COVERAGE OF D.A.’s OFFICE LEADS TO MORE LEAKS
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION FEB. 8-10, 2019) — Our commentary on the inner workings at the District Attorney’s office led as we thought it would to more leaks, despite, again, Andrea Harrington promising Mach III and brimstone to watchdogs who drop a dime. Pressure cookers need steam valves to prevent explosions.
We share some of it as continued public service:
———- 000 ———-
“Tail end of super bowl party a person from her office said [Andrea] absolutely hates [THE PLANET‘s] coverage of her office, referring to the Iron Curtin article. She said was interested in ways of trying to shut you up/find your sources via legal process. It was more a very casual comment which was quickly shut down. The person(s) she mentioned it to said it would reflect poorly on her and the office, would come across as petty and vindictive, and she’d lose for trying. The optics would be horrible. It would be “political suicide” … no one will let her be that stupid. It was at a house party, reflecting on an office conversation on the Iron Curtain article.”
———- 000 ———-
“The letters that went out to employees giving them until May included a little “don’t badmouth this office.”
“Also they hired back a guy that Caccaviello had to fire due to incompetence. He’s going to do some work in superior court. Also they’ve hired back Capeless as a ‘special prosecutor.’
“The case management system is a disaster and they keep filing extensions and are blaming “the previous administration” for the office being a mess and the cases not being organized. A good example would be the Laura Reilly case; Bell postponed it until March and everyone was sort of incredulous that it would take that long to come up to speed on a simple case.”
———- 000 ———-
“People are really pissed off over the hiring of Helen Moon. $70,000 as a “special projects” person. I don’t get it either. She is being perceived as having an ‘attitude’ and that she can’t be touched because she got Andrea elected. They are wondering what a nurse is doing in the DA’s office. They are a little less pissed off about Dina Guiel, probable because her salary is only $55,000. They are justified about Helen from what I see. Dina was a good hire. She will work her tail off and is a quick learner. I’ve heard the clerical staff Andrea inherited are all making 70-80k a year, so I’m not sure about their bitch over Helen’s and Dina’s pay. The nurse part I get.”
———- 000 ———-
And this:
“‘Nipplegate’ was an issue as it showed that [Andrea’s] all ambition and politics over substance. There wasn’t even a need for Bump to be there except it gave Bump a “reason” to travel. Then to be so desperate for being the center of attention, that AH specifically chose the dress to ‘stand out’ then really did ‘stand out.’ It embarrassed a number of people because her raw ambition makes the office look stupid. Her inability to string three coherent sentences together just makes people in the office (old and new) cringe and is why they hope the ‘PR circus’ ends soon. Some in the office say she’s digging a hole so big and so fast, she’ll never be able to get out. Pretty much the Hamden County DA’s office is laughing at us for sure.
“There is a much larger concern in the law enforcement (LE) community, and this is serious stuff; there are active drug task force investigations going on. Investigations into drug rings from CT and NYC, actual cartel level/gang level (Hell’s Angels and Pagans) and LE is worried about the information and CI information being appropriately handled. It’s not lost on many federal, state, and local LE agents that Shirley Edgerton is so closely tied to the office yet a number of her family members are allegedly so ingrained in gangs and drug trafficking. The nephew that got killed was “chased” out of Berkshire county and went to CT because there was a “hit” on him. He came back because he drew even more heat in CT and that was his undoing.
“Heard that they are planning to roll out some ‘youth crime task force’ to combat these recent shootings of minors. They are going to try and frame it as local ‘beefs’ among local kids. Sort of focus on the guns not the bad actors. Everyone knows these are the end of the road manifestations of drug turf wars, but the DA plans to downplay the crimes as kids fighting over girls or respect.
“You should ask her about drug testing in the office, if her staff has passed background checks to gain access to the information they are handling. I think you’ll be sadly disappointed at the answer.
———- ooo ———-
And this:
“I agree that Andrea doesn’t know how to handle the press. Many have tried to explain it to her, but it falls on deaf ears. Maybe Dahoney can talk some sense into her. He gets it and his presence in that office is a good thing for all of us. I did hear he had to come down on some of the ADA’s. I hear there was no training for the new guys under Paul and David. [She needs to get her] head out of her ass and start paying attention, or she can just find a new job.”
———- 000 ———-
To date, THE PLANET’s requests for comment from the District Attorney have been ignored. THE PLANET issues an open invitation for her, anyone in her office, anyone associated with the office, or anyone else mentioned in connection with our coverage to contact THE PLANET. Presenting both sides typically allows for a more rounded view. The district attorney doesn’t like our coverage? Fair enough. We get that. Been through it a billion times before with other public figures. All the more reason for her to engage us. Tell us where we are inaccurate. Tell us where we are wrong. Correct the record. Blast us — but to our face. We repeat our offer of a cuppa joe. We’ll even pick up of the check … muffins included.
THE PLANET recognizes the singular importance of the district attorney’s office in determining present and future law-enforcement efforts. Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski deserve a better quality of life, a life that is now threatened by an unprecedented amount of criminal activity in our streets. If that office succeeds, the Kapanskis get the help they so richly deserve. If it doesn’t succeed …
You can finish the rest.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
———————————————————————————————————
“It’s a hard game to get to, and it’s a hard game to win” — Tom Brady on the Super Bowl.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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Under what legal basis can the DA subpoena the records to find out who is posting their opinions, which are constituitonally protected free speech?
Time to analyze the budget perhaps:
http://cthrupayroll.mass.gov/#!/year/2018/full_time_employees,others/pay1,pay2,pay3,pay4/explore/0-0-0/department_division/BERKSHIRE+DISTRICT+ATTORNEY+(BER)/0/position_title
http://cthrupayroll.mass.gov/#!/year/2019/full_time_employees,others/pay1,pay2,pay3,pay4/explore/0-0-0/trans_no/19407921/0/department_division
Reilly case is held up because MSP lt foley &culver fabricated evidence, and now refuse to provide Brady disclosures to defendant. This is a known tactic to capeless/Caccaviello regime.
“Creative writing” Reilly will walk, as violating her civil right to fair trial will cost all involved 20 years and 250,000$. Bell a former federal prosecutor bailed out of Gullunis Hamden district Attorneys office because new federal prosecutor lelling is going to take Gulluni to the woodshed. Nothing worse than dirty cops hiding behind a dirty district attorney. Springfield Police Department is a criminal enterprise much like Caccaviello had running in Berkshire. Harrington got elected because anyone was better than “ no probable cause Paul “ he allowed his political donors nilan hazard and recently carridi to escape punishment for hit and runs.
His record on sexual assaults and spousal and child abuse is even worse. That Andrea is naïve to trust anyone from former regime
Bell writing a211s4 letter to Massachusetts Supreme Court yet ?
Andrea will be second shortest serving district attorney. She is failing to rebuild the integrity capeless/Caccaviello lost due to their gross political ambition , trading David Glasers life for headlines, showed everyone they care nothing about victims. Only headlines.
Headline Harrington should get busy housekeeping and clean up the mess she inherited, exposure of previous administrations criminal acts can only help her political aspirations.
The real stuff people don’t want to talk out loud about. Power, corrupt ..doing business as usual.
Keeping Capeless is letting the bottom drop out. Why mean anything you said? Oh right …
and are blaming “the previous administration” for the office being a mess and the cases not being organized.
So then they go and hire Capeless who ran the previous office? That makes sense.
Have been holding my opinion of the new DA but if half of this is accurate all I can say is HOLY SHIT MAN!!!
The real stuff people don’t want to talk out loud about. Power, corrupt ..doing business as usual.
