Noel Fransico Sucks

Jeff Sessions had dinner with the U.S. Solicitor General Noel Fransico.

So, what exactly does the U.S. Solicitor General do?

From U.S. Department of Justice, Solicitor General site, it states the following:

The task of the Office of the Solicitor General is to supervise and conduct government litigation in the United States Supreme Court. Virtually all such litigation is channeled through the Office of the Solicitor General and is actively conducted by the Office. The United States is involved in approximately two-thirds of all the cases the U.S. Supreme Court decides on the merits each year. 

The Solicitor General determines the cases in which Supreme Court review will be sought by the government and the positions the government will take before the Court. The Office's staff attorneys, Deputy Solicitors General and Assistants to the Solicitor General, participate in preparing the petitions, briefs, and other papers filed by the government in the Supreme Court. The Solicitor General conducts the oral arguments before the Supreme Court. Those cases not argued by the Solicitor General personally are assigned either to an Assistant to the Solicitor General or to another government attorney. The vast majority of government cases are argued by the Solicitor General or one of the office attorneys. 

Another responsibility of the Office is to review all cases decided adversely to the government in the lower courts to determine whether they should be appealed and, if so, what position should be taken. Moreover, the Solicitor General determines whether the government will participate as an amicus curiae, or intervene, in cases in any appellate court.

(ENTER - STAGE LEFT) Noel John Fransico in the spirit of fuchsia.

Noel John Francisco was sworn in as the 48th Solicitor General of the United States on September 19, 2017.

 Cheers, love.

Prior to joining the Justice Department, he was a partner in the Washington, DC office of Jones Day, where he was the chair of the Firm’s Government Regulation Practice.

Jones Day???

The same Jones Day that financially raped Detroit in the Chapter 9 bankruptcy, Grand Bargain, that allowed the Detroit Land Bank Authority to file as a creditor and get TARP, through the State appointed Emergency Manager, Kevyn Orr, who also hails from Jones Day???

Taken from the Jones Day site.

Kevyn Orr provides strategic crisis management advice, identifying creative approaches to novel or first impression situations with an eye toward developing cost-efficient, business oriented solutions.  

He has practiced in the areas of business restructuring, financial institution regulation, and commercial litigation for over three decades and has experience handling all aspects of complex and precedent-setting matters. Kevyn is Partner-in-Charge of the Washington, D.C. Office. 

Prior to rejoining Jones Day in 2015, Kevyn served as Emergency Manager of the City of Detroit and was charged with restructuring the city's finances and operations. During his tenure, he oversaw the largest and most complicated municipal bankruptcy proceeding in the nation's history. As a result of that proceeding, the city successfully restructured $18 billion in debt, reduced overall debt by $7 billion, developed and implemented a multiyear $1.7 billion revitalization plan for city services and operations, streamlined key city operations, helped improve public safety, put the city's art in a perpetual public trust, and avoided drastic cuts to pension and related retiree benefits. Kevyn received Turnaround Management Association's Mega Transaction of the Year Award for the City of Detroit, Michigan in October 2015. 

At Jones Day, Kevyn's experience includes advising Chrysler on all aspects of its bankruptcy, National Century Financial Enterprises in its bankruptcy and asserting its claims in the health care provider bankruptcies of PhyAmerica Corporation and DCHC/Greater Southeast Hospital, and Laidlaw Corporation in its defense of a $1 billion claim by the purchaser of its environmental cleanup division. 

Kevyn is a member of the American Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Back to Noel.

While at Jones Day, he appeared several times before the Supreme Court, including in McDonnell v. United States, which involved the meaning of “official act” under federal bribery statutes; Zubik v. Burwell, which involved the application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to regulations related to insurance coverage for contraception; and NLRB v. Noel Canning, which involved the Constitution’s recess appointment power.  

Religious Freedom Restoration Act litigation?  That is child welfare.  That is privatization.  That is asset management of human capital.  That is human trafficking stuff.  The plot thickens. 

He has also argued numerous cases in the lower federal and state courts on a wide range of constitutional, civil, and criminal matters. 

He argued the SCOTUS National Voting Rights Act case where he changed the position of the nation to just purge voter rolls if you fail to vote for more than 6 years, claiming it was ok if notices were mailed out.  He never explained the switch of position, nor did he identify his authority to make such a switch in national voting policies without Congress, or public discussion, for that matter.  This was another election manipulation "authority" case to implement privatization, or what could be deemed as another implementation phase of a soft coup.  

Noel was mean to my Sweetie!

JON HUSTED, OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE V. A. PHILIP RANDOLPH INSTITUTE SCOTUS No. 16-980 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

  

From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Francisco served in the Office of Counsel to the President as Associate Counsel to President George W. Bush, and from 2003 to 2005 he served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel. 

Noel knows where the children are buried, who did it and why.

Mr. Francisco was raised in Oswego, NY.  He received his B.A. with honors in 1991 from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. with high honors in 1996 from the University of Chicago Law School. After law school, Mr. Francisco served as a law clerk to Judge J. Michael Luttig of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit before clerking for Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the United States Supreme Court.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, is quite the $250 million international operation, or at least that is what it says in the filings, training lawyers to defend christian NGOs around the world, (yes, I intentionally made the "c" lower case), with very interesting 501c3 filings and a foundation, too! Only issue, though, is it does not seem to fund much "legal training" unless those "human rights" financial transfers do.  Just saying.  ADF is into neo-feudalism, promulgating that privatization law of owning humans as currency, more readily understood as the form of human traffickers.  They are behind the finalization of corporations being granted parental rights.  I know.  I was one of the original writers.  I can smell the RFRA.

This is the stuff ADF is into.

FBI Busts Baby Selling Ring, Then Sits Back On Its Arse While Human Trafficking Continues

#Time2AuditGod

I am doubling down on my Sneaky Jeffy* and I do not care what anyone has to say about it.

Get 'em, get 'em all.

Noel Fransico sucks.

Sessions: Federal prosecutor evaluating alleged FBI, DOJ wrongdoing, no second special counsel for now

Attorney General Jeff Sessions revealed Thursday a federal prosecutor was evaluating certain issues involving the FBI, the Clinton Foundation and Uranium One, but said he would not appoint a second special counsel at this point.

In a letter directed to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, Sessions revealed that he asked U.S. Attorney John Huber to lead the evaluation into issues raised by the committees in recent months.

