I have expressed doubts that Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick would face state criminal charges after he makes his plea deal with federal prosecutors. I was wrong, as Larry O'Dell reports for the Associated Press:
Among the state laws Vick could be charged with violating are those against dogfighting and animal cruelty. Both are felonies punishable by up to five years in prison."The real question is how much overlap there would be between anything the local prosecutor would charge and what the federal prosecutors charged," said Linda Malone, a criminal procedure expert and Marshall-Wythe Foundation professor of law at the College of William and Mary. "There are some limitations on duplication."
Vick said through a lawyer Monday that he will plead guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiracy to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. Malone said the state dogfighting charges probably would not be considered duplicative.
Read the rest of the story at the link provided. There is also some chance of state charges in Georgia and New Jersey. If his federal co-defendants can be compelled to repeat their evidence against him in the states' courts, Mr. Vick is toast. Cold, soggy, burnt toast.
In related nonsense, the Atlanta NAACP supports Vick's potential return to football, even to the Falcons, as Errin Haines found for the AP:
An NAACP leader said Michael Vick should be allowed to return to the NFL, preferably the Atlanta Falcons, after serving his sentence for his role in a dogfighting operation.* * * * *
White said the Atlanta chapter supports Vick's decision to accept a plea bargain if it's in his best interest, but he questioned the credibility of Vick's co-defendants, saying an admission of guilt might be more about cutting losses than the truth.
"At this point, you're not looking at guilt or innocence," White said, referring to the possible harsher sentence Vick could have received had he taken his case to trial and been found guilty. "You're thinking, 'What I better do is cut my losses and take a plea.' But if he saw this as the best thing to do at this point for his future, then I think he made the correct choice."
The rest is at the link preceding. Talk about a descent into irrelevancy on the part of the NAACP . . . now they're changing to the National Anti-Animal Cruelty People . . .
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Filed under:
Scandals, Sports
Tags: criminal case, football, scandals, Vick
Comments (19)
People love dogs. Michael V... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Paul Hooson | August 22, 2007 3:35 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
People love dogs. Michael Vick certainly knows how to ruin himself in the court of public opinion.
1. Posted by Paul Hooson | August 22, 2007 3:35 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 15:35
2. Posted by langtry | August 22, 2007 3:42 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Good point, Paul, and further proof as to how tone-deaf the NAACP has become. To champion Vick (and I mean the irony therein), a surly lowlife with no appeal whatsoever to the mainstream (black, white, or otherwise) is to commit organizational hari kiri. Since when is a guy who has been an athletic star since grade school a "victim"?
2. Posted by langtry | August 22, 2007 3:42 PM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 15:42
3. Posted by Jo | August 22, 2007 3:56 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Some guy on O'Reilly last night was pinning a lot of this on racism. OMG, these people are relentless.
3. Posted by Jo | August 22, 2007 3:56 PM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 15:56
4. Posted by Peter F. | August 22, 2007 4:08 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Per R.L. White, president of the NAACP's Atlanta chapter:
"His crime is, it was a dog, (and not a deer)" White said.(Emphasis mine.)
Mr. White, let me sum this up for you:
Deer hunting. Legal. Helps control disease and deer population. Regulated. Hunters don't drown half-alive deer; they shoot them dead.
Dog fighting. Illegal. Barbaric. Zero benefit to nature. Vick drown half-alive dogs AFTER hanging them. (Note to libs: THAT's torture.)
Pretty simple.
Unless you're idiot. Just like the NY Knicks' Stephan Marbury:
"We don't say anything about people shooting deers and shooting other animals, you know what I mean? From what I hear, dogfighting is a sport. It's just behind closed doors and I think it's tough that we build Michael Vick up and then we break him down ... I think he fell into a bad situation."
He "fell" into? As in "oopsy! clumsy me!"? BS. The word is "choice". Look it up.
A wonderful sense of values displayed by Marbury.
BTW: It's 'deer'. Go back to school, you clown.
4. Posted by Peter F. | August 22, 2007 4:08 PM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 16:08
5. Posted by HughS | August 22, 2007 4:46 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
I'll chalk up an I told you so regarding the State charges....Comment 37
http://wizbangblog.com/content/2007/08/20/vick-to-plead-guilty-on-dogfighting-charges.php#comments
The next chapter is the gambling investigation....which will shut the door on any return to the NFL and subject him to litigation expenses that will bankrupt him.
5. Posted by HughS | August 22, 2007 4:46 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 16:46
6. Posted by HughS | August 22, 2007 4:47 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Make that comment 27....guess that what I get for saying I told you so!
