Angelita Able # prisoner 258511

[Joanne98]

Angelita Able

#258511

State: Michigan
Sentence: 20-60 years (2 consecutive sentences, 10-30 years for each sentence)
Offense: Conspiracy to Deliver Cocaine and Delivery of Cocaine, 225-649 grams
Priors: None
Date of Sentencing: 8/19/97
Date of Birth: 7/25/1973
Parole Eligibility Date: 6/1/2017
http://www.famm.org/ExploreSentencing/TheIssue/FacesofFAMM/StateCases/AngelitaAble.aspx

Nature of Offense: Monroe County authorities first became suspicious of Angelita and Reggie Alford, her boyfriend and the father of her three children, when their names surfaced during the investigation of a local drug dealer. After undercover officers purchased drugs from the dealer on several occasions, they identified Angelita and Reggie’s home address as a possible cocaine source. Unfortunately, their involvement with the drug dealer, an acquaintance of theirs, would eventually lead to the couple’s arrest.
On March 27, 1996, the suspected drug dealer called Angelita and Reggie’s residence shortly after agreeing to procure 10 ounces of cocaine for an undercover officer. Later that afternoon, officers witnessed the dealer pick Reggie up at his home and travel to Angelita’s grandmother’s house. Once Reggie left with him, officers continued surveillance and saw Angelita place a bag in the trunk of her vehicle and drive to her grandmother’s house where Reggie and the dealer were conversing in the driveway. Although officers admit that they did not witness any drugs exchange hands, they allege that the dealer bought cocaine from Reggie at this time. After he left, the dealer convened with an undercover officer and sold him 10 ounces of cocaine.
Although neither Angelita nor Reggie’s fingerprints were on the bag of cocaine undercover officers purchased from the drug dealer, they alleged it was the bag Angelita had put in her trunk. On a subsequent search of Reggie and Angelita’s home, an additional 433 grams of cocaine were discovered. Angelita and Reggie were charged with conspiracy because officers had purchased drugs from the dealer on numerous occasions prior to March 27. With no priors or record of substance abuse, Angelita received a sentence of 20 to 60 years.

Mandatory Minimum Sentence: Angelita was found guilty at trial in Judge Lavoy’s court in Monroe County. Judge Lavoy used his ability to depart from the mandatory sentence for substantial and compelling reasons and so reduced the 20-30 years sentences to 10-30 years. As a result of this departure, Angelita was not eligible to benefit from the 2003 reforms, which would have made her eligible for parole after 10 years on each count.

Sentences of Others Involved: Reggie Alford received two 15-30 year sentences, to be served consecutively and their friend received a sentence of 20-50 years.

Personal Background: Angelita was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan by her great-grandmother. She has no knowledge of her father, but maintained a close relationship with her mother who lived nearby. Angelita dropped out of high school in the 10th grade when she became pregnant with the first of her three children by Reggie Alford, but later went on to obtain her GED. She then continued her education by attending Career Works, the Professional Careers Institute and cosmetology school in Detroit. However, Angelita struggled to begin a career while raising her three young daughters and consequently was limited to working various temporary, part-time jobs.
Angelita was 23 years old and her daughters, Che’Nae, Re’Nae, and Roshinique were 8, 5, and 1 ½ respectively when she was sentenced. Angelita reports that she, Reggie, and their daughters had a close family relationship for eight years prior to their arrest and trial. While Angelita’s incarceration has been difficult on the family, all three of her children have taken it in stride and continue to excel in school. Since her incarceration, Angelita has participated in numerous substance abuse and educational courses and received training to become both a paralegal and a dental technician.

Compiled from inmate information and Pre-Sentence Report.
Updated by BA 9/20/05
http://www.famm.org/ExploreSentencing/TheIssue/FacesofFAMM/StateCases/AngelitaAble.aspx

It's soooo sad that we've been so dehumanized. Cages aren't the answer.