“I write in response to recent letters requesting the appointment of a Special Counsel to review certain prosecutorial and investigative determinations made by the Department of Justice in 2016 and 2017. I take the concerns you raise seriously,” Sessions wrote, noting how important it was that the American people and Congress had “confidence” in the Justice Department.

“While we continue to believe the appointment of a second Special Counsel is necessary, this is a step in the right direction. We expect that U.S. Attorney Huber, given his reputation, will conduct an independent and thorough investigation. Such an investigation is critical to restoring the reputation of both the Bureau and DOJ in the eyes of the American people,” Goodlatte and Gowdy responded in a statement.

Sessions referenced a November 2017 letter sent by Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd, first reported by Fox News, directing senior federal prosecutors to evaluate “certain issues” requested by congressional Republicans, involving the sale of Uranium One and alleged unlawful dealings related to the Clinton Foundation.

John Huber

On Nov. 13, 2017, Boyd wrote: “These senior prosecutors will report directly to the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General [Rod Rosenstein], as appropriate, and will make recommendations as to whether any matters not currently under investigation should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources, or whether any matters merit the appointment of a Special Counsel.”

John Huber has a particular background in child welfare fraud and "authorities" using TARP, which makes me starry eyed.  "Hiya, Peaches!"

Sessions revealed Thursday in the letter to top Republican lawmakers in both chambers of Congress that Huber was the senior federal prosecutor leading that effort.

Sessions revealed that he asked U.S. Attorney John Huber, seen here, to look into the accusations.

“Mr. Huber is conducting his work from outside the Washington D.C. area and in cooperation with the Inspector General,” Sessions said, noting that Huber’s review would “include a full, complete, and objective evaluation of these matters in a manner that is consistent with the law and facts.”

Huber is a federal prosecutor, twice confirmed, unanimously, by the Senate as U.S. attorney for the District of Utah in 2015 and again in 2017. Huber previously served in leadership roles within the U.S. Attorney’s Office as national security section chief and executive assistant U.S. attorney.

“I receive regular updates from Mr. Huber and upon the conclusion of his review, will receive his recommendations as to whether any matters not currently under investigation should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources, or whether any matters merit the appointment of a Special Counsel,” Sessions said.

Huber ultimately would be the prosecutor to decide whether issues raised by Republicans in Congress warrant the appointment of a second special counsel, Sessions said.

The attorney general cited U.S. Code, noting that the appointment of a special counsel was "reserved for use in only the most 'extraordinary circumstances,'" and that any special counsel must be "selected from outside the United States Government."

"To justify such an appointment, the Attorney General would need to conclude that 'the public interest would be served by removing a large degree of responsibility for the matter from the Department of Justice," the letter read.

Sessions added, "The Department has successfully investigated and prosecuted many high-profile resource-intensive matters since the regulations were promulgated in 1999, but the regulations' standard has been found to be satisfied on only two occasions," and said it was "more common" to appoint "accountable prosecutors" to conduct investigations within the department.

On March 6, Gowdy, R-S.C., and Goodlatte, R-Va., penned a joint letter to Sessions demanding the appointment of a special counsel to investigate "conflicts of interest" and decisions "made and not made" by current and former Justice Department officials in 2016 and 2017, noting that "the public interest requires" the action.

The letter cited potential Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuses, which  Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz announced Wednesday would be investigated by his team. 

“The Office of Inspector General will initiate a review that will examine the Justice Department’s and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s compliance with legal requirements, and with applicable DOJ and FBI policies and procedures, in applications filed with the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) relating to a certain U.S. person,” the Horowitz statement obtained by Fox News read.

“As part of this examination, the OIG also will review information that was known to the DOJ and the FBI at the time the applications were filed from or about an alleged FBI confidential source.”

Sessions told lawmakers in his Thursday letter that he understood the Justice Department was "not above criticism," and noted that if anyone "falls short" of the "highest level of integrity, ethics and professionalism," he would act.

"I will fulfill my responsibility to take necessary action to protect the integrity of our work," Sessions wrote, thanking the lawmakers for their "leadership" on the matters, and stating that he would  make their letters available to both Huber and Horowitz.

*I call Sessions "Sneaky Jeffy" because I busted him grinning when he should not have been grinning in a public hearing and I am pretty darn sure I know why he was grinning because I was grinning, too!

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

JUDICIARY: Jolly Jerry Gave Don McGahn,"Legal Genius", A Second Chance

Alright, I need someone to work with me, here.

How is it that Trump instructed McGahn to "fire" Mueller when it was Rosenstein who, not only hired the Special Counsel, but was the sole authority to fire the Special Counsel?

I am not finished.

If Rosenstein was the only one with the authority to fire the Special Counsel, Mueller, then how come Trump and Rosenstein were hanging out having fun on Air Force One?

How come Trump put out pressers on how great the relationship was with Rosenstein, with public statements on he was satisfied with the Mueller investigation, long before anything was made public.

So, now, McGahn is in a tough place.

Does he hold to the direction of the president or the subpoena of congress, because we all know he is going to lie.

Don, you are a "Legal Genius" (trademark pending).

I would embed backlinks but if you are not savvy enough to do a term search in my database I have constructed over the last 10 years, or google my name, then you should just keep on parroting the talking points spoon fed to you.

NEW: Chairman @RepJerryNadler response letter to former White House counsel Don McGahn. https://t.co/rw977z0qNw pic.twitter.com/HCL29eahHM

— House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) May 21, 2019

FUN FACT! DON MCGAHN USED TO WORK WITH JONES DAY, THE SAME LAW FIRM OVER THE DETROIT BANKRUPTCY AND WAS OVER THE FEC WHERE HE IGNORED COMPLAINTS ON MONEY LAUNDERING THROUGH POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS

ANOTHER FUN FACT! LOTS OF TRUMP'S CANDIDATE COMMITTEES WERE FOREIGN CORPORATIONS

From his Jones Day profile page:

Don McGahn represents clients before government agencies, in enforcement matters, and in court disputes arising from government regulation or action. He handles litigation, crisis management, regulatory compliance, and political issues. Prior to rejoining Jones Day in 2019, Don served as Counsel to the President of the United States, advising Donald J. Trump on all legal issues concerning the President and his administration, including constitutional and statutory authority, executive orders, international agreements, tariffs, trade, administrative law, and national security.  