Then why would Harrington rehire Capeless if he was a big part of the problem?!? I agree with others. It makes no sense.
Because capeless/Caccaviello messed up triple murder case and needed to get access to phone records, which was accomplished by MSP lt foley &culver inventing story of Adam lee hall conversations with his cell mate at bchc. Hall being held as a suspect in a triple homicide, had a cellmate in administrative segregation unit ? Too comical halls lawyer failed to shed light on that information, wonder who Charles Manson bunked with? Now you know the Bowler connection.
Karen Bell is not going to be violating accused civil rights because former regime was too busy protecting their political contributors. Phone records will get tossed , and so does the conviction. Because that’s the motis aperendi of these criminal prosecutors, Reilly will get a dismissal also due to same criminal acts by foley & culver and rest of inbred former regime. Which ms Harrington would be smart to be rid of as quickly as possible, office is a shambles because old regime busy destroying evidence of their criminal activity, no time for the actual work the office should be doing.
Harrington is being pressured by gov Faker and Ag healey to allow sanitation of office. To lessen the upcoming lawsuits pertaining to rampant civil rights abuses, the main reason gov Faker attempted to subvert the election process.
Still.not understanding the fascination with the DAs T shirt.There is of course a hint that females should not be in power because of a choice to not wear a undergarments.How do we feel about fat topless men on the beach.I did not vote Harrington but am weirded out by this being an issue.I personally don’t understand why women wear a bra in warm weather,just don’t get it as men walk around completely topless.We still live in the most conservative country in the world…..Let talk about the Pope finally releasing the truth about what Catholic female nuns had to endure as sexual slaves to be retreaved by priest for sex.The great writter Jimmy Breslin is book about growing up catholic.Breslin was told that his divorced daughter could return to the church for 5,000 dollars given to the Bishop.That was the day he understood what being in a cult environment had done.
I can explain my fascination with it.
It was a photo-op that didn’t need to happen.
That was planned by her office to the point of picking out a red dress instead of the more normal business atire for one reason, so she could stand out in the pictures.
So by trying to draw attention to herself, needlessly, she drew unwanted attention to herself for lacking the attention to detail to wear less revealing clothes. Ambition over substance.
It’s hsving your swearing in ceremony outside of the courtroom, in a private building, on private property, without paying the rental fee, so all people could see you sworn in and yet not using your right hand and having pink hair.
It’s wearing pleather pants to your election night party to promote of being “in touch” with the community and “hip and fun”.
I have no problem with men and women being topless on beaches, but that and being a DA and promoting the professional image of the DA’s are two different things.
DAAH can go topless on a beach, have a see-thru outfits all she wants, just don’t wear them to work.
The fact that you seem obsessed with the nipple bulge probably concerns her. Kinda pervy to keep dwelling on it in such detail.
Perhaps she has negatives that would concern the average citizen?
You clearly missed the point
The issue is she dressed unprofessionally. Nothing like a DA should. Anyone, no matter how inexperienced or incompetent, should know how to dress properly for the office they hold.
DA should be wearing a business suit. No tie required because only men have to do that.
Hardly a double standard, a man would also get attention for inappropriate clothing, but no man in a normal mental state would do it
How ironic that the few people on this blog who supported Harrington while calling Capeless “corrupt” – now have to deal with her hiring Capeless as a special prosecutor?? Not to mention her Williamstown supporters who were upset over Capeless allegedly not prosecuting Williams College rapes??
What a farce!
Maybe he’s going to be special prosecutor for those Williams rape cases.
That’ll help his image and Harrington has a competent prosecutor doing the job
Capeless volunteered to handle the appeals on the triple murder cases for free and Harrington accepted. So get your boxer briefs out of a wad. There never were any Williamstown cases but do keep hassling the DA’s office about it because Harrington claimed she was going to prosecute them.
My response was purely sarcastic. No panties in a wad here
Still, kinda kinky Harrington’s stepping stone to stardom is now seated across from her office. Especially when she and her henchmen (that would include you, Cicero) painted Capeless as the worst person in the whole goddamn World.
There never were any Willams College sexual assault (complaint) cover-ups. It was a beautifully orchestrated ruse that propelled left-handed DAAH into office.
Not many know this, but a couple of Tommy Bowler’s deputies also work as Williams College safety & security officers.
A lawyer texted me one day indicating that Harrington’s crew were about to expose this nexus of duality. Using Bowler’s deputies as scapegoats in a cover-up scheme would seem to catch two pols in one story. Also, a sexual harassment complaint was filed against one of Bowler’s guys up there, so it was said.
After speaking directly with Bowler, the issue seem to fissure out. Then Cacc was stupid enough to reignite it in a Letter to the [Berkshire Eagle] Editor, and on Planet Valenti.
It is true: you really can’t fix stupid!!
Brian
See my post from today, as for sexual assaults
“ no probable cause Paul” won’t be living those
Repulsive acts down. Imagine he will be subject of a large
Civil suit, as he obviously was acting as a politician not a prosecutor thereby eliminating prosecutorial imunity.
By all means, keep showing your contempt for the Williams College victims. Well over 100 rape complaints during your husband’s tenure and not one case presented to a grand jury.
The main antagonist (former DA Capeless) is now housed just feet from left-handed DA Harrington’s office. What an ironic turn of events!!
Like sands through an hourglass, so are the days of our lives.
The Moon problem is glaring and serious.
The narrative they like to put forth is that Moon ran the campaign and strategy, it’s completely false. A hired gun from Boston ran the campaign, a lawyer from the east helped equally as much. Kroll did his best to help DAAH, when they were with Kroll, he disappeared. The problem for DAAH is that they were all white males and that doesn’t fit her women of color, girl power story.
Moon was barely effective, she routinely forgot things and missed things. If not for the political consultant and DAAH lawyer “guy” the campaign would have been dead in the water.
So we have a girl power narrative, Moon who was so inspired by working at Dottie’s that she ran for office, and DAAH making up new $70k positions as political payback. People in the office making $60-70k a year have been there, doing the jobs, they actually know what’s going on. People are upset because DAAH created a new position to help payback her most loyal sycophant.
Payola jobs are nothing new but now the former barista and girl who played nurse, ask those who worked with her at Fairview how competent she was, is in charge of youth diversion program.
That’s how much DAAH cares about diversion programs and at risk youth, she give the job as political payback to in user performing and unqualified person.
In most DA’s office this position would go to a lawyer with years of experience in the juvenile system. At a minimum it would go to an advocate with a degree in social work, but in the DAAH office it goes to a woman who’s biggest claim to fame is being a Dottie’s Hottie on a calendar and who’s biggest contribution in the office has been to act like a spoiled child and water girl. Oh yes DAAH will tell you that there will be a social worker overseeing the case load, but that job is listed at what $55k or so? Even if it pays more based on experience it begs the question why have Moon involved at all? Why not use the money Moon is getting paid, to deliver water, to hire an actual competent employee? Have two social workers or a lawyer and a social worker instead of an overpaid do nothing?
Then again that begs the question, why elect and pay Andrea to be the DA if all she is going to do is give speeches outside the courtroom? No days yet actually trying cases. I’ve lost count of how many public speaking engagements and trips outside Berkshire County? Eight, ten? A free trip to DC in another see thru blouse?
Don’t you worry folks, TFB is on the case, you’ll soon hear how the DA’s office needs more money because of the “innovative” programming and outreach they are doing.
Capeless is working the appeal for the triple murder case, I’m not entirely sure if he’s getting paid or if he’s doing pro bono because he doesn’t want to see DAAH mess it up and let three convicted murderers back out on the street.