[Joanne98]

1. FAMM is an EXCELLENT organization....

PLEASE SUPPORT THEM!
http://www.famm.org/Default.aspx
Featured at FAMM
12/8/05 - Court inserts discretion in deportation cases

On December 5, the Supreme Court held by an 8-1 vote in Lopez v. Gonzalez that the government cannot automatically deport a noncitizen when the person has been convicted of a state felony drug crime that would otherwise be a misdemeanor under federal law. The decision will not eliminate the possibility of deportation; rather, it will give noncitizens a chance to challenge the government’s decision to seek deportation. Read more

12/1/06 - Donations made in December go twice as far! Gifts made to FAMM Foundation in the month of December will be matched dollar-for-dollar by generous benefactors. Please help us shine a light on sentencing injustices by making a contribution today. FAMM is also proud to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) of the National Capital area. Federal government employees can contribute to FAMM by marking your CFC pledge card with our number, 7064. Donate now!
12/1/06 - Nonviolent drug offenders clog justice system

One in every 32 adults in the United States – seven million people – were in prison, on probation or on parole at the end of last year, according to grim statistics issued in a new report yesterday by the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Read FAMM president Julie Stewart's letter to members.

http://www.famm.org/Default.aspx

[Joanne98]

2. Making the drug war personal...

http://www.november.org/thewall/men/male11.html

Meet the people on the wall. The ones you sentenced to Hell. The ones you never see IN PERSON!

[Joanne98]

3. Meet Angel Lerma.

Angel Lerma
#57970-080
10 years - Marijuana Conspiracy
http://www.november.org/thewall/cases/lerma-a/lerma-a.html
Angel with his daughters Angelica (l), and Lenora

I am a prisoner of war being held captive at a prison camp in West Texas. I am just starting my 5th year in captivity for pot/hemp. For the uninitiated, the Fed sentences are based on amounts, like X amount of substances or money equals X amount of months in federal gulags. The amounts are arrived at by the paid testimony (testilying) of rats trying to save their own sorry hides.

The federal U.S. Attorneys (USA's) actually get away with paying these rats with cold cash or what's more precious than cash: less time in prison! What is strange is that any ridiculous amount the rat fantasizes about; you are sentenced for it! There is no standard of proof at sentencing, what the sainted rat says, by golly is the truth and they are always more credible than you, even though they are getting thousands of dollars and staying out of prison. That is the nature of the beast in the fed.

The court appoints you an attorney whose only job is to get you to plead guilty no matter what. They promise you the sky, hand your head to the USA's and stand by while they sentence you to fantastic absurdities. I got caught up in the standard "conspiracy", i.e. no proof needed to convict. In a conspiracy you have to prove a negative, that's why the feds win close to 98% of their cases. Once you are dragged before a jury on a conspiracy, you are "guilty until proven innocent". The jury looks at you and thinks automatically that you are guilty by association, which IS conspiracy.

My court appointed attorney duped me into pleading guilty to an "attempt" to possess one hundred fifteen pounds of pot. Like the trusting idiot that I was, I actually believed that I was getting sentenced for that amount, 115 lbs. of pot, which carries a 30 to 37 month sentence. And why not? My plea was for 115 lbs. The conspiracy charge and another possession charge were dropped. The U.S. Sentencing guidelines mandated a 30-37 month sentence. What could go wrong? HAH! The Sentencing Guidelines and various court decisions say that even though charges are dropped or dismissed, (mine were), they will still be used to sentence you! This absurdity is called "relevant conduct". In other words, the charges that were dismissed to get you to plead guilty in the first place are still going to be used to sentence you!

Remember, students, there is no standard of proof at the sentence. As the feds rarely get any drugs, the sentence is based on yes, you guessed it, the rat's paid testimony My codefendant's had gone to trial about 6 months before my guilty plea. (Their case is the epitome of absurdity, a must read: U.S. v. Brito 136 F.3d 397 5th Cir.1998). Their case shows how the courts of appeal blow you out of the water in the face of prima facie evidence. (Well worth looking up)

The poor devil that was picked to be the "Boss" got an astounding 41 years! Be sure to add up the pounds listed there to get the other brothers the mandatory 10 year minimum. To get the 10 years mandatory the weights have to surpass 1,000 lbs. Count them for yourself, it was conveniently passed by 6 pounds, mostly on wild guesses and coached testilying. At their trial the star witness testilied that he had went to Mexico 80 times in 74 days, a 600 mile trip, and brought 500 pounds of pot, by small vehicle, through the same Border Patrol checkpoint, a total of 160 times, and by cracky, 80 x 500 = 40,000, and the "leader" was sentenced for those 20 tons! 492 months, because he dared to "take it to trial!" (See Brito).