Don also managed the judicial selection process for the President. During Don's tenure, a historic number of judges were appointed to the federal bench, including two Supreme Court justices. In addition, he spearheaded President Trump's deregulation efforts, which resulted in deregulation at record rates. Following Don's departure from the White House, the President appointed him to the Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States, a nonpartisan, independent agency dedicated to promoting improvement to administrative agency processes. Don's accomplishments have been recognized at the highest levels of government. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated that Don concluded his tenure "not only as the best White House Counsel I've seen on the job, but more broadly, as one of the most successful and consequential aides to any President in recent memory." Don was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2008, and confirmed in the Senate by unanimous consent, to serve as a member of the Federal Election Commission. He also served as outside Counsel to the Committee on House Administration during the 113th and 114th Congresses and as general counsel to the National Republican Congressional Committee. 

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Brenda Jones v. Rashida Tlaib - #MeToo Takes A Dark Turn In Detroit

Yes, Nancy Pelosi and her rogue ass crew are prepared to throw Rashida Tlaib under the bus.

Yes, they planned it which is probably why Brenda Jones won the 2018 Special Election and Rashida won the 2018 General Election for the Michigan 13th Congressional District.

Cocktails & Popcorn: Nancy Pelosi Is Prepared To Throw The #MeToo Girls Under The Bus - In Detroit

Ian Conyers wanted to run in the 2020 election, but that is not going to happen because he was mean to my Sweetie.

Brenda Jones, Mayor Pro Tem of Detroit City Council, sits on the Election Commission, who certifies elections.

Brenda refused to resign from City Council when she ran as a congressional candidate, but had no problem certifying her own election, when that election was riddled with incompetence in administration, fraud, and your basic espionage, making her illegitimately elected for that 8 day period in D.C.

Then, in the same breath of that same 2018 election, Brenda certified the election for Rashida, who is also unduly elected.

This means the entire Michigan 2018 election is nullified, if only there was due process.

This also means the 2016 election is nullified because she certified that jacked up election, too, and never once allowed all the complaints due process.

As Detroit carried the State of Michigan in elections, having the highest concentration of voters in the state, Governor Gretchen Whitmer is also unduly elected, but, hey, what do I know?

I know Trump continues to obstruct justice by keeping those IG Reports in his backpocket.

So the moral of the story is.... Do not be mean to my Sweetie.

#maytheheavensfall

Brenda Jones files papers suggesting she's running against Rep. Rashida Tlaib

WASHINGTON — Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones appears to be running for Congress again this year, though she hasn't made any formal announcement.

On Saturday, a political tracking website called Poltics1.com posted on Twitter that Jones, who lost a close race to U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, in 2018, had filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission indicating she is a candidate in 2020.

The paperwork was dated Wednesday.

Former state Sen. Ian Conyers, D-Detroit, who also ran against Jones and Tlaib for the Democratic nomination to Michigan's 13th Congressional District, noted Jones' apparent entry into the race on his own feed on Twitter, saying it was "great news" for the district.

I know with @VoteBrendaJones the issues faced by our ( poverty, housing, violence) community will be #1 - This is great news for the 13th District https://t.co/DkupAaVjve

— Ian Conyers (@ianconyers) March 21, 2020

MI CD-13. Detroit City Council Pres Brenda Jones (D), who narrowly lost 2018 primary to now-freshman Cong Rashida Tlaib (D), has filed amended FEC paperwork indicating she is planning 2020 rematch primary run vs Tlaib.

https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/651/202003189203868651/202003189203868651.pdf

Jones' own campaign website and Twitter feed were silent on her possible aspirations, however.

Two years ago, Jones lost in the Democratic primary in the predominantly Democratic district to Tlaib, a former state representative and civil rights lawyer, by 900 votes — about 1% of the total — to be the nominee for the full two-year term in Congress beginning January 2019.

That race, however, included a crowded field of six candidates that split the vote, causing some analysts to believe that if the field had been more narrow, Jones' chances would have been better.

That expectation was supported by the fact that in a somewhat smaller four-person field in the race to succeed former U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, for a two-month partial term, Jones beat Tlaib by about 2%, or 1,648 votes, and ended up serving briefly in Congress herself at the end of 2018.

Jones has been a member of City Council since 2005 and entered the nomination fight in 2018 as a potential front-runner, having the backing of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and establishment Democrats. But Tlaib put together an aggressive campaign, raising more money than Jones.

Tlaib may be an even more formidable candidate now, having thrust herself into the national spotlight with early calls for President Donald Trump's impeachment and becoming a campaign surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in his run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

If Jones is running, she will have until 4 p.m. April 21 to file at least 1,000 valid signatures from the district in support of her candidacy. While it is not normally difficult to get that number of signatures, efforts to collect them this year could potentially be made more challenging by the spread of coronavirus.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Brenda Jones Is Going To Meet Paul Ryan In D.C. - Congress Forgot To Pass The Special Election Resolution

On this exciting episode of Cocktails & Popcorn, Nancy Pelosi has been nominated Speaker of the House for the 116th Congress with Hakeem Jeffries as the Congressional Caucus Chair.

Pelosi Wins Democratic Caucus Nomination for Speaker

Hakeem Jeffries Wins Democratic Caucus Chair Race Against Barbara Lee

Now, what exactly does that mean for Detroit?

Let us begin with the City of Detroit Election Commission.

Detroit Election Commission

The Detroit Election Commission consists of the City Clerk, Janice Winfrey, Corporate Counsel, Larry Garcia, and the Mayor Pro Tem, Brenda Jones, who just so happened to be a Democratic Candidate for the 13th Congressional District Special Election.

Brenda won but the Primary Election was so jacked.

Really jacked.

I mean jacked beyond belief.

The Primary Election was so jacked the Wayne County Board of Canvassers had to pass it off the State Board of Canvassers who has yet, as of this posting, to certify and record the Primary Election of 2018.

The following is a complaint by a 2018 Primary Election worker, Yvonne Cross, to Janice Winfrey on the fraud that took place on her watch.

Detroit Election Commission... by on Scribd

Janice told Yvonne that she was to come testify in front of the Detroit Election Commission, but the day of the hearing, she told Yvonne that it was cancelled and that her complaint would be sent to the State Board of Canvassers where she would testify in Lansing.

But that never happened.

So, I am posting Yvonne's complaint so the public can learn what went on in her precincts, oh, and also to let the public know that the Detroit Election Commission threw her complaint in the trash.

