Not Good News for James O’Keefe

Posted on | May 26, 2010 | 18 Comments

The four defendants who were arrested in January in Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office in the Hale Boggs federal complex in New Orleans pleaded guilty Wednesday morning in federal court to entering real property belonging to the United States under false pretenses.
Magistrate Judge Daniel Knowles III sentenced Stan Dai, Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan each to two years probation, a fine of $1,500 and 75 hours of community service during their first year of probation.
James O’Keefe, as leader of the group and famous for posing as a pimp in ACORN office videos, received three years of probation, a fine of $1,500 and 100 hours of community service.

When this story first broke in January, the point I tried to emphasize was that this case involved federal charges. U.S. attorneys are not famous for cutting people slack. Being allowed to plead guilty to a relatively minor charge was the least-bad outcome here — a $1,500 fine is a slap on the wrist in federal court — but it is still bad.

Category: Crime, Journalism

Comments

18 Responses to “Not Good News for James O’Keefe”

Miss Sharon
May 27th, 2010 @ 12:51 am

O’Keefe tweeted earlier today that more video would be forthcoming. He didn’t seem to broken up about it.
Miss Sharon
May 26th, 2010 @ 7:51 pm

O’Keefe tweeted earlier today that more video would be forthcoming. He didn’t seem to broken up about it.
just a conservative girl
May 27th, 2010 @ 1:43 am

Regardless of his reasoning, he is guilty. He needs to pay the piper.
just a conservative girl
May 26th, 2010 @ 8:43 pm

Regardless of his reasoning, he is guilty. He needs to pay the piper.
Dave C
May 27th, 2010 @ 2:21 am

One good thing came out of this.. It proved David Schuster wrong..
Dave C
May 26th, 2010 @ 9:21 pm

One good thing came out of this.. It proved David Schuster wrong..
Joe
May 27th, 2010 @ 2:36 am

I like O’Keefe. I think he screwed up a little here, but I am glad it did not go that badly for him.
Joe
May 26th, 2010 @ 9:36 pm

I like O’Keefe. I think he screwed up a little here, but I am glad it did not go that badly for him.
kansas
May 27th, 2010 @ 4:13 am

Entering a Federal Building under false pretenses? How much more lame can a charge get? Unauthorized deposit in the men’s room urinal? If he were a Dem doing an expose on a Republican wonder if there would have even been a story let along a charge.
kansas
May 26th, 2010 @ 11:13 pm

Entering a Federal Building under false pretenses? How much more lame can a charge get? Unauthorized deposit in the men’s room urinal? If he were a Dem doing an expose on a Republican wonder if there would have even been a story let along a charge.
Jazz
May 27th, 2010 @ 2:31 pm

Being allowed to plead guilty to a relatively minor charge was the least-bad outcome here — a $1,500 fine is a slap on the wrist in federal court — but it is still bad.

A slap on the wrist? I disagree. It’s a misdemeanor – millions of people have them. Misdemeanors are the bumper rails on the bowling alley of life decisions. They’re slightly more than a verbal admonition. “Bad,” though, I guess is in the eye of the beholder. For Johnny B. Good, a the moral impact and social stigma of a misdemeanor could be crushing. For the average person, the the impact of a misdemeanor conviction would likely be eclipsed by the mundanities of everyday life. $1500 and a charge to behave for 3 years is high-five worthy – it comes nowhere close to resembling the crimes the media had convicted O’Keefe of when the underlying incident was first revealed.
Jazz
May 27th, 2010 @ 9:31 am

Being allowed to plead guilty to a relatively minor charge was the least-bad outcome here — a $1,500 fine is a slap on the wrist in federal court — but it is still bad.

A slap on the wrist? I disagree. It’s a misdemeanor – millions of people have them. Misdemeanors are the bumper rails on the bowling alley of life decisions. They’re slightly more than a verbal admonition. “Bad,” though, I guess is in the eye of the beholder. For Johnny B. Good, a the moral impact and social stigma of a misdemeanor could be crushing. For the average person, the the impact of a misdemeanor conviction would likely be eclipsed by the mundanities of everyday life. $1500 and a charge to behave for 3 years is high-five worthy – it comes nowhere close to resembling the crimes the media had convicted O’Keefe of when the underlying incident was first revealed.
Roxeanne de Luca
May 27th, 2010 @ 3:53 pm

Oh, no.

Federal laws are far, far too vague and easily applied. (Why not get them for mail fraud while they were at it? Surely, something about this passed through the US Postal Service….) $1,500 is a lot of money to someone in his 20s, and the three years of probation effectively stops any other advocacy that those kids can engage in.

🙁
Roxeanne de Luca
May 27th, 2010 @ 10:53 am

Oh, no.

Federal laws are far, far too vague and easily applied. (Why not get them for mail fraud while they were at it? Surely, something about this passed through the US Postal Service….) $1,500 is a lot of money to someone in his 20s, and the three years of probation effectively stops any other advocacy that those kids can engage in.

🙁
Ho Lee Schitt
May 29th, 2010 @ 5:41 pm

O Keefe should be in a federal lockup grabbing his sorry ankles for Bubba and Jamal. I have a feeling this sissy boy would not do very well in prison.
!
Ho Lee Schitt
May 29th, 2010 @ 12:41 pm

O Keefe should be in a federal lockup grabbing his sorry ankles for Bubba and Jamal. I have a feeling this sissy boy would not do very well in prison.
!
Kojocaro
July 29th, 2010 @ 10:51 pm

ho lee schitt rangel should be in jail being bubba jamal and harley’s bitch you should also be inm jail for stupidity
Kojocaro
July 29th, 2010 @ 6:51 pm

ho lee schitt rangel should be in jail being bubba jamal and harley’s bitch you should also be inm jail for stupidity