They are burning through money, very quickly, DAAH has already spent more in one month on travel then Capeless did in months on the job. The money train for special prosecutors (hired guns from outside the office) is going to grind to a halt when they run out mid year. They’ll be “diverting” rapists and murderers to Hancock Shaker Village for basket weaving classes because they can’t afford to pay consultants.
Another problem on the horizon, a few prosecutors that have been let go, What happens if they hang out a shingle and take criminal clients? Who’ll win in court? Dahoney? Doubtful.
Exactly right. If you care about those programs you put a skilled person in charge of them, and that skill and experience means something to doing the job properly.
Why does Harrington appear shapely above the waist in the photos with Bump? I’ve seen her at the debates and in other photos and on TV . For instance the NAACP photos do not match the red dress Andrea photos. Draw your own conclusions.
Now that is more substantive.
My previous statement indicates that Harrington is very insecure. She’s just not right for the job.
Agent Smith has many interesting points here. If true I hope we never have the need for the DA’s office and services. A lot of political connections running our city and the Berkshires
The felons involved in the triple slaying MUST be kept in prison. Glad to hear Harrington called in the big dog for the job.
No, she didn’t call anyone in, he offered. Can you imagine an overturned appeal on those cases? I’m sure a relieved chief of appeals Kempthorne told her to do it and she wisely listened.
Rumours floated around during Cacc’s write-in effort that a deal was struck, giving Harirngton the top county job.
Folks like Kathy Amuso, Mark Tully et all, all supporters of the Tyer political network led the way after they pushed me out. With those folks running the show, Harrington’s pathway to victory was assured.
Think about this for a moment: remember Ward 1 Pittsfield City Councilor Lisa Tully? Well she decided to not seek re-election after both she and hubby, Mark, cut a deal with then mayoral candidate Linda Tyer and Barry Clairmont, to relinquish her seat in favor of Helen Moon, (and we now know how that turned out) So, if anyone’s to blame for Moon’s rise to stardom, it’s the Tullys!
Twisted, but true.
It’s time to file a complaint with the SJC under G. L. c. 211, sec. 4.
And that’s the bottom-line!!
If you think it’s time to file the complaint go ahead and do it. Let us all know when you do?
She’s thinks she’s insulated herself from responsibility by not actually doing anything. How can she be derelict in her duties if she doesn’t have any duties? It’s a strategy but not a good one.
Just so we’re clear, Shakes.
Also, I don’t play both sides of a fence; I may be many things, but a fence straddler I am not.
And you don’t me well enough to doubt my abilities; you think you know, but you have no idea.
And that’s the bottom-line!!!
The only thing I know about you is your few seconds of fame as an aggrieved under-performing student before the Federal Judge dismissed your lawsuit.
I hate to agree with Brian but he is spot on. Backroom deals and shenanigans have always been the hallmark of Pittsfield and Berkshire County politics and all that has changed is the faces. The Tully’s are the biggest players in the game. Helen Moon couldn’t tie her own shoes but was the selected one to take Tully’s spot. Tully only got in because she throws her big neighborhood bash every year and sucks everyone’s bum but even she found out she was out of her league being on the council and her big mouth husband could only defend her so much.
Deals, Deals and More Deals. But at least the latest deal makers can stand up without falling over unlike Doyle.
Just imagine this, shakes, if you can:
UMass Amherst settled the case outta court.
In the end – I went on to earn four degrees from there. Go figure!!
Find another issue to bark about; that one’s at least a decade old.
Courts resolve disputes; that’s where we go when one’s been harmed by another’s tortuous behaviours.
Try to more imaginative the next time you come at me. You need to do better than that stupid lawsuit.
Wow, 4 degrees. The masses surely tremble in awe of your hubris.
The reports of settling your case aren’t on-line, just the articles where the federal judge dismisses it. I mean people always settle cases after the court rules in their favor.
I’m not disputing that there is political horse trading, but doofus here acts as if he’s the power broker, and not just the coffee boy.
Give it up, Shakes, you lost this one.
Move on!!!
Dottie’s is the new home of the good old boys. Used to be DelGallo’s. Nothing happens in Dottie’s that the mayor doesn’t know about.
Brian, the number of degrees you have is irrelevant. What is relevant is whether or not your arguments are valid and based on actual facts.
Brian,
There was NO deal between the Tully’s, the Mayor or myself regarding Helen Moon running for ward 1. In fact, neither myself or the Mayor knew who Helen was before she took out papers, and that happened after Lisa Tully announced she wasn’t going to run.
Hate to rain on your parade on this one, but you are wrong.
Barry
That’s ‘not what Mark told me.
Sorry brother, that came straight from the Tully’s mouth.
I don’t know of any deals but Barry is lying when it comes to Tyer not knowing who Hellen Moon was prior to her taking out papers.
The Tully’s who pushed Michael Cirullo to run for Ward 1 and then turned on him to support Moon a month and a half before Election Day. You reap what you sow.
Both Tullys were huge supporters of Dan Bianchi up until whenever. I used to see Lisa at most of Dan’s rallies and private functions. Somewhere along the line, though, they struck a deal to diss Bianchi and support Tyer (along with groups of others). Needless to say, their traitorous behaviours left a sour feeling with Bianchi and his closest supporters.
Even when assembling the write-in effort I encountered resistance from a few of Bianchi’s people who did not like or want either Tully involved. It took more time & energy than I would have wanted to convince them to bypass their past animosities – in favor of Cacc’s effort. And we know how the hell that turned out!!
During the early stages of our effort – Mark Tully whined so much about Cacc’s decision to mount an educational effort, and not what Mark was pushing for, that he quit only to return after Cacc agreed to do it his way. And we know how the hell that turned out!!!!
To this day, I’m convinced the Tullys were too embedded in Tyer’s network to further Cacc’s best interest. Mark and Barry Clairmont enjoyed such a close relationship, for example, at the time, some were suspecting Mark of spying on behalf of Harrington’s campaign. (The jury’s still out on that one)
It is true: you really can’t fix stupid!!
Thing were unorganized under Caccaviello? Give me a friggin’ break. Utter BS! If this was the case, why was the entire DA’s office sorry to see him leave? Why did Harrington seek him out for guidance and then publicly thank him when she was sworn in?
The problem is that DA Harrington has no viable experience. In the big league world of lawyers, she was still playing farm league. She got the job because the Moonbat Progressives of this county wanted a woman who was onboard with their agenda. And their agenda has no real consequences linked to many crimes. It’s simple counseling and hand holding. The same nonsense that has produced the current generation of young thugs.
Consider this. Sweden was the first country in Europe to outlaw spanking. Juvenile crime soared after just 10 years. Currently, 58% of juveniles surveyed admitted to having participated in an unlawful act. Over 62% admitted to being physically abused by another juvenile.
Take a read of the Berkshire Eagle’s article on Harrington’s speech before the local chapter of the NAACP. Look at her travel schedule. She’s a political pony using the DA office’s expense account to fund her traveling about under the pretense of learning how to move a progressive agenda forward, but the reality comes down to improving her political exposure.
The minute Harrington won, she had plenty of time to begin getting a handle on how to run her office. Dahoney has zero experience administering. Only her former federal prosecutor has the discipline and she’s disgusted with the way the place is running.
As to DAAH and the press, if you followed comments from former classmates, she had a history of pettiness. Same is true for her mentor JB3.
May the good Lord help and protect us until the next election for DA!
You should be wondering to yourselves why Cacc and Capeless were invited to DAAH’s inaugural ceremony. (Hint: the fix was in?).
And that’s the bottom-line!!!
