Wednesday, January 28, 2015

"Will you come with me for fellowship?"

February 3, 2015 at 1:44 P.M. Mr. Vance, please understand that your office and America's legal system are being judged on an international level by thousands of people (including your fellow professionals) concerning whether and/or how well you respond to a citizen's communication and evidence of serious criminality. Legal obligations of good faith and honesty on the part of prosecutors are also being tested in this matter.

No response to my communications to the Manhattan District Attorney has been received by me. Is it necessary for Mr. Vance to receive the permission of a public official in New Jersey? Does Mr. Vance require the permission of Mr. Silver to proceed with this matter? Or Mr. Netanyahu, perhaps? ("An Open Letter to Cyrus Vance, Jr., Esq.")

February 2, 2015 at 1:59 P.M. I was unable to make a reservation today at NYPL, Morningside Heights branch. I learned that my card had "expired' without a previous warning. 

The card was renewed, immediately, by the librarian who made a reservation for me at computer number #7. 

I cannot say whether I will have to go through this experience each time that I reserve a computer from now on. I hope not. The renewal is effective, I am told, for three years. 

It is possible that my information was obtained by hackers after a recent visit to the main branch of the library. I do not know whether this will affect my ability to print from computers. 

January 30, 2015 at 1:34 P.M. As far as I know, I am the only member of these blogs. No other persons are members nor are any memberships sought or available to readers.

January 28, 2015 at 3:18 P.M. A list of sources will be added to this essay in the days ahead. Strangely, I have not heard from Mr. Vance. ("An Open Letter to Cyrus Vance, Jr., Esq.")

Dan Bilefsky & Maia de la Bareme, "Terrorists Strike Paris Newspaper Leaving 12 Dead: Targeting Journalists Who Lampooned Islam -- One Suspect Surrenders," The New York Times, January 8, 2015, p. A1. (How to defend against terrorism while retaining our liberties has become the burning issue in all Western democracies and elsewhere in the world.)

Doreen Carvajal & Suzanne Daly, "Proud to Offend, Paper Carries Torch of Political Provocation," The New York Times, January 6, 2015, p. A1. (Censorship cannot be allowed to prevail. I will attempt to create another blog elsewhere online if I continue to be prevented from doing so at blogger. Blogger is "Google" which is how they say "NSA" in China. "How censorship works in America.")

Timothy Williams, "Lawyer Denies Allegations of Sex With a Minor," The New York Times, January 7, 2015, p. A13. (Alan Dershowitz, Esq. is accused of having sex with a minor. What would Rabbi Blitzstein say, Alan? I find the accusations against Mr. Dershowitz absurd. I have met and admire Mr. Dershowitz who is a fine appellate advocate. I highly recommend Professor Dershowitz's writings on the misunderstood relation between psychology and law as well as his books The Best Defense, Reversal of Fortune, and The Abuse Excuse.)

Jennifer Steinhauer, "Former Virginia Governor is Sentenced to 24 Months for Corruption," The New York Times, January 7, 2015, p. A11. (Bob McDonnell, Democrat of Virginia, convicted of corruption as new investigations are launched against Mr. Menendez: "Was Menendez Bribed to get a Visa For a Croney?" and "Another FBI Investigation of Menendez.")

Alison Smale, "Cyberattack in Germany Shuts Down Official Site," The New York Times, January 7, 2015, p. A9. (Concerns about future combined computer attacks on the part of North Korea and Russia are increasing. There is a greater threat of fundamentalist Islamic terrorism in Germany than is ever going to exist in France.)

Adam Nagourney, "Governor, Governor's Father[,] and an Eloquent Liberal Beacon," The New York Times, January 2, 2015, p. A1. (The loss of Mario Cuomo is the loss of the conscience of the Democratic party.)

"Prosecutors, Torturers, and Their Bosses," (Editorial) The New York Times, December 22, 2014, p. A26. (I favor prosecutions of persons for torture, or any "crime against humanity," by some legal entity.)

"Killing of Police Tests Promise of One City," (Editorial) The New York Times, December 22, 2014, p. A22. (Threats to police can only be heightened by politicizing responses to mayoral statements and actions on the part of the men and women in uniform. Actions of protest and criticism by uniformed public servants must take place on your own time as private citizens.)

