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Religion See other Religion Articles Title: Ed Jew pleads not guilty to mail fraud Ed Jew pleads not guilty to mail fraud S.F. supe rebuffs mayor's call for meeting, resignation Wyatt Buchanan,Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writers Saturday, September 22, 2007 (09-21) 12:01 PDT San Francisco -- Supervisor Ed Jew pleaded not guilty this morning to a federal mail fraud charge in connection with an alleged scheme to extort bribes from Chinese immigrant-run businesses facing city permit problems. Judge Elizabeth Laporte freed Jew but ordered him to post bail in the form of a $1 million security bond and warned him not to have any contact with witnesses in the case that could be construed as harassment or intimidation. Jew already has surrendered his passport in connection with state criminal charges brought against him earlier this summer by District Attorney Kamala Harris for allegedly lying about where he lived to run for office and vote in San Francisco elections. Jew faces trial scheduled Oct. 26 on nine felony perjury and fraud charges in that case. Meanwhile, City Attorney Dennis Herrera is seeking permission from state Attorney General Jerry Brown to file a civil lawsuit to oust Jew from office on the grounds he didn't meet residency requirements under the City Charter to hold his District 4 seat on the Board of Supervisors. He won election to the post last November. Mayor Gavin Newsom said Thursday he is prepared to bring official misconduct charges against Jew at the city Ethics Commission, which could result in a trial before the Board of Supervisors to remove him from his district supervisor post. A lawyer for Jew said today the supervisor would not meet with the mayor today as requested by Newsom because of the lawmaker's need to be represented by legal counsel in such a session. One of Jew's defense lawyers, Bill Fazio, who is representing the supervisor in the state criminal case, was unavailable for such a meeting today, according to Steve Gruel, the lawyer representing Jew on the federal charges. Gruel has said Jew has no intention of resigning and plans to contest all criminal charges facing him. If convicted on the federal mail fraud charge, Jew could be fined and sentence to up to 20 years in prison. Any felony conviction upheld on appeal would cost Jew his seat on the Board of Supervisors. Judge Laporte scheduled a preliminary hearing in the federal case for Oct. 11, two weeks before prosecutors and Jew's lawyers are expected to start selecting a jury in the state criminal case in which the supervisor is accused of using a house on 28th Avenue in the Sunset neighborhood as an address of convenience to have become a candidate and vote in San Francisco elections. Prosecutors say he really lived in Burlingame. After Jew's arraignment on the federal mail charge today, Gruel voiced concern that publicity about the new federal mail fraud charge and the alleged extortion scheme that led to it could taint the supervisor's ability to get a fair trial on the state perjury and fraud charges. Jew is accused by federal prosecutors of threatening operators of Quickly tapioca drink shops with being shut down for not having the proper permits as part of scheme to extort as much as $80,000 in bribes. Some of Jew's conversations with representatives for the businesses were caught on secret FBI recordings, and the supervisor acknowledged accepting $40,000 in cash - money provided by the FBI to the drink shop operators as part of an investigative sting. Jew is charged with mail fraud because the Postal Service was used to deliver a zoning violation notice to one of Jew's alleged extortion victims. Gruel indicated he thinks prosecutors might have trouble proving the charge because under city law the authority to enforce zoning rules falls to city planning officials, not members of the Board of Supervisors. "Last time I checked, I don't think any supervisor over at City Hall has the ability to tell the planning commission when to issue letters," Gruel said. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: a vast rightwing conspirator (#0)
I remember this case. Thanks for the update.
You see, I claim that the Swiss Navy is bigger than the Irish Navy, but that the Jewish Navy is bigger than both of them put together!
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