Now, you understand why the Primary Election, including the Special Election, could never, ever be certified, but it was.

Wayne County Board of Canvassers

Jonathon Kinloch presides as chair of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers.

MINUTES OF MEETING WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF CANVASSERS 2018 Primary Election Certification 8-21-2018 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Wayne County Clerk has no record
of my vote for the 2018 Primary
and Special Elections.

The vote was never certified because it never addressed any of the Primary Election, including the Special Election complaints, or irregularities, as witnessed above.

As a matter of fact, I can prove my vote and the majority of the vote of my Precinct were not counted.

Kinloch certified the 2018 Primary Election but not the Special Election because there is no report and it was deferred to the Michigan Secretary of State Board of Canvassers.

Michigan Secretary of State Board of Canvassers

These are the members of the State Board of Canvassers:

Chair: Norman D. Shinkle - Republican
Vice-Chair: Julie Matuzak - Democrat
Jeannette Bradshaw - Democrat
Colleen Pero - Republican


Jeannette Bradshaw was not in attendance for the certification of the 2018 Primary & Special Elections.

Her absence was wise because the certification and recording of the vote becomes partisan, and that is never a good thing, particularly when dealing with such a historic and litigious action.

The 2018 Special Election was never certified nor recorded, because the Wayne County and Michigan Board of Canvassers never certified nor recorded the vote for the 13th Congressional District.

So, if the 13th Congressional District Special Election was never certified, nor recorded, that would mean that the rest of the Primary Elections could not be certified.

Michigan Board of Canvassers Certification of Wayne County 2018 Special Election Minutes 08-24-18 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

So, this takes us to the next lever for certification of the vote.

The U.S. Speaker of the House

Paul Ryan, U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives115th Congress

Paul Ryan is the U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 115th Congress.

How can Paul Ryan

Paul Ryan was mean to my Sweetie.

Nancy Pelosi was mean to my Sweetie.

Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi are going to be mean to my Sweetie, again.

How Congress can pass a special resolution enter the recording of the certification of the 2018 Special Election if it was never certified?

http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.aspx

NOTE TO SELF: PULL H.R. 1161 ONCE THE INK DRIES FROM THE HOPPER

How is Paul going to swear in Brenda if there is not even a vote count for the 2018 Special Election?

How is Nancy going to swear in Rashida Tlaib in the 116th Congress when the 2018 elections were so jacked up?

It does not matter because Hakeem Jeffries now possesses the powers to initiate expulsion.

But hey, what do I know

I know that you need to get popcorn.

We are dealing with "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) so you are definitely going to need cocktails for this one, too.

Jones to be sworn into Congress after deal reached

Washington — Democrat Brenda Jones is expected to become Michigan's newest congresswoman when she takes the oath of office Thursday after U.S. House leaders reached a deal on seating her. 

It is the first time Michigan's 13th District will have representation in the U.S. House in nearly a year, since the resignation of former Rep. John Conyers Jr. last December.

Jones, 59, of Detroit will only serve a matter of weeks until January after winning a special election this month to finish out Conyers' term. She lost her bid to replace Conyers next year to former state Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit.

House Speaker Paul Ryan had delayed seating Jones in part because she has not stepped down from her position as president of Detroit City Council, and there's no precedent for an individual to serve in the U.S. House while holding locally elected office.

“The House had a precedent dating from 1909 that made clear that service as both a member of Congress and a state or local official were not compatible. However, Ms. Jones was duly elected by the constituents of the 13th District of Michigan," Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said Thursday.

"Ms. Jones has written the speaker and indicated that she will abide by guidance from the Ethics Committee to minimize the conflict between her service as a member and her duties on the Detroit City Council during the short time she’s here. The House will carve out a narrow exception to the 1909 precedent."

Prior to the administration of the oath around noon Thursday, the House is expected to adopt a resolution authorizing Ryan as speaker to swear in Jones, effectively creating an exception to the earlier precedent.

Under the deal between Ryan and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Jones may accept no pay from Detroit's council and participate in no council votes while serving in Congress — conditions advised by counsel to the House Ethics Committee and which Jones previously attested to.

Ryan's office had previously warned that any House member could have objected to Jones holding two offices, at which point the matter would have been referred to the House Committee on Administration. 

While the Constitution doesn't prohibit members from simultaneously holding state or local office, the House has historically taken the position that "high state office is incompatible with congressional membership," as stated in the House Ethics Manual.

But Jones this week released a copy of the unofficial opinion provided by counsel for the House Ethics Committee that said her position with Detroit City Council "does not appear to be incompatible" with her potential position in the U.S. House.

The Ethics Committee counsel said Jones' dual office-holding is only compatible given the "very limited time" Jones would be representing Michigan; given that she does not accept compensation from the council (including back pay); and given the council remains in recess during her term in Congress.

The opinion gave the example of a mayorship that overlapped three days with a House position and was not considered an incompatible office by the Ethics Committee when the House member did not accept pay for the mayoral position and recused from all work on behalf of the city for that time. 

The House precedent from 1909 that Strong referred to relates to GOP Rep. George L. Lilley, who was sworn in as governor of Connecticut without resigning his House seat.

In Lilley's case, the Judiciary Committee determined that serving as governor and congressman to be incompatible and recommended vacating the office and removing Lilley's name from the clerk's rolls. The House later agreed to a resolution to that effect. 

Jones' brief stint in the House will likely be among the shortest in history but won't set a record.  

That distinction belongs to George Sheridan and Effingham Lawrence of Louisiana, who both served for one day only on March 3, 1875 — the final day of the 43rd Congress.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Whatever Shall Paul Ryan & His Rogue Ass Crew Do With Brenda Jones?

"Oh boy, oh boy!
I am sooooo excited."

Oh, this is going to be mesmerizingly glorious...

Whatever shall Paul Ryan and his rogue ass crew ever do?

Ethics committee: Brenda Jones can keep Detroit job while in Congress

WASHINGTON – It looks as though Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones may be able to keep that job while serving — briefly — in Congress, though there has been no final decision.

Jones on Tuesday shared with the Free Press informal guidance she received from the U.S. House Ethics Committee staff, which said her position in Congress "does not appear incompatible" with her job on City Council.

There were a couple of caveats, however.

First, the guidance is based on Jones — who this month was elected to serve out the short remainder of former U.S. Rep. John Conyers' term — not receiving a salary from the city while she is a member of Congress.