Sheryl Gay Stolberg & Eric Lightblau, "Ex-Chief Leads Defense of Spy Agency," The New York Times, December 13, 2014, p. A1. (Mr. Cheney and George Tenet, former head of the CIA, claim that the "boys got a little carried away." "C.I.A. Lies and Torture" and "The C.I.A. and Torture.") 

Adam Liptak, "Justices Called On to Decipher One Word: 10 Year Sentence Hangs On Definition," The New York Times, December 3, 2014, p. A20.

Whitfield v. United States, U.S. Supreme Court, Docket No. 13-9216. (No opinion has yet been handed-down by the U.S. Supreme Court in this matter.)

Richard Posner, "Other Illustrations of Practical Reasoning in Law," in The Problems of Jurisprudence (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990), p. 101.

"WASHINGTON -- After a botched bank robbery in 2008 in North Carolina, Larry Whitfield entered the home of a 79-year-old woman, telling her he needed a place to hide. He directed (emphasis added) the woman who was upset and crying, to move with him from her living room to another room some nine feet away."

The difference or distance is alleged to be crucial to the case, but may in fact be totally irrelevant to the issue of principle:

"Those few steps exposed Mr. Whitfield to prosecution under a federal law that calls for a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence when a 'criminal forces any person to ACCOMPANY him during a bank robbery or while fleeing.' ..." (emphasis added!)

"Kidnapping" does not require that the victim be moved from one location to another, only a deprivation of freedom wherever the victim happens to be. 

What does the word "accompany" mean in this context? What is the purpose of this provision in the law? A concern with violence is not explicitly voiced in the relevant statute? Does this law reflect a legislative effort to provide additional punishment or "aggravation" for crimes that involve not only theft under threat of violence, but interference with, or limitations upon, the autonomy or freedom of movement of victims? ("What is law?")

This raises the question, again, of the meaning of the word "accompany" in the law. 

Is the use of the word "accompany" about a criminal's invitation to a person located in the crime scene to provide some pleasant company? Or is the word "accompany" inherently coercive when used by a person pointing a gun at the victim's head during, or just before, a lovely stroll? ("Ronald Dworkin On Law as Interpretation.")

Let us begin with the dictionary: 

"Accompany ... to go with, to escort, to cause something specified to be done, uttered conjointly with something, to accompany words with actions. ... to occur in association with, lightning accompanies the storm. ... "

The New Webster's Dictionary of the English Language: International Edition (New York: Lexicon, 1989), p. 5.

The definitions in standard legal dictionaries are equally unhelpful. How far does this (or any) definition get us in construing a criminal statute? 

Not very far, I think, because the issue in this legal context is the policy that is to be served by the law featuring the particular word, or the larger social purposes of the law. ("Charles Fried and William Shakespeare On Interpretation" and "The Allegory of the Cave.")

An exchange between several justices -- including the Chief Justice -- seemingly missed the hermeneutic point entirely. 

Debate among the justices centered on whether the enhanced penalty could apply when persons "accompanied" a culprit only a short distance raising "slippery slope" problems. Exactly how far would the distance or "accompanying" have to be to establish liability? A foot? How about eleven-and-a-half inches? The justices expressed bafflement:

"Mr. Whitfield's lawyer, Joseph B. Carpenter, said [the enhanced penalty] should not apply to short distances."


Distance, again, may be irrelevant to the question of whether the "accompanying" by the victim is voluntary or extracted under duress:

" ... Justice Antonin Scalia said 'accompany' is commonly used that way. 'I can accompany my wife to the table when we go to a dinner party,' he said. 'Isn't it proper to say I accompany her to the table?' ..." 

Justice Scalia's analogy would be far more apt if he were to put a gun to his wife's head when he made his request that she "accompany" him to their table. Such a gun-to-the-head tactic used on women is not unheard of among Jersey boys: 

"Justice Ruth Bader Gingsburg, perhaps reflecting on a recent trip to the hospital[,] ... offered a different example. 'Suppose I were to say, The nurse accompanied a patient as she [the patient] walked around the Intensive Care Unit[?]' she said."

Again, the crucial issue seems to be whether the "accompanying" is voluntary. Motivation and/or victim autonomy is ignored, however, due to a lawyerly focus on "key words" as in contracts or tax cases: 

"Chief Justice John G. Roberts gave an example of the anomalies the law could produce."