For the same reason Clinton was at Ws, W was at O’bama’s and O’bama was at Trumps.
Funny thing is – I never noticed Carmen M. at Tommy Bowler’s inaugural ceremony.
Comparing local or county political behaviours to national ones is like comparing apples to bananas!
Seems kinda disjointed that both Capeless and Cacc both attended, and we now learn Cacc went over to Hampden (where Karen Bell came from), and Capeless is back on the state payroll as a special asst. DA, less than two months after DAAH takes office.
Anyway you plot your graph, horizontally or vertically, it all intersects at a common vector. The fix was in!!!
And that’s the bottom-line.
Comparing anybody’s decision to invite/attend anyone else’s ceremonies and functions doesn’t merit the amount of time it took me to write this sentence.
Maybe he used the backdoor.
The fix was in for Harrington to get the job, yes, I will agree. Lots of stuffed envelopes passed between AH, JB3 and others before the election. AH is in over her head and is unhappy with all the criticism being sent her way. So, she’s called in David. Paul left with nothing but what was his and any job he gets was certainly not there when he left.
AH is in a pickle. Maybe if she spent time actually IN the office instead of politicking, she’d get the good press she’s looking for. But right now, the DA’s office is starting to look like a branch of the Titanic Memorial Museum.
Shakes . . .
. . . and yet you took time from your Soaps to respond a couple of times. Go figure!!
I thought there was motivation to keep all the cells filled so that they would get more money from the state. How is this going to happen if she lets everybody go free?
But if Discenzo is still out there then so should everybody else be.
Capeless is reportedly working for free. Question: which of Harrington’s newly appointed ADAs was caught in court recently with liquor on their breath? Not that I wouldn’t be pounding a few if I had to work there.
Question: Why in the world would Capeless work for free? Surely there is something in it for him, perhaps that comes in the back door. Or maybe he is there to make sure nobody looks in the basement.
All 1st degree murder cases in Mass. are automatically appealed. No prosecutor wants their case overturned on appeal, especially one that involved burying bags of body parts.
Amen to that, Aerin!
Capeless is NOT working for free. And I don’t blame him. Hes worth what he’s getting BTW. David’s a good man and a great lawyer.
and you can ask Bernard Baran about that…I am sure he would agree
“In law school, Harrington recounted, she learned from professor Angela Davis how the criminal justice system grew to replace the system of slavery. Instead, Harrington said she’s busy building a new criminal justice system that is more proactive than punitive. ”
############
Angela Davis? That speaks volumes.
So Harrington is stupid enough to believe a communist and racist. Great.
So if a black person is arrested and convicted that makes them a slave?
Last year Knight and DAAH painted Capeless as the worst person in the whole goddamn world. Now the guy’s back in office?
How much currency did DAAH burn among her outgroup voters and Williams College by inviting Capeless back in? YOU READY?
I can’t wait hear from Cicero, our overbearing, outspoken critic of Capeless & Cacc.
What a frickin’ circus!
Why wouldn’t Harrington want Capeless to handle that appeal? If the verdict is intact she takes credit for bringing in the right person – even if it is an adversary. It the verdict overturns, then it is Capeless’ failure, not hers.
As she has painted Capeless as nearly criminally negligent, if she actually believed that then she wouldn’t want a “criminal” anywhere near her office.
Remember DAAH said, through her proxy, Pucci that Capeless was a liar, criminally negligent, and I think she planned to open up all those cases that Capeless failed to prosecute.
Judy,
Stop lying. AH said she would “review” past sexual assault cases that were not prosecuted. That’s very different from “opening up” all of said cases, which you well know. Only you don’t care, because you are a liar.
It is plain that much of Dan’s above scoop came from you and Betsy Capeless. And now the two of you have kicked your smear campaign into overdrive. Same old tired nonsense that relies on the fact that you can’t really prove a negative, that someone DIDN’T make this or that comment. But a close look at the crap you spew reveals its implausibility.
Consider this “nipple-gate” affair that has so many commenting like 12 year old boys. It’s hysterical that you have learned – through your “insider” witnesses – about all of the plotting and machinations that explain how it is that AH wore that particular dress, on that particular day, and allowed at least one photo to be taken that apparently showed the outline of – the horror! – her nipple.
Three possibilities might explain your witnesses’ insider knowledge: 1. AH herself is your source; 2. AH shared her plot with a third party who then told you, or 3. your source is a mind-reader.
Since none of those three make much sense to me, I’m going to go ahead and assume that AH got up that day, picked out a dress that she thought would look good in front of the cameras, and what happened, happened. The backstory you have created to explain how it was all planned and plotted – right down to the nipple imprint – is absurd. Grow up. (Btw, my favorite comment on all this came from a woman who called what happened a “nip-slip,” which it was not, and equated it to a man walking around with a pronounced hard-on.)
You are also lying when you imply that David Capeless has been brought back into the office in any meaningful way. I would expect you to have the wherewithal to recognize that the world is filled with nuance, that nothing is black and white. My understanding is that he VOLUNTEERED to handle the appeals of a few notorious murder cases he tried. Letting him do so is a no-brainer. Just because Capeless was a dishonest, corrupt scumbag does not mean that all of his prosecutions were unjust, and allowing him to handle the appeals of a few reasonable murder convictions makes perfect sense. If AH had decided instead to assign the appeals to new lawyers who couldn’t possibly know the cases as well as those who tried them, you would be howling with outrage.
All that said, I would hope that AH does not allow Capeless unfettered access to any part of the DA’s office, especially the files and records room. I suspect that there is an ulterior motive behind his zeal to handle these appeals.
More on this later.
Still why would a DAAH permit a “racist, sexist” pig into her office?
Most of Capeless’s prosecutions were not “unjust”? Cicero, you harped endlessly about the unjustness of the Baran case and others like it; yet now you’re spinning your convoluted arguments in favor of granting Capeless access to case files and other ancillary materials just because left-handed Harrington, and her staff, which I might add is not totally new, cannot confront a triple murder appeal?
Read the record. Study the record. Live the record. That’s what professional prosecutors do for a living. It’s not like their appeal is docketed for tomorrow.
Harrington’s lack of case management et al is more of a problem than most imagine.
If you cannot oversee a public law office, you probably shouldn’t be a district attorney. Then again, she failed as a sole practitioner, so whey should we believe she can manage a 50+ people law firm.
Forget this carp about “nuances” *. It’s a ridiculous argument to advance.
Cicero, you come across as a deep and passionate thinker; come up with a more plausible explanation as to why some of us should buy into this lunacy.
* a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.
Your comment, Shakes, go to the core of why left-handed DAAH should not be a DA. If her team of wannabes can’t handle a triple murder appeal, she and they probably should be out chasing ambulances – instead of playing adult prosecutors.
So, why did Cacc appoint Capeless special asst. DA? Because they were and are buddies; that what buddies do, they wash & trade each other’s office keys.
Capeless retired giving Cacc the biggest desk; in turn, Cacc appointed Capeless to his new position. That’s the essence of how political corruption thrives and survives.
And the same goes for Cacc, if he (one the original prosecutors) can’t handle a triple murder appeal, then perhaps he does belong in Hampden County.
And that’s the bottom-line!!
You don’t understand the nuances to the situation. No wonder you are an unremarkable student. Stunning hubris, coffee boy.
I understand “the nuances to the situation” perfectly, Shakes. You should not be mistaken, for a moment, about that.
Another good rebuttal. You must be a product of Pittsfield’s public school system!!
Go back to your Law & Order education, and leave reality to us adults!!
Elect clowns get a circus.