And second, it takes into account the fact that Jones and Detroit's corporation counsel "anticipate the Detroit City Council will be in recess during the entire time you would serve in the House.

More: Jones' decision to fill Conyers' seat could hinge on ethics panel ruling

More: How Detroit's Rashida Tlaib will make history in Washington

It's also far from clear exactly how Jones' seating in Congress will turn out with a final decision likely to come down to the House speaker, a couple of committees, the parliamentarian and a possible vote by the entire House of Representatives.

The document, which was written by Sarah Myers-Mutschall, the ethics committee's counsel, noted, that neither state nor federal law appear to prohibit a member of Detroit's city council from serving in Congress under those circumstances but that "even a small change in facts may give rise to an incompatibility."

While it wasn't clear exactly when the guidance was written, it became more significant this week as the state Board of Canvassers met Monday to certify her election to the partial term, which ends Jan. 3.

Jones is expected to be sworn in just as soon as that certification is transferred to the House leadership and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. On Monday, AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Ryan, said once the certification is received, the whole House will vote on whether to seat her, though "any member can object to the member-elect holding two offices and it can be referred to the House Committee on Administration, which has jurisdiction over such matters."

If that were to happen, however, it's likely that the Ethics Committee guidance would be taken into account.

The strange circumstances of Jones' election to Congress came about after Conyers, caught up in allegations he mistreated women on his staff, resigned last December and Gov. Rick Snyder decided to have a successor be picked on Nov. 6 — the day of the regular general election — for the next two-year term.

While former state Rep. Rashida Tlaib won the election to the new term in a six-person field that included Jones, Jones won the partial term in a somewhat smaller four-person field. That led to the question of whether Jones would want to give up her council seat for such a short-term position. 

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: FBI & IRS Raid UAW President Gary Jones' Residence & Domicile

"Ready for another round?" said FBI
to IRS and vested interested friends.

On this exciting episode of Cocktails & Popcorn, UAW President Gary Jones got his domicile raided by the FBI & IRS.

Domicile, a selected legal term I have been doing a comparative legal analysis with residence, for the purposes of breaking it down, for everyone to understand how these people have perfected the art of stealin' through privatization, more intuitively known as ecclesiastic law.

Whenever I see a Conjugal Collaboration of this boldness, it just reinforces my faith in the protectors of the best interests of children's trust for the perpetuity of the public good, not some fake ass foreign child welfare NGO money laundering operation to do nasty stuff to children.

Much love, my Dearies, for the annals of history are being written before our very eyes.

How about some livestreaming?

FBI raids UAW president's home in ongoing investigation

FBI and IRS agents raided the home of UAW President Gary Jones in Canton at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. Agents also raided the union’s northern Michigan conference center and other UAW locations across the country.

Gary Jones, UAW President

The raids were a major step as federal officials ramped up their corruption investigation of the autoworkers union, which is in the midst of contract negotiations with Detroit automakers.

As many as a dozen agents collected evidence from Jones' home on Wildrose Drive in Canton, and they'll remain there "as long as it takes," Special Agent Mara Schneider said from the site at midday.

She declined to confirm whether Jones was home when agents arrived or during the raid. The agents conducted what is called a "knock and announce" protocol.

The raids are linked to an ongoing scandal that's been centered on misspent money intended for use by the union's joint training center with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, but has expanded in recent weeks to include vendor contracts and to touch officials tied to the union's General Motors training center.

Multiple vehicles are seen parked near UAW president Gary Jones'
house in Canton on Wednesday, August 28, 2019. FBI and IRS agents
raided the home beginning around 7:30 a.m.

The scheme redirected millions of dollars meant for worker training to goodies for former union and company officials. Nine people have been charged in the scandal so far.

Besides Jones' home, agents were at the union's Black Lake Conference Center, a 1,000-acre resort in northern Lower Michigan that includes a golf course, where the UAW is building an opulent cottage for Dennis Williams, its most recent former president.

The center near Onaway, subsidized by interest from the union's strike fund, has bled tens of millions of dollars over the years.

UAW statement
Detroit automakers, whose contract with the UAW expires Sept. 14, declined to comment on the raids. On the broader corruption investigation, GM has said it is cooperating with the investigation. FCA has said it is "a victim of illegal conduct by certain rogue individuals."

The UAW issued a statement Wednesday saying that the union and Jones "have always fully cooperated with the government investigators in this matter. As the leader of the UAW, President Jones is determined to uncover and address any and all wrongdoing, wherever it might lead. There was absolutely no need for search warrants to be used by the government today — the UAW has voluntarily responded to every request the government has made throughout the course of its investigation, produced literally hundreds of thousands of documents and other materials to the government, and most importantly, when wrongdoing has been discovered, we have taken strong action to address it. The UAW will continue to cooperate with the government in its investigation, as we have been doing throughout.

"Trust in UAW leadership is never more important than during the bargaining process, when profit-laden auto companies stand to benefit from media leaks, false assumptions, and political grandstanding," the statement continued. "The sole focus of President Jones and his team will be winning at the bargaining table for our members."

A UAW national leader who asked to not be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly said the raid on Jones’ house could have a negative impact on talks. Some rank-and-file members already have expressed a lack of trust in union leadership in light of the scandal, he said.

This is likely to create more distrust among those members, the person said.

But, he added that an expected strike authorization vote will indicate that the membership trusts negotiators to green-light a strike if necessary. The results of that vote are expected Thursday or Friday, but it is usually procedural in nature and typically members authorize it.

Plant workers were surprised and dismayed by the news.

UAW member Sean Crawford, who works at GM’s Flint Assembly plant, said the news will have a “really negative impact” on bargaining.

“Call me cynical but I feel the Trump administration willfully timed this to coincide with our negotiations so that the union would lose faith in the leadership,” said Crawford. “We’re getting ready to go into one of the biggest negotiations of our lifetime and we’re possibly going to lose faith in our union.”

Crawford said the union leadership is to blame and should take responsibility for its actions in the corruption scandal.

“All these people should step down and allow a democratic electoral process to take place, an election of leadership that is run by the members,” said Crawford. “The union has to be blamed for this too and it’s disgusting. It makes us all look bad.”

Crawford said the corruption happened because there is no accountability to the membership. The way the international executive board that runs the UAW is elected now is by delegates who represent locals at the UAW convention.

