We want to go over some of the big legal cases that were in the burden of proof this week, embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams appeared in court again this week after pleading not guilty on Friday to federal charges accusing him of accepting bribes and making illegal campaign contributions Reality TV star Julie Chris Lee was reinstated this week to 84 months in prison. Her family was stunned by the decision and hoped the judge would reduce his sentence for 22 bank fraud and tax evasion. The trial start date for the University of Idaho murder suspect is now in limbo as he appears before a new judge in Boise. Just days before Brian Koberg or his attorneys are fighting to take the death penalty off the table, so we asked former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers and Nema Romani Nema to tell us that these charges are very serious, obviously the prosecution suggests that Adams knew very well about these improper donations.
The gifts his lawyers are asking to have the charges dismissed or just dropped, what do you think of the defense strategy, which we’ve told you so far is really broadly indicted, Phil defense lawyers say all kinds of things. Obviously there’s a legal case. But there’s also a public relations one, don’t forget this is the mayor of a city, so this indictment is so unprecedented, he’s fighting for his life, but also fighting for his political career, so there’s going to be that component, but as you said the allegations of receiving money from foreign nationals, straw donors, undeclared gifts, business class tickets, a luxury hotel, paying the Turkish consulate approval despite not having the necessary fire department permits, pale in comparison to the straight allegations of bribery, political officials and Turkish pressure to do so.
So the mayor has an uphill battle ahead of him both in and out of court. I’m curious to see how this matching donation plays out. That turned into ten million dollars of taxpayer money, I guess we’ll sit down in the court of public opinion. For star Julie Christie right now her defense attorney has criticized the federal judge’s decision not to commute her sentence right now. Chrystley’s daughter Savannah called the judge’s decision politically motivated and said the judge was appointed during the Obama administration. There’s no evidence that it’s politically motivated though what can you say about that. Politicizing judges and prosecutors of a defendant including former President Trump, we’ve seen them do that Mayor Eric Adams has said what do you think of this kind of thing, again it’s that I’m shaking my head. You know what we see defense attorneys use this tactic we the defendant I’m in a Crystal specifically maintain their innocence they blame their accountant I mean they were both convicted.
Todd and Julie despite maintaining their innocence in the jury trial they’re not innocent they were found guilty and it’s just racially motivated because of Adams even the US attorney David Williams is also African American. The administration has come after them because of their stance on immigrants, but with respect to Crispley it was just a procedural issue, the judge has already thrown it out, accepted the government’s recommendation, so the question really wasn’t to what extent Julie was responsible for the fraud, was it the full amount, Todd said there were some questions of the charges, bullet in two thousand seven already, but ultimately she got a reduction, the judges had to calculate the person sentencing and correctly that’s what they did and she’s in the same position as she was before or less film Brian Koberg is charged in Idaho college murder case or trial. Now he’s in front of a new judge, his lawyers want him to be able to wear his own street clothes, not the orange jumpsuit.