After you plead guilty, 35 days before your sentencing, they are supposed to give you a copy of your Pre-Sentence Report. This PSR is what the judge uses to sentence you. I never received a copy before my sentencing. Like a sheep to slaughter, I was led to my sentencing hearing. Of course I thought I would be sentenced for what I had pled guilty for/to. Wouldn't you? I had no idea of the evil that awaited me. But the insane judge, my attorney, and the persecutor did. After my 115 lb. plea, the devils hit me; no, slammed me, with the above stated 20 crushing tons, the 40,000 fantasy pounds, that the rat had lied his head off about! The idiot judge said because he had heard the testimony at the Brito trial, (at which I was not even near), the 20 tons were gospel, and without further ado, gave me ten years and ran me out of there.

Oh, you say, you can still appeal that sentence, right? Wrong! The plea trap conveniently said that I "waived" my right to appeal my sentence on any ground! I appealed anyway but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed my appeal on the ground that even though I had pled for 115 lbs. and got hit with 20 extra tons, my waiver of appeal was "voluntary and intelligent!" I call it a "dumb" waiver! In the 5th Circuit if you "knew" you had a right to appeal, that's "knowing"! Go figure. The rat got religion and found Jesus in prison. I got permission from the Bureau of Prisons to correspond with him. I wrote him and begged him to tell the truth of the amounts and trips to Mexico. (This rat did go 4-5 times for a hundred pounds or so, and this was the extent of the conspiracy, split between 10 people). The rat went before a notary and signed a sworn affidavit that he had lied at the Brito trial and had not gone 80 times in 74 days for 500 lbs., but had only gone 4-5 times at 100-200 lbs. per trip.

I sent this affidavit, plus others, to the court in a habeas corpus petition, expecting to maybe get sentenced for the truth, and get justice. When you file a petition you have to send the AUSAs (the persecutors) a copy. When the persecutors saw that their rat had told the truth, they went and threatened him with prison time if he did not withdraw the truthful affidavit at once! No way was he to tell the truth, why, them Mexicans might get some justice, and their evil exposed to world! They took the rat in front of a grand jury and coached him well. The rat then said that he was threatened by "prison gangs working for whoever" to sign the affidavit or "get a pencil in the neck!" The grand jury transcript shows a staged, mock, and well rehearsed performance.

Now I am looking at a new indictment for this rat's evil lies. I feel the persecutors saying, "so you want justice? Come and get it!" My petition has been before the court for over a year now. I have written the judge begging for a hearing and/or justice. No reply. I am leaning toward just withdrawing my petition after what they have done and shut up and do my time. After all, what can a poor Mexican do alone, broke, and against the power of the U.S. of A?

Although I was sentenced for 70 million dollars worth of pot, I only wish I had! Of course, with that 70 mil I would not spring for a lawyer! I was still paying on my $12,000 home, and drove a 1979 Chevy, 70 mil, yeah right. The insanity saddens me, this is, after all, the U.S. government. "With liberty and justice for all", right? What a joke those words have become due to the manipulations of Congress and the Department of "INjustice".

As I begin my 5th year and have 5 to go, there is NO parole in the fed system, (But we DO get 54 days off a year IF we behave in the B.O.P.)

All of this history is verified and documented: believe it, it is the truth. I have little faith the judge will give us justice after what I have seen. Why would he go against his U.S. Attorneys to give a bunch of Mexicans justice? I feel he will try to bury this story as deep as he can. What better place than the federal gulags, ignored by an uncaring populace?. On behalf of all the unfortunates imprisoned for rat's lies, please help us get our stories out to the public. It pains me to see us become a nation of snitches, one that imprisons people for smoking an HERB! WAKE UP!

Sincerely, Angel

8/28/03

http://www.november.org/thewall/cases/lerma-a/lerma-a.html

[Joanne98]

4. Meet Prison Industries....

http://www.unicor.gov/

You thought slavery was dead? WRONG! Notice how they are sooooo Madison Ave. You may be clean looking but you can't cover the SMELL!

[Wiley50]

8. I Like What It Says Under 'Services"

"Best Kept Secret In Outsourcing"

Yeah. Right. Give us all a break.

