Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/18/2012 06:58:22 PM PST
Prosecutors’ attempt to have the California Supreme Court review a decision in a sweeping San Bernardino County corruption case is baseless and should be rejected for several reasons, the attorney for a Rancho Cucamonga land developer charged in that case said in court papers filed Tuesday.
Prosecutors’ arguments to reinstate bribery charges against Jeff Burum fall flat, according to Stephen Larson, who represents Burum.
Those arguments were made Dec. 10 by the state Attorney General’s Office and District Attorney’s Office, asking the state’s high court to review a decision by the 4th District Court of Appeal in Riverside. “Finally and most importantly for purposes of this petition, the (prosecutors) blatantly misstate the Court of Appeal’s holding below,” Larson wrote. “…As will be seen below, this fundamental misstatement of the Court of Appeal’s ruling is the cornerstone upon which the (prosecutors) have based their petition for review.”
Burum is accused of conspiring with three former county officials to have the county settle a lawsuit for $102million with Burum’s investor group, Colonies LLP, in exchange for bribes. Also charged are former county Supervisor Paul Biane, former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin, and Mark Kirk, former chief of staff for Supervisor Gary Ovitt.
All four defendants deny any wrongdoing.
The appellate court decided Oct. 31 not to reinstate bribery charges against Burum that San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Brian McCarville had dismissed.
And without that, the broader Colonies case falls apart, according to Rajan Maline, Erwin’s attorney.
“That’s the heart of the prosecution’s case,” Maline said. “With what the (appeal) court has done, you’re really left with nothing, and that’s why you see this appeal to the Supreme Court. It’s desperation.”
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It is so obvious that the DA office is scrambling and so so outclassed. I cant wait for the truth to be told AND the tables turned on a corrupt scumbag DA
As his case falls apart, District Attorney Mike Ramos has a “spokesman” tell us that it would be “inappropriate” to “comment on a pending case.”
However, he found it appropriate to comment on a “pending case” when he held a grandstanding press conference to announce the prosecution of “the most appalling corruption case in decades, certainly in the history of San Bernardino County and maybe California itself.”
What an insult.
This case is over and Ramos knows it. The only question is how much has Supervising Deputy Attorney General Mandel snowed her superior’s? A person promoted due to this case.
#1 Anonymous, thanks for leaving out the “tick toc” for that is a given already; remember Pink Floyd’s “The Trial” we serenaded to Ramos …. “there is no need for the jury to retire!”
#2, OoF, are you saying Mike Ramos is STILL under his desk, refusing to “comment on a pending case.”
Well, being that our District Attorney MIKE RAMOS is such an openly NOTORIOUS ROMEO, maybe some dancing girls circling his desk will lure him from under it so The Sun could have an interview, like two grown men.
And we could even lighten things up for Mike Ramos with a newly assigned THEME SONG, one he could LIVE OUT PUBLICLY for us.
Again, dedicated to our Romeo, District Attorney Mike Ramos, with LOVE?
ADDICTED TO LOVE
Robert Palmer,
Your lights are on, BUT YOU’RE NOT HOME
Your MIND IS NOT YOUR OWN
Your HEART SWEATS, your BODY SHAKES
Another kiss is what it takes
You CAN’T SLEEP, you CAN’T EAT
== THERE’S NO DOUBT, YOU’RE IN DEEP
YOUR THROAT IS TIGHT, YOU CAN’T BREATH
You SEE THE SIGNS, but YOU CAN’T READ
YOU’RE RUNNING’ AT, A DIFFERENT SPEED
YOUR HEART BEATS, IN DOUBLE TIME
Another kiss, and you’ll be mine a one track mind
=== YOU CAN’T BE SAVED
OBLIVION IS ALL YOU CRAVE
YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON, BUT YOU’RE NOT HOME
YOUR WILL IS NOT YOUR OWN
YOUR HEART SWEATS AND TEETH GRIND
WAAAA, WAAAAAA, WAAAAA, Ramos can’t do that!….ha ha ha, Thank God that here in America we have the laws that permit such appeals and reviews. For as much as the lot of you long for the oligarchy of modern day Russia, we are still, for the moment, in America.
Anonymous #5:
We “long for the oligarchy of modern day Russia?” Because we expect an elected official to stand accountable for his actions?
By the way, I looked back at some of the comments you made when the Appellate Court was still reviewing the lower court ruling. You’re a lot quieter now, kind of like Mike Ramos.
In The Know:
Regarding Comment #3, I unfortunately suspect that Ms. Mandel will have no accountability in this matter. She will blame Mike Ramos for everything, since he gave her the case to prosecute. I’m not sure yet who Mike Ramos will blame, but I suspect that his “spokesman” will come up with somebody.
One thing I do suspect is that both Ms. Mandel and Mr. Ramos will be creative in coming up with a strategy to try to avoid disclosing to the taxpayers how much of their money they have spent on the prosecution.
Observer, with the $102M gift, financing and attorneys fees, reportedly the total cost to the taxpayers is approaching $300M… (“we can go higher” says DA Mikey!)
Little Stevie Wonder:
I am not referring to the $102 Million settlement, which you and some others like to refer to as a “gift,” where the county received 72 acres of land and avoided a potential damages judgment that could have bankrupted them.
I am referring only to the money that the DA’s office has spent on this prosecution since the day of the press conference where they announced “the most appalling corruption case in decades, certainly in the history of San Bernardino County and maybe California itself.”