At least she got the hand right
https://nypost.com/2019/02/08/politician-under-fire-for-showing-too-much-cleavage-in-parliament/
Good one, Agent.
Let’s see now, the mayor has been in office 3 years? But somehow the roads are still decorated with knee deep potholes and the cars and trucks are weaving back and force in a dance of survival.
At least Stanley got his though and that is what counts in this administration. Take care of the millionaires who will take care of you. YEEEE HHHaaaawwww!! We have found our stride and it has a bouncing cadence to it.
MPGA Make Pittsfield Great Again
Whitaker was not in the normal line of succession and played to an audience of one. Scump. If there is anyone who thinks that he had no conversations with scump about Mueller you are a good liar. The country has been runing on one wheel but the democrats will add the other three very quickly. Scump is in hot oil and will be fried soon. MBS the butcher and scump confidant and Vlad Scumptin and the mini butcher Kim Jung un all good friends of scump and the enemy of the American people are laughing at scump and the American people but we will take care of all that soon also. Lots of talkers on the blog today but no action and no action equals no change and that is a certainty. I do not see any way that any thing can change for the better here in Pittsfield unless we see action and I dont see it except for one person. Talk is cheap and the crap in the city are laughing at YOU. That is the uncontrovertible truth and everyone knows it. Posting to talkers is a waste of time but maybe some will wake up but I’m not holding my breath.
Gobsig your correct the democrats running
This city are the the bottom of the barell and the ones in Virginia are just as bad. Conversely the republican president and the Republicans in congress are just as bad. This president and his administration are the most corrupt ever. Just those nearly 8600 confirmed lies should be a wake up call for all Americans but they fall on deaf ears of close to a third of all Americans and there in is the biggest problem we face in this country. We also appear to have the highest degree of ignorance of all time you n the american population but it will get better because it can’t get any worse. Just saaeing
So will Pucci now be demanding the case of his Williams client (an alum) be brought to a grand jury? And will Harrington fly all the witnesses in from afar, further decimating her budget? Why is the ownership for this disaster not be laid where it belongs, squarely at the feet of Tricia Farley-Bouvier who foisted this so called lawyer on the people of Berkshire County?
Who is Pucci? What witnesses?
I have read nothing about the witnesses and where they are located. Where did you learn that they would have to come from “afar”? Did the DA’s office share information regarding this sexual assault case with you as well?
Doomie, At this point I’d settle for good, and that would require closing schools, reducing crime, cutting taxes and spending, clean streets and parks.
Perhaps along side of the most dangerous streets in Pittsfield we could have a list of the ones with the most and deepest potholes. And then a list of front end damage repair shops.
MPGA
So many red flags here.
Let’s start with a disturbing assertion that Harrington made at a recent NAACP event as stated in a Berkshire Eagle article: She [Harrington] said she supports changes proposed by Gov. Charlie Baker that would allow the court to consider criminal history when trying to determine whether a person is too dangerous to let back into the community. Right now, criminal history cannot be part of the proceedings, she said, “which is a big omission.”
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/da-harrington-outlines-early-priorities-during-local-naacp-meeting,563919?
The DA clearly misses the nuance of the governor’s suggested changes to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 276 section 58A, which reflect a concern that the presenting charge upon which a defendant is held must fall within a specifically-enumerated list of offenses. Because the statute and recently-decided cases limit predicate offenses that must be charged in order to allow the commonwealth to legally file a petition for a 58A hearing on dangerousness, the statue limits which offenders may be held without reference to a prior record of convictions. The governor wants to expand the predicate offense list and subject more offenders to the 58A procedure, which must be remediated by legislative action.
As the statute stands, an offender’s prior record is and has always been a factor that a judge may consider in deciding whether the commonwealth has met the required standard of clear and convincing evidence justifying detention. From MGL Ch. 276 sec. 58A(5):
(5) In his determination as to whether there are conditions of release that will reasonably assure the safety of any other individual or the community, said justice, shall, on the basis of any information which he can reasonably obtain, take into account the nature and seriousness of the danger posed to any person or the community that would result by the person’s release, the nature and circumstances of the offense charged, the potential penalty the person faces, the person’s family ties, employment record and history of mental illness, his reputation, the risk that the person will obstruct or attempt to obstruct justice or threaten, injure or intimidate or attempt to threaten, injure or intimidate a prospective witness or juror, his record of convictions, if any, any illegal drug distribution or present drug dependency, whether the person is on bail pending adjudication of a prior charge…
“[His] record of convictions” is a clear reference to an offender’s criminal record and history. Also note the language “on the basis of any information which he can reasonably obtain”. This is the statutory language; in practice, prosecutors may seek to introduce an offender’s criminal history including police reports, witness statements, prior restraining orders including affidavits in support thereof, mental health evaluations, and prior entries in police administrative logs.
Either Harrington is ignorant of the clear reading of the statute, or she is willfully misrepresenting the status of the law. Either way, she is wrong and is misleading the public. This is what happens when an unqualified politician is elected to an office based upon rhetoric rather than solid legal expertise.
Assertions that case management was disorganized and new assistant district attorneys untrained under Capeless and Caccaviello is patently false and an excuse to cover the current lack of legal talent in her office. Why? She fired all of the experienced lawyers in the office which included both trial attorneys and supervisors responsible for case management. With the exception of folks like Joe Yorlano, a great trial attorney and experienced trainer and supervisor, Harrington’s legal staff is filled with inexperienced political appointees and recycled D-list lawyers. Bell and Kempthorne seem to be exceptions to this, but with a politician as the DA and not a prosecutor, they are bearing too great a burden to be able to thrive in this environment.
Harrington’s problematic relationship with “old” staff is based upon the fact that she lied about Caccaviello (and Capeless) by calling him racist and sexist and their concern that she will run the office into the ground. Her policies are all about her personal political agenda and her lack of any meaningful criminal expertise leaves the office rudderless. Threatening staff is not the way to lead an office or manage personnel. But, the voters decided that they wanted a “progressive” woman to be DA despite her appalling lack of criminal, administrative, and managerial experience. The sooner she leaves office, the better.
Thanks to the Planet for continuing to cover this extraordinarily important topic.
Great analysis! Well said.
What happened to the 83 cases on the trial list for Jan.?
Nicely stated, AHDA.
You’re spot-on, both with your analytics and statute research.
Left-handed DA Harrington should be forced outta office pursuant to G. L. c. 211, sec. 4.
“The sooner she leaves office, the better.”
And that’s the bottom-line!!!
Mr, Brian,
Not trying to be a smart ass but I am totally ignorant of who you are. I do enjoy your content however. You talk like people should know who you are and I feel left out as I do not. Who are ya?
Brian is a self-proclaimed political-insider who got degrees from a college my Jack russel terrier could graduate from. He leads by sneer instead of example, which is why no-one would accept him publicly as an accomplice in this latest campaign.
Remember coffee boy, almond milk and honey. They always make it perfectly at Dottie’s.
I think it’s a combination of two things.
She has no actual understanding of the law. She doesn’t know what cases are heard in what court and why. She has zero substantive criminal or trial experience. She has a better chance of being a Yogi considering how much more time she’s spent in Yoga class instead of court
The other thing she is doing is pandering to her base. DAAH will say and do anything to get elected and stay elected.
She vilified Capeless over some perceived injustice at Williams college but now that she needs him, she’s silent.
She made promises she doesn’t know how to keep, so she just keeps talking and not doing ANY case work whatsoever.
She’s about sound bites and photo-ops and she clearly can’t do either right.