A distinction is established by the Chief Justice, at this point, but not necessarily one that makes much difference. The Chief Justice simply narrows the focus of discussion: What are the results (or consequences) that follow from the various uses of the word "accompany" under the law? 

Many statutes produce anomalous (or insane!) results, which are exclusively for legislatures to correct by rewriting laws, Chief Justice Roberts, unless they directly violate the rights of specific litigants before the bench in a genuine case or controversy:

" ... 'You take ... two bank robberies,' [Mr. Roberts] said. 'One, the robber comes in, waves a gun, pistol-whips five people, grabs the money and runs.' ..." 

Mr. Roberts pursued this line of reasoning with tenacity, firmly, but in what he later recognized may be the wrong direction:

" ... 'In another,' he continued, 'the lone robber comes in; just gets the bag of money' and [the robber] says, 'you walk over here two feet with me' so he can 'get the bag of money; and leaves.' ..." 

Mr. Roberts then reaches his initial and "pointless" -- as Justice Scalia with characteristic politeness noted -- conclusion: 

" ... 'Only the second robber,' the Chief Justice said, 'would be subject to the 10-year-minimum. That doesn't make any sense,' [Mr. Roberts] said."

I suggest that it does make sense, Mr. Chief Justice, if the concern of the legislature is to add what is essentially a kidnapping element to a robbery offense that already presupposes (or implies) a threat of violence, and usually the reality of violence as well. 

The law may not have to make sense as long as it is clearly understood or capable of some coherent meaning for the justices. After all, it was written by Congresspersons. Do we expect much good sense from Congress? I doubt it. 

It is interesting that none of the current justices has much or any experience as criminal defense lawyers. Justice Alito was a federal prosecutor, but otherwise there was little experience with the criminal justice system by the justices in their pre-judicial careers. 

Legal hermeneutics -- problems of interpretation -- cannot be separated from the values implicit in legal codes that are intended to serve larger policy goals, nor with the world-views or intentions of speakers and/or authors of legislation, nor even from the values of those seeking to interpret and apply ambiguous laws. 

To interpret any written or artistic text is to inhabit the mind of the creators of that text through a shared medium that is usually language.

This intellectual and emotive challenge of interpretation necessarily involves an element of identification (or empathy), a "fusion of horizons," between the recipient of the message and its creator(s) who are often divided -- and (sometimes) bitterly so -- over the goals or intelligence of proposed legislation, or any text:

"A court should put itself in imagination in the position of a legislature which enacted the measure. ... It should assume that the legislature was made up of reasonable persons pursuing reasonable purposes reasonably."

Henry A. Hart & Albert Sacks, The Legal Process: Basic Problems in the Meaning and Application of Law (Cambridge: Harvard U. Press/Harvard Law School, tent. ed. 1958), pp. 1414-1415. 

A "plurality" of the current justices have clearly been especially influenced by the famous Hart and Sacks materials, notably Justices Scalia and Kennedy, but also Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Gingsburg. 

The "reasonableness" factor betrays the Enlightenment origins of Anglo-American legal-interpretive thinking. The word "reasonable" is sprinkled over the common law tradition like the proverbial "salt on a good steak." Nevertheless, the word "reasonable" is not the first word that springs to my mind when I think of the U.S. Congress drafting laws or doing anything else. 

Notice the parallel to Continental theory that appeals to weird philosophers who read Gadamer, Ricoeur, and Derrida on the indeterminacy of language and "deconstructions" of the shifting meanings of words. 

I am delighted and surprised to find the word "deconstruction" entering the vocabulary of the United States Supreme Court. ("Jacques Derrida's Philosophy as Jazz" and "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Missing Author.") 

"Gradually there comes to be no correlation between the analysis of the object and our experience of it in understanding. ..."

Richard E. Palmer, "Toward Reopening the Question: What is Interpretation?," in Hermeneutics (Evanston: Illinois, 1969), pp. 233-246 (emphasis added).

If the "accompanying" by the victim in the case before the Court is "involuntary," as it surely is in any robbery involving armed gunmen and helpless victims, then the extra penalties should and would apply, very appropriately, to the culprit regardless of the distance that the victim(s) travels -- even if the victim does no more than reach for the contents of a drawer and then hands them to the criminal on request! -- so that the issue before the Supreme Court might have focused exclusively on "intent," besides the meaning of the word "voluntary," or motive, as well as the coercion felt by the victim as opposed to only the linguistic meaning of the word "accompany." 

