation can be viewed at approximately the 2 hours, 31 minutes and 45 seconds mark (Click Here). A very special thank you to Elena Sassower from the Center for Judicial Accountability, Inc., for providing us with this valuable link.

Preet Bharara, the federal prosecutor who brought many of the indictments, was one of the elite speakers who opened the session. He later questioned the Governor’s sudden decision to disband this Commission, a body whose legitimacy was challenged in court because its unilateral creation was not properly authorized. The people were ultimately duped into believing that meaningful reform was actually going to occur. Instead, the Commission’s scope was quickly limited to select matter after this hearing and the public was disregarded in their concerns. Before its work could be completed, even the chairwoman resigned to run a campaign for congress. In the end, nothing came of this Commission and the taxpayers were left with a giant bill.

As you go through the testimony bravely asserted by the people’s “Group of 17,” one cannot help but sympathize with the emotions and frustrations which these speakers demonstrated. We live in a society today in which an elite class of people is taking control, justice is being denied on an escalating scale, and violence is consequently emerging all across this country. It is high time that “We the People” take an increasing role in our joint destinies, support the reformists made subject to severe retributions, and show a real commitment to protect and preserve a truly American form of government under our Constitution.