6. Posted by HughS | August 22, 2007 4:47 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 16:47
7. Posted by spurwing plover | August 22, 2007 4:57 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
I see that the NAACP dont want him canned a say that the NAACP should take a hike
7. Posted by spurwing plover | August 22, 2007 4:57 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 16:57
8. Posted by marc | August 22, 2007 5:09 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Jim A's original contention:
Usually when a case is taken over by the feds, the states back off. It would be somewhat unusual for a state to file charges on the same offense AFTER a federal plea bargain - although not impossible, of course.
Yeah... "ok" - "Tell that to Timothy James McVeigh who went thru a second State trial for no other reason than to pile on a second death penalty. The public, PETA, not withstanding, won't be happy with the plea and will pressure VA to file charges."
8. Posted by marc | August 22, 2007 5:09 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 17:09
9. Posted by HughS | August 22, 2007 6:00 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Usually when a State prosecutes in a case the Feds are prosecuting the defense attorneys attempt to have the State agree that any State sentence is served concurrently with the Federal sentence.
Vick's worst nightmare now may be that the multiple venues will not cooperate and he will serve consecutive sentences, in othe words, when he finishes one he starts another.
9. Posted by HughS | August 22, 2007 6:00 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 18:00
10. Posted by DaveD | August 22, 2007 6:09 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
I have known many hunters during the course of my life and can't really think of one I would consider a sadist. Dog fighting itself is bad enough but the sadistic way in which losing dogs were put to death is reprehensible. If the NAACP is so desperate for role models for the black community that this man is worth their worry - well, that says enough for me about the ethos of the NAACP.
10. Posted by DaveD | August 22, 2007 6:09 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 18:09
11. Posted by No Snitchin' | August 22, 2007 6:23 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Only crackers care about cruelty to animals.
11. Posted by No Snitchin' | August 22, 2007 6:23 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 18:23
12. Posted by kim | August 22, 2007 6:44 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Yes Stefan, dogfiting is sport. So is basketball. Do you see the difference?
====================
12. Posted by kim | August 22, 2007 6:44 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 18:44
13. Posted by Jim Addison | August 22, 2007 7:08 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
HughS and marc ~ Hey, guys, I SAID "I was wrong" about the state charges.
Whaddya want? Do I have to wear a scarlet "W" around? Start writing for The New Republic?
Sheesh! Tough crowd . . .
13. Posted by Jim Addison | August 22, 2007 7:08 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 19:08
14. Posted by Peter F. | August 22, 2007 7:25 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Yes Stefan, dogfiting is sport. So is basketball. Do you see the difference?
Seeing as how he left Georgia Tech after his freshman year to enter the NBA draft, I'm guessing no. But I'm sure he can tell your the difference between Grant and Franklin on his bills--one guy has a beard, the other doesn't.
If only "dogfitting" were a sport, kim, then this whole Vick story would be a LOT more amusing... ;-)
14. Posted by Peter F. | August 22, 2007 7:25 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 19:25
15. Posted by Peter F. | August 22, 2007 7:32 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Whaddya want? Do I have to wear a scarlet "W" around? Start writing for The New Republic?
No, we'll banish you to a FAR worse fate: The Nation AND Mother Jones!
15. Posted by Peter F. | August 22, 2007 7:32 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 19:32
16. Posted by marc | August 22, 2007 7:41 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Hugh:
Usually when a State prosecutes in a case the Feds are prosecuting the defense attorneys attempt to have the State agree that any State sentence is served concurrently with the Federal sentence.
Does that men in the Timothy McVeigh case Oklahoma and the Feds shared the same power grid to fry him?
Sorry, I couldn't resist. :-)
16. Posted by marc | August 22, 2007 7:41 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 19:41
17. Posted by HughS | August 22, 2007 9:16 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
marc
Knowing what I do about Okies(and that's a compliment for those unfamiliar) I wouldn't doubt it if they had some locals outside winding a hand generator!
17. Posted by HughS | August 22, 2007 9:16 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 21:16
18. Posted by HughS | August 22, 2007 9:21 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Jim
Just read your post. I was not critizing you, I'm glad you made it a topic. If my "I told you so" offended, my apologies. The "you" in the phrase was not directed at "you, Jim". It was a generic "you". Does that make sense?
You, Jim, have done an oustanding job serving up interesting topics.
18. Posted by HughS | August 22, 2007 9:21 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 21:21
19. Posted by Jim Addison | August 22, 2007 11:18 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
All tongue in cheek, there, Hugh. Don't worry - I first ventured onto an online message board in 1994, so my skin's rather thick by now.
19. Posted by Jim Addison | August 22, 2007 11:18 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 22, 2007 23:18