Robbery and kidnapping are specific intent offenses under the criminal law in every American jurisdiction. 

Sorry, Mr. Whitfield, but I am confident that the Supreme Court's decision will be that you will be "accompanied" by the guards back to your prison cell for the duration of your sentence with the extra penalty, deservedly, added to your time.

Around the world in sixty seconds:

Mark Danner, "No Exit," The New York Times Book Review, February 1, 2015, p. 1. (Reviewing Mohamedou Slahi, Guantanamo Diary (New York: Little, Brown, 2015), Larry Siems, Editor.)

"On or about September 11, 2001, American character changed. What Americans previously flaunted as 'our highest values' were now judged to be luxuries that in a new time of evil the country could ill afford. Justice and its cardinal principle of innocent until proven guilty, became a risk, its indulgence a weakness. Asked recently about an innocent man who had been tortured to death in an American 'black site' in Afghanistan, former Vice President Dick Cheney did not hesitate. 'I'm more concerned,' he said, 'with bad guys who got out than I am with a few that, in fact, were innocent.' In this new era in which all would be sacrificed to 'protect' the country, torture and even murder of the innocent must be counted simply 'collateral damage.' ..." (emphasis added!)

Gretchen Morgenson, "Two Judges Get it About Banks: Wells Fargo Loses Two Foreclosure Cases as Judges Cite Abuse and Forgery," The New York Times, Sunday Business, February 1, 2015, p. 1. (This is what needs to happen to clean-up Wall Street. Judges must make banks pay for their "creativity." A Missouri couple gets to keep their house and $3 million in damages.)

Reuters, "JP Morgan to Pay Out $99 Million Over Graft," The New York Times, Sunday Times, February 1, 2015, p. 13. (A settlement over PRICE RIGGING with global implications in currency trading -- the buying and selling of money -- is among the more surrealistic aspects of our lives. I expect to see Mr. Dimon at the MET's new "Carmen" in March. Champagne at the Grand Tier, Jamie?)

Benjamin Mueller, "New York City to Pay $5 Million in 'Mafia Cops' Case," The New York Times, January 20, 2015, p. A3. (NYPD cops moonlighting for the mafia is the sort of thing best left to NJ's West New York police officers. I have seen many Union City and West New York cops "accompanying" me on my strolls in Manhattan.)

Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Group of Senators Seeks to Lift Cuba Travel Limits," The New York Times, January 20, 2015, p. A3. (A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Thursday to lift all travel bans for Americans visiting Cuba. This suggests that special immigration status for newly arriving Cubans are no longer logical and should be abolished to equalize the immigration status of all persons seeking legal status in America.)

Stephanie Clifford, "Revisited, a 1987 Conviction is Vacated: Prosecutors in Brooklyn Now Say a Burglary Never Even Occurred," The New York Times, January 30, 2015, p. A21. (Yet another false conviction reversed with unusual honesty from prosecutors at last. Will I hear from Mr. Vance now that Mr. Silver has resigned? OAE? "Prosecutorial Misconduct" and "An Open Letter to Cyrus Vance, Jr., Esq.")

"Washington and Havana Break the Ice," (Editorial) The New York Times, January 30, 2015, p. A22. (These are exciting times for Cubans and their U.S. relatives, most of whom favor Mr. Obama's normalization of relations between the two countries, even if Miami's politicians do not. "Cubanazos Pose a Threat to National Security" and "Miami's Cubanoids Protest Against Peace!")

Joseph Chuman, "Troubling Issues in Verdicts on Deaths of Brown, Garner," The Record, December 9, 2014, p. A-11. (Dehumanizing the victims of police murders. "Albert Florence and New Jersey's Racism.")

Kibret Marcos, "Teacher Facing More Sex Charges: Accused of Assaulting Eight-Grader," The Record, December 9, 2014, p. L-3. (N.J. substitute teacher LINDA HARDAN, 21, faces additional charges of sexual assault upon a 14-year-old. More charges of teachers sending nude photos of themselves to students are said to be forthcoming.)

Karen Sudol, "Female Police Officer Recruit at Port Academy Files Sex Harassment Suit: Alleges Being Taunted, Called a Barbie Doll,"   The Record, December 11, 2014, p. A-5. (A so-called "Jersey Chic" sues because, as a police recruit, she was subjected to sexual harassment. Shame on you, Mr. Samson. Allegedly, Mr. Menendez is a suspect in the incident. "Wedding Bells Ring For Menendez!" and "Menendez Consorts With Underage Prostitutes" then "Menendez Blames Castro For His Prostitution Habit.")