Taxing the rich. Warren states that taxing the rich 2% annually on fortunes above 50 million would affect 75 000 families and would bring in 2.75 trillion over 10 years. She claims this would be a corrective of a rigged tax code that unfairly favors the rich who make their money from interest dividends and capital gains over income earned through work. This sounds like good politics to me!!!! And I for one support it.
This woman is a fraud. Shame on those MA voters who voted for her in the last election. What has she done for Massachusetts citizens? She’s been spending all her time campaigning for President. She supports nutjob AOC’s Green agenda, which would destroy the U.S. economy! AOC wants to eliminate nuclear energy, eliminate commercial air travel, and provide giveaways for those who are “unwilling to work.” In other words – SOCIALISM!
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/02/09/trump-campaign-knocks-fraud-elizabeth-warren-upon-2020-announcement/
GIGi. If she is a fraud. What is scump???? Have you not been paying attention to what is occurring?? Oh yeah. 8600 confirmed lies means nothing to you. Disregard what I said. Breitbart???? I thought you graduated but I guess not. Sad
Gigi Two great US socialism programs are medicaid and medicare. The one failed socialism program is professional Sports. Think before you reply!!!!
Art, because you aren’t very bright let me help you.
socialism noun
so·cial·ism | \ ˈsō-shə-ˌli-zəm \
Definition of socialism
1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property
b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
Socialism vs. Social Democ
Just what we need. Let’s give the tyers and krools of the country more money to squander
Herpes You know me and you know that’s not what I mean. I wouldn’t give those two the time of day.
Your response has NOTHING to do with the topic or anything I’ve posted.
Agent Things here in pittsfield are broken. Tyer Harrington Bouvier Moon Kennedy Yon Edgerton are the worst of the Bad. Unless we can clean them out of the positions they hold which they are unqualified for nothing will change. One can only hope that the majority of people in this city can see this for what it is but with another goon reporting for the Eagle. Crane. She keeps the dumb dumber. Time will tell I guess. We need real change in this city in nearly every elected position. The city is made up of the haves and have nots with no middle. That is a recipe for disaster for all but the well to do which are all the city’s Gobsigs
Agent There is a pandering club here in pittsfield. Its most prominent members are tyered blovier harring bone moon. 650 lbs of lard and a half ounce of brain. During election time their tongues get very long. They love feeding at the public trough and spend all their time looking for photo ops. Accomplishments??? “0” We should make it a point to get rid of them at election time. No one will miss them except for the Gobsigs. We have to figure out a way to coral these leeches also. Election time in November appears to be getting interesting. It will more than likely be demolition derby. Its going to be very interesting. Some may not be able to withstand having competent opponents. Real debates will be scheduled and I’m not talking about the boot licking affairs we have seen in the past. We have to pray that the most capable people will run for office. I’m aware of at least two who if elected will lead this city out of bondage. The future for the city is looking better every day and I am not talking about gobsig supported imbeciles. They will bring common sense something which is totally lacking today. Bring on November. The Claws are sharpened and ready to sink into the panderers. God help them.
Thank you D A Harrington for keeping Mr. Capeless on. Very good move on your part. So many poor sports in our area
Really?! Why not thank DA Capeless for volunteering to do the job? Btw I’m sure Judge Spina told her to do it.
The only thing I do know.,Only because I read it in the Berkshire Eagle before the election,was that if Cacc had won D A Capless would be a stay over on certain unfinished cases. The bottom line, is D A Harrington agreed at some point. I think it makes good sense.any way you cut it, Capeless is a holdover on her dime and should get the kudos.
If you are a truth loving democrat or republican and cant stand the lies of the two party system you can become an independent. By so doing you can become free to side with the truth no matter where it is coming from. Just saeeing
Herpes. Reread my 5:39 pm post. I’m impressed how impressed you are with yourself!!!!
In the midst of this smear campaign being waged by an unhinged, failed candidate and the wife of the most corrupt, dishonest DA in our county’s history, it is worth revisiting a few facts related to the Williams College rape issue. It is an unequivocal fact that there were well over 100 rapes and 150 sexual assaults reported at Williams during the Capeleless/Caccaviello regime and not a single one was investigated and put before a grand jury. That’s a 0% GRAND JURY rate over the course of 14 years, let alone convictions. The last Williams rape case that was prosecuted was brought by Capeless’s predecessor, DA Downing.
What’s the explanation for all this? Corruption. And it’s all going to come out eventually.
Here are a few teasers for you.
The lead investigator in the Williamstown Police Department is Sgt. Scott McGowan. He is the son of the former Fire Department Chief of Williamstown, Edward McGowan. Dad is plugged into Williamstown town government and has plenty of sway in the town.
A few years ago, Sgt. McGowan was pulled over for a suspected DUI in a neighboring town. However, his cop buddies waited hours before administering a breathalyzer and Sgt. McGowan squeaked in under the limit. His Chief meted out a punishment anyway – a one day suspension. All drunk drivers should be so lucky.
A few years later, a Williamstown cop was accused of sexual assault. I am awaiting confirmation that the accused was McGowan, but info is hard to come by since the Williamstown Police Department and Berkshire DA’s office have buried records and done their best to conceal the entire episode. Ultimately, what happened is this: David Capeless, his henchman Det. Lt. Brian Foley of the MSP, Chief of Police Kyle Johnson in Williamstown and several well-placed Williamstown town leaders all colluded to make sure the complaint vanished and never went anywhere. An astonishing case of corruption, in black and white.
Fast forward to present day. Based upon the documents that came out during the election, Sgt. McGowan was the investigator in the Pucci case. After a complaint about his behavior was filed, Capeless had Det. Lt. Brian Foley review the investigation.
Starting to make sense yet? There’s plenty more.
(Cont’d)
(Part 2)
Shortly after Capeless announced his “retirement,” the corrupt Det. Lt. Foley accepted a buy-out and left the MSP. He was promptly hired by Sheriff Bowler as a Deputy Sheriff. Foley sure seemed to be in a hurry to get out of there once Capeless left, didn’t he?
Back to McGowan. Shortly after Pucci and his team sent in a request for public records to the Berkshire DA’s office, almost to the day, Sgt. McGowan contributed $250 to Caccaviello’s campaign. All of the Berskhire ADA’s involved in the case also became very generous with their contributions to Cacc’s campaign during this time.
Once the Williams rape issue became a focal point in the campaign again in late October, Sgt. McGowan made another $250 contribution to Cacc, (his father, who had never made a political donation in his life, also contributed). On the same day, Det. Lt. Foley made the same $250 contribution. A few days earlier, ADA Greg Barry who had handled the Pucci case also made a $250 donation to Caccaviello.
Where’s the endgame with all your rants. You have all the inside scope on public corruption, so what’s this all about?
Are you trying to sway public opinion? Is this the first in many salvos to embarrass, and influence Tommy Bowler’s re-election efforts?
Is Bowler as corrupt as Capeless and Cacc? We all that to be a given. So, now what?
We knew Bowler was corruptive the day he displayed a would-be sexual assault victim in front of Pittsfield PD. If you recall, Bowler’s would-be victim claimed then Sheriff Carmen Massimisano sexually assaulted him as a young boy; a powerplay to dissuade Massimiano from seeking re-election.
Does anyone remember the would-be victim’s name or any further investigation(s) undertaken since that day? Of course not!! The entire event was billed as scripted theater.
Cicero…
Skip the nonsensical ranting. Tell us all where DAAH is succeeding. Tell us why she is qualified.
If the place isn’t coming apart at the seams, why is Harrington in such a froth over leaks and wanting to find out who is speaking about the office?
She acts more like Trump than a Progressive.