Said a longtime Ford factory worker: “I believe in the UAW. I also believe if there was any corruption, whoever was involved, belongs in jail. If Gary Jones was involved with it, he belongs behind bars. I’m really torn with this. I’m a strong union member. The whole corruption thing, it’s dirty man. How do you preach to new members the UAW cares about you? It doesn’t help the cause.”

Obtaining a search warrant
Using a search warrant rather than getting a subpoena required prosecutors to go to a judge to show probable cause that a crime has taken place and that there is evidence of the crime at the location to be searched, explained Peter Henning, a former federal prosecutor who teaches law at Wayne State University.

"Those UAW bags surely do
come in handy when standing
in the line for rotten food
from Forgotten Harvest."

“It’s a way for prosecutors to ensure they get the materials they want. A search warrant is an escalation of the investigation. It indicates prosecutors are concerned there is evidence out there that they want to get,” he said.

“I would expect they may be looking at electronic documents," Henning added. "You have to have a warrant to search a phone or a computer. If the warrant authorizes electronics, they can seize a computer and create a mirror image of the computer hard drive. They can seize phones. And people put things in text messages that maybe they shouldn’t. They’ll get emails … They are doing a pretty broad sweep.”

The raids Wednesday came on the same day as an arraignment in federal court for Michael Grimes, a former UAW administrative assistant who retired last year from the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources. Grimes was charged earlier this month a federal criminal information alleging he conspired with unnamed union officials to accept hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks. The schemes were connected to contracts for watches, backpacks and jackets worth millions of dollars.

The filing against Grimes cited unnamed union officials as being linked to the corruption. The Detroit News has reported that those officials are Joe Ashton, a former UAW vice president who resigned from the GM board in 2017 as questions swirled about the federal investigation into training center corruption, and his former aide Jeff Pietrzyk.

Grimes was charged just over a week after former UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell was sentenced to 15 months for his role in the scheme.

Jewell's plea agreement noted that a "culture of corruption" predated his start in the UAW FCA department in June 2014, led by former FCA Vice President Alphons Iacobelli and Jewell's predecessor, the late General Holiefield.

Among others who have pleaded guilty in the case are Monica Morgan, who is Hollifield's widow; Jerome Durden, a financial analyst at FCA who allegedly helped conceal the fraud by cooking the books; Nancy Johnson, the one-time senior official in the UAW Chrysler Department, who spent thousands of dollars meant for autoworker training on personal items; and Virdell King, 65, of Detroit, who was accused of — among other things — buying designer shoes, clothing, jewelry and luggage using credit cards that were issued through the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center.

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Michigan LARA & Its Secret Societies - Arbeiter Bunds & Detroit Fire Fighters Association

Ah, the joy of the backpack.

Backpacks are always the quickest money hustle cover up one can conjure in the flash of cash.

Yes, there is a network and it runs deep.

These children's fun fests are just that, a few moments of fun to feel all warm and fuzzy for helping a child go to school with some cheap ass backpack, filled with dollar store crayons and pencils, leftover from some other campaign of something or another.

No one cares about the children because if they actually did, we would not be questioning this amazing city leader of the Detroit Fire Department about stealin'.

I really do not know how this investigation is going to unfold, considering the fact that when people are stealin' and not even reporting the stealin' in some fake ass 990, or such signed IRS documents under penalty of law, that they were stealin' like the Detroit Land Bank Authority, but I bet it shall be fun!

I wonder if this is related to the Detroit Fire and Police Pension Fund?

She probably had no clue of what was going on because they give her some shiny trinket and set her up as the chosen spokestoken to get thrown under the bus so they can keep stealin'.

[End of dream sequence flashback with strumming harps].

Former Detroit Woman Firefighter of Year being investigated for stealing money

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Verdine Day was named the Detroit Woman Firefighter of the Year at the Detroit Public Safety Foundation's Women in Blue luncheon last spring. Now Day is accused of misusing union assets while she was the treasurer of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association.

The information was released in an internal bulletin on Wednesday. FOX 2 obtained a copy of the notice on Wednesday night.

Investigation begins into former Detroit Woman Firefighter of the Year
Verdine Day was named the Detroit Woman Firefighter of the Year at the Detroit Public Safety Foundation Women in Blue luncheon last spring

Meanwhile, Day spoke about becoming the first black female firefighter 33 years ago when she was honored in April.

"I took this job as a challenge because I did not know at the time there were women on the job, so I wanted to make a difference," she said at the time.

The Detroit Fire Fighters Association says it doesn't know how much money was misused or exactly when it occurred. The bulletin goes on to say a forensic audit of all the union's books and records is underway.

Day recently retired from the Detroit Fire Department. But prior to her retirement, she talked to FOX 2 on a number of occasions, whether it was at a back-to-school event or in response to then-Attorney General Bill Schuette saying firefighters were breaking the law while standing in the street collecting donations for charity. Day was always forthcoming with the media.

The union president declined to talk to FOX 2 about this, stating that it was an internal investigation that he can't comment to the media about.

FOX 2 also contacted Verdine Day, but she has not yet responded.

ID Number: 800865387    
Summary for:  DETROIT FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, LOCAL NO. 344, I.A.F.F.           
The name of the DOMESTIC NONPROFIT CORPORATION:   DETROIT FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, LOCAL NO. 344, I.A.F.F.
     
Entity type:   DOMESTIC NONPROFIT CORPORATION
Identification Number: 800865387 Old ID Number: 783008
 
Date of Incorporation in Michigan:   06/10/1935

Purpose:

Term: Perpetual
 
Most Recent Annual Report: 2019 Most Recent Annual Report with Officers & Directors:   2018
         
The name and address of the Resident Agent:
Resident Agent Name: MICHAEL NEVIN
Street Address: 333 WEST FORT STE 1420
Apt/Suite/Other:
City: DETROIT State: MI Zip Code: 48226
Registered Office Mailing address:
P.O. Box or Street Address:
Apt/Suite/Other:
City: State: Zip Code:
 

The Officers and Directors of the Corporation:
Title Name Address
PRESIDENT MICHAEL NEVIN 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
TREASURER VERDINE DAY 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
SECRETARY THOMAS GEHART 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
DIRECTOR WILLIAM HARP 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER SMITH 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
DIRECTOR DARNELL MCLAURIN 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
DIRECTOR JOHN CANGIALOSI 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
DIRECTOR ANTHONY MCCLOUD 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
DIRECTOR RONALD JONES 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
DIRECTOR ERIK CARRIGTON 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
DIRECTOR LLOYD WATLEY 333 WEST FORT STE 1420 DETROIT, MI 48226 USA
   
Act Formed Under:   145-1885 Societies to Promote Interests of Trade and Labor

Of all the options, I picked this one!