AP, "Christie Struggles in Polls in N.J. -- Is the Nation Ready? Survey Says No, Clinton Would Win," The Record, December 12, 2014, p. A-9. (The numbers for N.J.'s governor are still in decline in N.J. and nationally. Mr. Christie may find it difficult to win reelection even in New Jersey. It appears that Mr. Christie's "balls" have been "deflated," as it were, by the Bridgegate scandal. "Christie's Bridge of Sighs.")

Lizette Alvarez, "Law Favoring Cuban Arrivals is Challenged," The New York Times, February 2, 2015, p. A1. (Lizette Alvarez is probably a front-person for Rubio and Ros-Leghtinen as well as Miami's Right-wing forces. Ms. Alvarez is a Republican. Automatic exceptions for Cubans are in trouble.)

Michael Barbaro, "Christie Returns to Good Old London; London Says, 'Who?'," The New York Times, February 2, 2015, p. A16. (Mr. Christie visits London causing another possible war with the British.)

Peter Baker & Jodi Rudoren, "A Strained Alliance: Obama-Netanyahu Rift Over Years," The New York Times, January 31, 2015, p. A1. (The tensions between Israel's Prime Minister and the U.S. President "reflects six years of suspicion and mistrust and grievance, wounds from past brawls easily reopened by what might otherwise be small irritations. It reflects resentments on the part of Mr. Obama, who watched Mr. Netanyahu seemingly root [and more] for his Republican opponent in the 2012 election and now sees him circumventing the Oval Office to work with a Republican Congress instead.") 

Kim Lueddeke, "Leonia Firehouse Assault Suit Settled: Parents of Victim Agree to $320,000," The Record, December 12, 2014, p. L-1. (A young boy was sexually molested at the Leonia firehouse leading to a settlement of $320,000.)

Peter J. Samson, "Child Porn Charges for Fort Lee Man," The Record, December 12, 2014, p. L-3. (Bob Menendez supporter and alleged financial contributor, JOSE CHAVARRIA, 53, was indicted on charges of possessing 100 computer files depicting graphic sex with minors and/or heinous sexual exploitation and abuse of children. This person is no amateur. This amount of material is not for personal use.)

Jeff Green, "Judges Rebuked by State Justices: 2 Socialized With Indicted Official," The Record, January 22, 2015, p. A-1. (Two Passaic County "jurists were criticized by the N.J. Supreme Court" -- whose justices as well as many other N.J. judges have been known to do the same and worse! -- for "socializing" with an indicted official. "Mafia Influence in New Jersey Courts and Politics" and "New Jersey Supreme Court's Implosion" then "New Jersey's Judges Disgrace America" and "New Jersey's Failed Judiciary.") 

Peter J. Sampson, "Rochelle Park Man Indicted in Lure Try," The Record, December 12, 2014, p. L-3. (Michael T. Mullins, 27, was arrested for attempting to lure a police officer he believed to be a 15-year-old child to his home for sex. "Mistake of fact" defense? Mr. Mullins is free on $30,000 bail. He claims to support Mr. Christie and the New England Patriots.)

John A. Oswald, "Reports: Silver Tried to Hold On to Power," Metro, February 2, 2015, p. 4. ("Silver tried one last back-room deal to secretly call the shots in the New York State Assembly as he fights the federal corruption charges against him." At the same time that this back-room effort was taking place, Mr. Silver was declaring, publicly, his willingness to leave office. Mr. Silver is believed to be behind some of the allegations that have surfaced recently about rivals for the Speaker's position. Regrettably, more charges are expected against the former Speaker.)

Jeff Green, "Teacher Suspended Over Alleged Sexual Contact: Clifton Instructor Charged With Act With Student," The Record, December 19, 2014, p. L-1. (Clifton's Marc-Andrew Marucci -- alleged "cousin" of Diana Lisa Riccioli -- "a high school teacher is accused of sexual contact with a 17-year-old student." Ms. Riccioli denies being a lesbian these days, allegedly, and all underworld affiliations. "Diana's Friend Goes to Prison!" and "Marilyn Straus Was Right!")

