No quick fix for $100 million goof (in plea agreement)

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

No quick fix for $100 million goof

By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer
15 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - It was a $100 million mistake, and a federal judge
said Friday he doesn't have the power to fix it.

The Justice Department goofed last year and cited the wrong law
in a binding plea agreement with telecommunication entrepreneur
Walter Anderson, the largest tax scofflaw in U.S. history. That
mistake made it impossible for the government to recover between
$100 million and $175 million, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman
said in March.

Prosecutors urged him to reconsider but Friedman reluctantly said
Friday that his hands were tied.

"The court is not free to read something into a contract that is
not there or to interpret uncertain language in the government's
favor," Friedman said.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070615/ap_on_go_ot/big_mistake_1

[aquart]

1. Goof, my ass.

The DOJ is run by criminals.

[acmavm]

2. Right, this was a mistake.

[Norquist Nemesis]

3. No doubt, they're pleased as punch they didn't get an Activist Judge!

Just out of curiousity, anyone from the legal field have any idea how often 'mistakes' like this happen?

[MGKrebs]

4. Friedman was appointed by Clinton,

worked on both Watergate and Iran-Contra. In private practice he specialized in "white collar criminal defense".
http://www.law.buffalo.edu/homepage/commence.asp

"Friedman feels his most significant case to date was a class action lawsuit—brought by African American farmers alleging decades of discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture—that resulted in the largest civil rights settlement in U.S. history."
http://www.buffalo.edu/UBT/UBT-archives/31_ubtw06/alumni_profiles/friedman/index.html


I can't be certain this is the guy, but he works in D.C. so he might live in Chevy Chase (gave to Obama):
http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?key=2R5ZR&txtName=friedman,%20paul&txtState=(all%20states)&txt2008=Y&txt2006=Y&txt2004=Y&Order=N

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Proving once again how incompetent the DOJ now is.