Arbeiter Unterstützungs Verein

Arbeiter Bunds ............................................................................................. Act 42 of 1887

ARBEITER BUNDS (EXCERPT) Act 42 of 1887

454.101 Arbeiter bunds; incorporators.Sec. 1.   That any number, not less than 15, of workingmen's aid societies, otherwise called Arbeiter Unterstuetzungs Vereine, which have been duly incorporated under the laws of Michigan, may unite or form a union or bund, and become incorporated under the provisions of this act.

History: 1887, Act 42, Imd. Eff. Mar. 21, 1887 ;-- How. 3934j ;-- CL 1897, 7441 ;-- CL 1915, 9813 ;-- CL 1929, 10284 ;-- CL 1948, 454.101

The Arbeiter Unterstützungs Verein of Saginaw City was a working man's association and social club that assisted members with sick and death benefits. It was organized on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1871. On December 13, 1875 a hall was constructed on the corner of Adams and Oakley Streets. A woman's auxiliary was organized on July 28, 1898. In 1908 the society had 1,047 members, being the largest of any Arbeiter society in Michigan.

Well, the only thing I see is that LARA allowed the organization to improperly operate because it was incorporated under the wrong Act.

I really do not know what the problem is.

[Dream sequence with strumming harps for the visual transition]

I seem to recall a place called the Michigan Court of Claims where the former Michigan Attorney General, Bill *Smooches* Schuette had his minion Assistant Attorney General orally enter into the record that I was a public nuisance.....

[Shivering with a bout of Post Traumatic Fraud Disorder]

Anyway, *Smooches* filed some crap to dissolve my business, where my counterclaim just up and went poof! so I really do not know why there is such an uproar.

Everyone has a tiny humans trust fund.

Heck, Cox & *Smooches* allowed the Bush Haiti Relief Fund and the Detroit Land Bank Authority to continue to operate long after my business was dissolved, oh, and website taken down just because, where no one contacted me so I could even ask why.

I forgot to archive.

It was a really cool site because I actually had a structured administration you could run and access from your phone and would mesh with everything, but I digress because we are dealing with the Iron Curtain in Child Welfare, or rather, the Residuals of the Peculiar Institution.

Michigan LARA Secret Organizations & Societies by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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'King of Funk' George Clinton Detroit WXYZ Interview Quashed

This Detroit WXYZ Channel 7 Action News story, at the request of the defense attorneys of the Tilmon case, has been quashed by the parent company of ABC, Scribbs Broadcasting.

The issue here is not the pendency of litigation but the obligation of the U.S. Copyright Office.

In short, the U.S. Copyright Office is outdated and devoid of any enforcement authority outside administrative remedy of is Royalty Board.  The beginning of 2013, a provision of the U.S. Copyright Law tolled, specifically the "work-for-hire" provision which allows musical professionals to reclaim their copyrights.

During what I call the "financially, hermetically sealed period" (FHSP: when the U.S. Copyright Act was made into law until 2013), the only entities who were capable of generating profit off the works of these entertainment professionals were the record publishing companies.

Before the FHSP then, an entertainment professional may have been "paid" a few hundred dollars to go into the studio to record.  It was mutually understood that royalties would be paid in partnership with the recording companies, like a 50/50 agreement.

Somewhere down the line, the record companies transferred filings of ownership of copyrights to their names without authorization or notification of the entertainers.  Unfortunately, the U.S. Copyright Office would approve the transfer claim without notifying the original owner of the copyright and without verifying the authenticity of the signature.  In certain cases, the U.S. Copyright Office approved posthumous signatures to authorize transfer of copyrights, some 10 years after the musician had died.

So the question is: "Why will not the U.S. Copyright Office do anything about it?"

Actually, it is.  It has started to scan and upload some, and I mean some, of the original copyright filings pre-FHSP but that is about it due to constraints.

These constraints are quite simple.  First is enforcement.  The Copyright Office, unlike the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office located in the executive branch has no enforcement mechanism.  What this means is the Copyright Office is the Library of Congress, literally.  Copyrights are suppose to be used to obviate policy, or rather, help elected officials research solutions for future problems.  Since there are questionable filings of copyrights, this means there are more than likely questionable laws and policies.

Basically, there are no copyright police.  A musician who has been "royalty stripped" (revoked the grant of copyright when the U.S. Copyright Office was duped with fraudulent transfer of ownership filings) is economically stripped of his/her tools to secure financial stability.  This is what happened to many of the old school Detroit musicians.

Quintessentially, a broke man cannot afford an attorney, let alone pay bills.

The second constraint is public education.  Intellectual property is defined by the fact that it possesses a federal marking.  To obtain a federal marking, an individual, including corporations, pays a fee to be granted the constitutional protection to engage in commerce.   The purpose of securing federal approval of the intellectual property is to be able to do business, make a profit and pay taxes.  Those taxes are in turn used to fund the Copyright and Patent and Trademark Offices to process and protect filings of intellectual property.  The federal "stamp of approval" to do business with the tools that individual has created comes in the form of © or ™ or SM (superscript) or ® or the Patent symbol (P in a circle) or Patent Pending.

If the product does not possess the federal marking, then it is not intellectual property.

Think of a copyright as the grant for custody of your baby.  Someone goes to the court and is granted custody of your child based upon false filings.  Your child has been Legally Kidnapped.  What would you do?

How would you feel if you paid someone to protect you and you ended up getting sold down the river.

'King of Funk' George Clinton and others accuse local businessman of music royalty rip-offs

George Clinton

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) - Have you ever created something valuable, and when you went to collect, a good friend took all the money that was owed you? That is what lots of people are saying happened to them and millions of dollars are at stake.

7 Action News Investigator Bill Proctor exposes a Southfield music producer who is accused of taking royalties from local artists and their families.

The man at the center of this controversy is Southfield businessman Armen Boladian, who owns Bridgeport Music. Is he the king of a royalty rip-off? Some local musicians and their relatives say yes.