Jim Norman, "Agencies Ordered to Yield Records: Delays Thwart Law's Intent, Judge Rules," The Record, January 14, 2015, p. L-1. ("Police departments and other public agencies" -- Does this include the OAE that is still obstructing justice, lying, and covering-up the truth in my matters? -- "are OBLIGATED to promptly turn over documents requested under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act without resorting to unjustified delay or tactics aimed at thwarting the intent of the law, a state Superior Court Judge has ruled." Was this ruling a lie? If not, then why are the documents and truths that I have requested for so long still denied to me, Mr. Rabner? "Have you no shame, Mr. Rabner?" then "John McGill, Esq., the OAE, and New Jersey Corruption" and "New Jersey's Office of Attorney Ethics.")

Kate Zernike & Michael Barbaro, "In Christie's Career, Fondness for Luxury Travel," The New York Times, February 3, 2015, p. A1. (On a recent trip to Israel, Mr. Christie flew in a "private plane, on which Mr. Christie had his own bedroom," that was lent "by Sheldon G. Adelson, the billionaire Casino owner and supporter of Israel. At the time [Mr. Adelson] was opposing legislation before the governor to legalize online gambling in New Jersey." I have reason to believe that Mr. Adelson is "aware" of my blog posts. Invicta? "Christie Gives a Donor $1 Million of N.J. Money.")

Somini Segupta, "Leader of War Crimes Inquiry Into '14 Gaza Conflict Resigns," The New York Times, February 3, 2015, p. A1. (Israeli pressure may oust or prevent any Chairperson of the relevant UN committee from investigating Gaza war crimes. "The Audacity of Hope" and "Israel Heightens Gaza Conflict.")

Adam Liptak, "Courts Write Decisions That Elude the Long View," The New York Times, February 3, 2015, p. A11. (A way to avoid scrutiny for decisions courts are not proud of is simply to prevent their publication: "Secrecy of courts is the enemy of freedom.")

Melissa Hayes, "Menendez Leads the Way On Iran-Sanctions Delay: Senate Democrats Giving Obama Time for Talks," The Record, January 28, 2015, p. A-1. (Mr. Menendez may be responding to instructions from Netanyahu and/or the Israeli lobby that contributes to his campaign. In any case, Senator Menendez appears to be backing down from his conflict with President Obama on Iran. Menendez has said that he does not believe the president's efforts will be successful.)  

Melissa Hayes, "Christie Planning to Meet With President of Israel," The Record, January 28, 2015, p. A-3. (Mr. Christie will meet with Israel's president to receive instructions, perhaps, on foreign policy issues.)

"A Welcome Retreat by Menendez," (Editorial) The Star-Ledger, January 28, 2015, p. 18. (Menendez "caves-in" in his confrontation with President Obama. Iran may be a part of a subtle geopolitical strategy by Mr. Obama that neither Menenedez nor Netanyahu understands -- or appreciates -- and that is related BOTH to the president's efforts on Iraq and ISIS in Syria.) 

AP, "Legislator Jailed in Sex Case Faces More Charges," The Record, January 22, 2015, p. A-11. (Delegate JOSEPH D. MORISSEY, 57, indicted on four felony charges is represented by William J. Neely, Esq. -- known as "Fighting Joe"! -- after engaging in a fist fight with an adversary in the courthouse. Mr. Morissey may be appointed to the New Jersey Legal Ethics Committee after he serves his time and moves to Trenton.)

"Access to Public Records: Timely Release of Information is the Law," (Editorial) The Record, January 15, 2015, p. A-11. (Is the New Jersey Public Records Law a lie, Mr. Rabner?)

Lin That, "5 From Passaic Admit to Role in $2.5 Million Tax Refund Scheme: Used Puerto Rico Residents' Social Security," The Record, January 15, 2015, p. L-1. (Identity theft and other scams with alleged payments to public officials that may have involved New Jersey lawyers. "N.J. Lawyers in School Lunch Scam.")

Jim Norman, "Lawyers, Others Charged With Mortgage Fraud: Allegedly Obtained Inflated Loans," The Record, January 15, 2015, p. L-3. (N.J. LAWYER and alleged Bob Menendez supporter ANDYS SOFIA GOMEZ, ESQ., 47, of Chatham, New Jersey used the names of local men and women to file mortgage applications as scams. Gilberto Garcia? "Herbert Klitzner, Esq.'s Greed and N.J. Hypocrisy.")