[Joanne98]

11. Yeah. It's true too. Seventeen cents an hour. Cheaper than China.

[Joanne98]

5. THE RAZOR WIRE!

For all the lurkers out there who have loved who's in prison. This is the paper for you. It's FREE to family of prisoners... Please write them they will make your life better...

http://www.november.org/razorwire/newsletter.html

What is The November Coalition?
We are people like you all over the world who condemn drug prohibition laws and oppose U.S. Drug War policies. We are prisoners and parents of those incarcerated; we are wives, sisters, brothers, children, aunts, uncles and cousins. We're friends of prisoners, legal professionals and concerned individuals, too. All across this land of America, we're anyone sick and tired of conflicted and ineffective illegal-drug laws; repressive legislation that long ago needed reexamination and redirection by national and international officials.

The November Coalition was founded in 1997 as a non-profit, grassroots organization with a mission to raise awareness in individuals and communities. There is a spiraling increase in numbers of imprisoned in the United States due to drug-law enforcement.

We arouse and activate fellow taxpayers about existing and impending dangers of an overly powerful federal government acting beyond constitutional constraints. We counsel victims of this peculiar 'war,' most of whom were minor participants, and warn our fellow citizens of the steady erosion of civil liberties, human rights and personal freedoms allowed by federal and state authorities.

Coalition members and supporters are convinced that the War on Drugs does nothing but stimulate an ever more profitable and violent underground economy. The intent of any law should create a safer country and safer world, not one more costly and less free.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This edition of The Razor Wire is available as a full size, full color, fully printable Adobe Acrobat PDF file. Click to open; right-click (control-click) to save on your hard drive.

The Razor Wire, Vol. 9, No. 1; prints on 8 1/2 X 11 inch paper (letter size publication), sequential pages; 2.8 mB file size. (PDF Format)

The Razor Wire, Vol. 9, No. 1; prints on 11 X 17 inch paper (tabloid size publication), booklet style; 2.8 mB file size. (PDF Format)

Click here for the free Adobe Acrobat Reader

Archive of Nora Callahan's Essays and Speeches

Archive of John Chase's Essays and Speeches

Archive of Chuck Armsbury's Essays and Speeches


How to Communicate with The November Coalition
· Letters: We receive lots of mail. Rest assured that we read every one of them, but we simply don't have the time or staff to actually respond to more than a few.

· Legal cases: We cannot offer you legal representation or advice. Please do not send us your legal work unless specifically requested.

· Prisoner profiles (The WALL): Please continue to submit your stories, but if at all possible, send pictures with them, preferably of a prison visit with your loved ones. Stories should be concise, factual, and include personal background such as age, family status etc. Although The November Coalition staff endeavors to verify the accuracy of WALL stories, written by the prisoners themselves, we assume no responsibility for their content. Credentialed media can be provided with documentation and family contacts if they wish to research a story. To do so, please contact [e-mail].

· Articles for Razor Wire & Internet: Editorials should be no more than 800 words; articles no more than 1,200 words. Submitted items should be typed & double spaced, or neatly printed by hand if you don't have access to a typewriter. Please limit the use of bold, italics, underline, or other special formatting.

· Artwork: We need your cartoons and sketches, please! Let your creativity and imagination run wild.

· Donations: We will gladly accept postage stamps from prisoners and others, as well as monetary donations.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Razor Wire is a publication of The November Coalition, a nonprofit organization that advocates drug law reform. Contact information: moreinfo©november.org, 282 West Astor, Colville, Washington 99114 - Ph: [phone] - JOIN TODAY!

For regular weekly and daily collections of news items relevant to drug policy, prison, and criminal justice reform, visit these sites and sign up online to have them sent right to your inbox:

The Drug War Chronicle (weekly) - The "World's Leading Drug Policy Newsletter", an original weekly e-zine, with editorials, news items, and timely alerts on legislation and activism.

The DrugSense Weekly Newsletter - If you are concerned about the War on Drugs, sign up for the DrugSense Weekly to become informed and active. "DrugSense Means Education."

The Drug Policy Alliance Newsletter (weekly) - "Envisioning new drug policies based on science, compassion, health and human rights and a just society in which the fears, prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more."

The Media Awareness Project: Drugnews Digest (several times daily) - The Drugnews-Digest (DND) is a one-way summary and source of current drug-related news. Full articles cited are available on the Media Awareness Project (MAP) web site.

http://www.november.org/razorwire/newsletter.html

[Joanne98]

6. I have to go to bed, but if you know someone behind bars tonight

Please kick.. they have only us to speak for them...

[Mnemosyne]

7. kick... n/t

[Joanne98]

9. kick

[Joanne98]

10. kick