Brian,
The only endgame is to get at the truth. Corruption in the criminal justice system is an affront to all of us. I know people who have been falsely accused of crimes and put through the ringer, as well as true victims who were improperly denied a chance at justice. Of all the bad things that can happen in this life, suffering an injustice in the criminal justice system is among the worst. Speak to people who have lived it if you have any doubts about that.
Unless you get into the details of particular cases, it’s difficult to comprehend the many ways corruption can manifest itself and subvert true justice. Ultimately, it all boils down to the fact that DA’s and their charges have complete, unilateral, and unanswerable authority.
Maybe you should read “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson. You’ll finish it in a day and just maybe it will change your outlook a bit.
Thanks for the reading selection “Just Mercy”. I read it last summer; wonderful book! I enjoyed every page.
And for the record: I have felt the brunt of Capeless’s raw politics and how he catered to local cops. I felt the brunt of Capeless’s political corruptness back in 2014. If you are who I think you are – read the record how a Lanesborough police chief and Capeless put me in the system because I complained about one of his cops.
It played out in my favor because Capeless couldn’t prove all the elements of his bullsh*t charge, coupled with case law favoring my argument.
And I also worked under Carmen Massimiano for six years. So I know firsthand how ‘junk justice’ is practiced over in the courts, and how cozy the relationship was between court personnel and Capeless’s office.
I not only know, but I have experienced Capeless’s political fury – firsthand.
I have read “Just Mercy”. Great read. I enjoyed every page.
I know firsthand about the political corruptness of Capeless and Caccaviello. If you are who I think you are reference my name with 2014 records. Read the entire record; you’ll learn, like I did, just how corrupt the system is around here.
Speaking of campaign donations. Guess who spent the most during the city wide election for city council in 2017? And Van Shields of the art selling Berkshire Museum was a Doner. This City Councilor actually outspent Her rival in Ward 1 7000 to 970.
Is it a secret that Moon was groomed, financed and shepparded into office? Not unlike a few of her buddies on the council who may never have thought of entering politics until someone presented the potential bennies to them.
So they have all hit their stride and probably should reveal their tax returns for the next several years.
Does her name rhyme with buffoon? Loon? Opportune?
The truth about Pucci
Pic i is a man looking for a payday, either via a lawsuit (not a criminal trial) against William’s College, William’s Town police, Williamstown itself and maybe even the DA’s office.
He has a client who was allegededly assaulted (she’s married and an alumna). The DA’s office under Capeless received her information and decided there wasn’t enough evidence to present a case. Pucci in hoping that a conviction at a criminal trial would aid in his quest for a victory at a civil trial (Pucci has been hired by a client, he’s only here as a hired trial lawyer).
Pucci is throwing anything he can at the wall to make things stick.
He’s quoting figure from a report that doesn’t include basic information on many of the assaults, not enough information to bring charges because a lot of it is anonymous.
Colleges have unique protections and responsibilities to victims under federal law. A victim may report anonymously a sexual assault. A victim may report a sexual assault to the campus police, to the school’s administration, and ask that it not be forwarded to the police or that it be anonymized for reporting.
It ends up as a “Jane Doe” report when seen by the DA’s office.
“Subject Female one reported unwanted touching on her buttocks and breasts at a party”. There may be something to investigate, but as the information is anonymized it is impossible to do so.
But back to Pucci, he’s a trial lawyer hired by an adult client and her husband, hired to “force” the DA to bring charges against an assailent known to them.
Guess what? In this #metoo world there’s NOTHING stopping her from going public. There’s nothing stopping her (or Pucci) from putting up a billboard “were you assaulted at William’s College, call 1-800 Pucci 4 cash, and we will get you your settlement check. Pucci and his client can hold a press conference, compel the DA to open up a case, I mean it work in a few of the Cosby cases, why not here.
Even now, Pucci has a friendly DA, ask that the case be opened again, it’s within DAAH power to get to the point on this case.
If she can stop doing PR for a few minutes, she case meek with the victim, and save the day. I mean that’s why Pucci, not a Berkshire County residue donated to DAAH campaign right? For the sake of Justice.
He suggested and DAAH parroted the notion that the DA’s office should used subpoena powers to compel schools and victims to come forward. That the DA’s office should use the weight of the govt to revictimize victims who thought they would be protected by anonymity.
So it’s strange, to me and many others, that Pucci has a client who wants “justice” for herself and other victims but is willing to victimize them to get her “day in court”. She can, on Monday, seek justice. Heck they could even just skip to the chase and seek their monetary justice that Pucci’s really after but that criminal case, well lack thereof, would probably make a civil suit less successful.
As part of the talking points during the campaign DAAH said she would go back and examine every case the former DA (DA Capeless) didn’t bring to trial. I’m not sure what she’s going to examine or who’s going to do it (Pucci maybe as a hired special prosecutor) but I’d love to see the details on what she does. I’d love to see how many cases she brings forward to trial or to be pleaded out using her well founded legal expertise.
To Mr. Pucci, you have a client, she’s clearly willing to seek some form of justice, you’ve paid off the existing DA during her campaign ($500 donation). Why not compel your client to come forward? Why not ask the new DA to reopen the case?
If the so-called abuses of the former DA’s office is so rampant, why isn’t there a groundswell of victims racing to you or the new DA asking for justice?
The reason? there was no abuse, there was no vast conspiracy to cover up 41-94 sexual assaults, the number varies depending on who you ask.
Victims reported things to the college expecting privacy, the college and police complied. Mr. Pucci’s client and her husband can walk into the DA’s office at any time, the bought their $500 ticket, and ask DAAH to seek justice.
Back in October, right around the time you endorsed Cacaviello, you showed up on these boards and started attacking the Williams College rape issue. You called Pucci and his client liars who were looking for a payday. In the process, you revealed information about Pucci’s case that was not contained in any of the public documents I have read, information which could only have come form inside the DA’s office. Isn’t it just marvelous that Caccaviello saw fit to share information regarding a sexual assault case with an individual outside of his office. I’m sure he shared the victim’s identity with you as well so you could look into her background and try to smear her. I wonder if the victim knows this, since I believe there are actually laws against sharing such information. I think this calls for an anonymous emil to Pucci. Who knows, maybe a subpoena is in your future.
Funny, right before reading your “inside scoop” about what Pucci’s motivation is, how awful he and his client are, etc., I re-read the documents that came out during the campaign. They are embedded in the article below if you’d like to take a look (though they load slowly).
https://www.greylockglass.com/2018/10/31/berkshire-da-handling-of-sexual-assault-evidence-under-fire/
First off, the article reminded me how blatantly both Caccaviello and Capeless lied when they said Pucci was the one who wanted the evidence back. They lied because they broke the law.
Second, I had forgotten that the victim has two daughters, one of whom was at the event where she was allegedly assaulted. Your flippant comments about “well, why isn’t she going pubic, then?” and holding new conferences, etc. are truly disgusting. If the accounts in those documents are accurate, going public would probably mean much more than a story in the Beagle; it would be a life-changing event for the victim and her family. Maybe you need to re-read some of the details before you demonstrate such contempt for this woman, such as:
“The sexual assault occurred between approximately 11:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.-a period of over two hours- in the pitch dark on a wet playing field adjacent to the tent…Finally, at approximately 1:30 a.m., ___ was rescued by ___ and other classmates while she was being lugged across the playing field at Poker Flats by ___ . ___ was in a drunken stupor. She could not speak coherently; she could not walk or stand without assistance. Her white pants were covered with grass stains and urine, as she had been unable to control herself. And although the night temperature had fallen into the 40s, ___ was only partially clothed. She was found barefoot, wearing only a tank top with no jacket or coat, and her pants were soaking wet and soiled. Her belt and cellphone were missing. ___ , who was carrying her, was caught holding her panties, coat, and shoes.”