Oakland County grandmother Janyce Tilmon-Jones says that she should be worth millions thanks to her late husband, Abrim Tilmon. He was a singer and producer of popular music in the 70’s. But Tilmon-Jones and her children say the money that should have supported a better life for their family ended up in the pockets of a man they thought was a good friend.

Tilmon-Jones’ story is an inside look at what many consider to be the ugly, unknown side of the music business. She has gone to federal court to show how Boladian allegedly has been secretive and unfair with people who trusted him.

For years Boladian’s music publishing business Bridgeport Music has been operating from a nondescript office building on 10 Mile Road in Southfield—and it has been raking in millions of dollars. Boladian, who is now 78-years-old and lives in West Bloomfield, is the sole owner Bridgeport Music.

But Tilmon-Jones and others say that Boladian’s companies, including Bridgeport Music, have been raking in music royalties they say belong to them. In court, Tilmon-Jones has won legal settlements, but lost a battle for more damages. But she is still fighting and says her fight is worth waging for her family, and many others.

“Feel the Need in Me” by the Detroit Emeralds was written by Tilmon-Jones’s late husband, singer Abrim Tilmon. The 70’s hit was a big score in a lifetime dream of making music for a living, she says. The money from it was icing on the cake, but there was a catch.

“I trusted the record company,” says Tilmon-Jones. “I trusted the president Armen Boladian, so much so that when my late husband and I were looking for housing, he went around with us.”

Abrim Tilmon and his “Detroit Emeralds” did well back then. But another Detroit-area music producer, who also accuses Boladian of not paying him music royalties, became a legend: George Clinton, also know as “Mr. Funkadelic.”

Clinton produced songs that influenced music around the world and he also considered Boladian to be his friend, and much more.

Clinton told 7 Action News recently, “Yeah, I was partners with him…it was supposed to be fifty-fifty.”

Clinton says that was more than three decades ago, but more on Clinton in a moment.

The Tilmon family story was all about music success until Abrim died in 1982. Tilmon-Jones thought the royalties they were getting--between $20,000 and $40,000 a year -- and her rights to her husband’s songs ended with her husband’s death. But she says decades later she discovered that the publisher Bridgeport Music was keeping royalty money she says belongs to her and her children.

“I didn’t know the laws of the land, that if someone dies within the first 28 years of the copyright, even if they sold their original works, it reverts back to the heirs,” says Tilmon-Jones. “Even if they sold it, it goes back to the heirs.”

With a sad look, Tilmon-Jones adds, “I don’t mind being used, but I refuse to be misused, and this record company has misused my family, and that upsets me.”

She says that Boladian came to her husband’s funeral, but never told her about the copy right law that made her the owner of her husband’s songs and that she should have been paid for his work.

“I’m not angry, but I’m hurt,” she says. “I’m hurt for my children.”

She shows photos of her daughter’s wedding and tears up, saying, “My daughter had a wedding with 35 people in attendance cause that’s all we could afford.”

Clinton makes similar allegations and he and Tilmon-Jones have both gone to court in an on-going legal battle with Boladian over royalties and ownership. 

Tilmon-Jones sued Bridgeport Music in 2007, hoping Boladian would provide documents that would state clearly what royalties had been paid on her husband’s work. She says that Boladian resisted, providing the court with documents that did not provide a clear picture of what Bridgeport had received from BMI and other companies that track and pay royalties. 

Without access to all the records to support her case, Tilmon-Jones settled for an undisclosed sum. She went back to court four years later with newly discovered inside information in 2011. At the time, she was hoping the judge would hear what she felt Boladian had withheld from the previous settlement. But US District Court Judge John Corbett O’Meara denied her request and sanctioned her attorney. 

Tilmon-Jones still believes, however, that the law and new evidence are on her side. Her claims against Boladian are duplicated by hundreds of other people who also believe royalty money was not turned over by Boladian. 

7 Action News caught up with Boladian at a gospel music story in Detroit, where he was showing a clerk how to display new releases.

“I have a list of 200 people who seem to think that you’ve held on to royalty money that actually belongs to them,” Bill Proctor asks Boladian.

”Not true,” Boladian says. “200 people?”

“At least 200,” Proctor continues.

An attorney, who works in the music industry, provided 7 Action News with a list of more than 200 names of artists, or their surviving relatives, who say that in just  2007 alone Boladian should have paid them more than $4.7 million in royalties. Clinton is on that list. 

“Have you ever been able to settle with the people who say you owe them money?” Proctor asks Boladian.

“Well, we’ve settled on some things,” he answers. “But we pay our royalties regularly to those who have money coming.”

That statement is at the heart of the issue: Who really knows for certain what Boladian may owe. There are decades of financial records that he has refused to reveal to the people who have asked for royalty reports and other documents. They feel they have the right to know.

When Kid Rock took the half-time stage at Ford Field last Thanksgiving Day, Clinton was there with him wearing a shirt that read “Flashlight 2013.” That is the symbol of Clinton’s decades-long battle with Boladian.

Long after their first release, many of Clinton's songs took on a new life decades later in the hip-hop music world. Rappers took beats or “samples” of Clinton’s songs and made new recordings.

“My songs made babies,” says Clinton. “Each one of my songs--Atomic Dog would have three- or four-hundred songs made from it alone.”

He may be right. The “Atomic Dog” line ‘bow-wow-yippie- yo- yippi-yay’ has been used in commercials, movies, and more hip-hop songs than music experts can count. Hip-hop artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop, and dozens of others used Atomic Dog for popular hip hop sounds.

Clinton believes the money from his work went to Boladian instead of Clinton, his relatives, and fellow artists who helped produce it.

“They look to me because that was my publishing company,” Clinton says. “Not only my family, my immediate family, but the band members.”

Clinton shakes his head as he continues, “I ain’t crying because I lived my life, did what I did, but it’s still mine. I still wrote what I wrote, and I’m going to fight for that.”

The ownership and copyright dispute between Clinton and Boladian still rages in federal court. Meanwhile Tilmon-Jones is also challenging the court’s decision not to reopen her case. And 7 Action News also wants to know the whole story here.

We filed suit, along with the New York Times, to unseal the case in hopes of learning more about who is owed what.

Internet gossip has it Judge O'Meara is kinda chummy with defendants.  That is why he fined the plaintiff attorney $350,000.

Bill Proctor has assured me that there will be follow up.

Tilmon-Jones v. Bridgeport Music Complaint by Terry Hart

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