Right after re-reading all those docs is when I saw your above posts, where you pretend to know the motivations of all involved – greed and nothing else- and mock them for not going public. Lady, that’s some pretty sick stuff.
“But back to Pucci, he’s a trial lawyer hired by an adult client and her husband, hired to “force” the DA to bring charges against an assailent known to them.”
You lie as easily as you breathe. It’s right there in the documents. Pucci and his team sent a long letter and a number of addendums (which were not made pubic) based on an investigation they had conducted. Pucci asked Capeless for his “reconsideration, and a full and immediate investigation to prevent a miscarriage of justice.”
He asked to have the investigation re-opened. Your characterization of that as trying to “force” the DA to bring charges is a lie. A misrepresentation of the truth told with purpose. You are a sick woman.
Could Cicero’s true identity be that of a Pucci?
Pucci the legal expert on re-victimizing the victim
“You contact Williams College. You ask them for their reports and interviews of the victims. If they don’t want to give them to you, you issue a grand jury subpoena,” he said.
You know those pesky reports that promise the victim confidentially. Imagine the chilling effect of reporting if victims know they are not afforded the confidentiality they were promised. But Pucci’s client has been afforded her confidentiality. It seems she’s not going public with her accusations, to the point that she’s willing to stand up and name names (but let’s force others to do it).
https://www.wamc.org/post/attorney-claims-berkshire-das-negligent-handling-williams-college-sexual-assault-reports
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/caccaviello-failed-torespond-to-williams,549082
The context of the quote you provided above was in terms of what might be done when high numbers of reported sexual assaults come out of a place like Williams without any actionable information. It was a “for instance,” which was contrasted against the Berkshire DA’s apparent long-standing policy in the face of so many complaints – to do absolutely nothing and say you are respecting “victim’s wishes” without making even a perfunctory attempt to speak to them. Consider who we are primarily talking about here – young, vulnerable women. I’m sure “advisors” at Williams College (or, say, corrupt officers at the Williamstown PD) would have an easy time steering victims toward the anonymity option and ending any criminal inquiry.
A big part of the problem is people like you, who lie so easily. The way you conflate anonymity with confidentiality is pure sophistry. Even in the extreme example of a subpoena being issued, the victim’s confidentiality would be assured by law, and his/her “anonymity” would be compromised ONLY with respect to the handful of law enforcement officers looking at the case. You are lying when you imply otherwise. Nobody would be “outed” or forced to go public.
Of course, that assumes proper behavior by law enforcement. It’s funny that you mention above that Pucci’s confidentiality has been protected by the Berkshire DA’s office. That’s not what Eoin Higgins wrote in his article. The victim’s identity was apparently provided to him, again in violation of the law.
If I weren’t a naive person, it almost looks like a the D A is willing to prosecute the Williams College incidents, it is waiting for a leg up (no pun intended) by lawyers representing clients. Think of the money that roll in, everywhere. Last I heard,I always thought Colleges are responsible for inquiries concerning allegations such as rape? What parents would send their young adult to a college with this sort of goings on? Victims need to call Gloria.
Imagine the money the DA plans to spend on special prosecutors and the subpoenas she plans to issue to victims.
I wonder if Pucci could act as special prosecutor AND use the confidential information from subpoenas to build a client list for his private practice? It’s two for the price of one.
Hello miss I know you’re information is confidential but would you like to sue Williams College? It’s a growth industry.
AgentSmith, Your last paragraph is right on. Williams is the number one Liberal Arts college in our country. It is a college of Leadership. Therefore, if what Pucci is saying regarding his client, a Williams College Alum, I would expect that with the new D.A. she would have been speaking out seeking justice. Williams, originally a ‘BOYS’ school has taught all its women to grow “A SET”.
Like the college salaries its the courthouse salaries who can afford the rise in real estate taxes.School administrators retirements are in the 80k category. Ask yourself if these people feel the pinch of 200 to 3 hundred rise in taxes a SS paycheck does.These folks also have private retirement plans.They are creating the poverty gap in America.Greed is in control of your councilors ,school committee president,and your Mayor.They are not even mentioning how do average people pay.Most of these people were brought up better than this .We have a City of poverty and they are in power and you vote for them year after year because they are nice boys and girls.
TSC The pack of buffoons you just spoke about are featured stars on the Gman show every Wednesday. He identifies them as the worst element in the city. He calls for their ouster on every one of his shows. The Mayor A out of her league lightweight,moon rivers white Krol Marchetti cacamo persip and Simonelli duds. Do any of them care about the rate or taxpayer??? Give me a break. Fiduciary responsible individuals??? You must be kidding. Will they ruin this city?? You know the answer. What can we do??.. You know that also but you haven’t done it yet. If you dont do it. Forget it. And what is the big deal about the DA’s dress??? She dresses like any junior high school girl dresses. She shows you who she is. No need to guess. Bouvier tyer moon Kennedy all have their hands in your pocket and smiling while they rob you. This bullshit has to stop. I know one person who is fed up with this and will do what 11 or 12 thousand other voters should do. Whether they do should start now. The lives of the middle class citizens in this city is at stake and action is required now. No excuses action now Action now Action now.The Ballot box is the corrective action that is desperately needed. Bring everyone you know to the ballot box in November. This bullshit must be contained and sent to the dump. Do I make myself clear????? Are you clear????
Please report how much your Federal income taxes went down under Trump.This should be the middle class blue collar achievement of your support.
AgentSmith sure did put Rinaldo Cicero in his place. I’m choking on my Cheerios. What a dope, what a maroon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8GGpYFmkYI
Yes, through the eyes of a simpleton, Judy sure did put me in my place. Through the eyes of non-simpletons, though, virtually all of what she said was dishonest and offensive.
There is no confirmation that Cicero is the great Renaldo.
February 10, 2019
Re: Congressman Richie Neal needs to unify with progressive Democrats
Dear Berkshire Eagle Editors,
I read your recent editorial against the Democrat majority in the U.S. House of Representatives holding a third vote for impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump. The problem I have with centrists (such as corporate-backed Richie Neal) versus progressive Democrats not being unified in impeaching Trump is that Trump will win based on a divided opposition Democratic Party. To be clear, Members of Congress like Richie Neal are undermining the 2020 contest in favor of Trump’s campaign by not taking a stand against the Trump administration in 2019.
I have a question for the Eagle Editors. How would the Eagle feel about me if I ran a state or local campaign in Pittsfield based on Trump’s 2016 campaign where he had neo-nazi’s and other hate groups work for him, and then I had neo-nazi’s and other hate groups work for my administration? I believe the Eagle would renounce my candidacy, and if I won political office, the Eagle would call for either my resignation or impeachment. How would I be any different from Donald Trump, other than the fact that I am not in the most powerful post in the free World?
What if I used my authority to separate immigrant toddlers from their mother’s arms? What if I held the government hostage to historic government shutdowns over my demand for a multi-billion-dollar racist border wall? What if I signed trillion-dollar tax cuts that ballooned our national debt by trillions of dollars? What if I tried to take away protections like ending pre-existing medical conditions and caps on insurance coverage by rescinding Obamacare? What if I pulled out of climate agreements, international treaties, and supported foreign dicators over our allies?
Would the Eagle take Congressman Richard Neal’s side if it was me instead of Donald Trump? I cannot comprehend how a corporate-backed PAC Congressman like Richard Neal represents a progressive region in Western Massachusetts, and then read the Eagle defend his centrists actions! In many ways, Richard Neal is aligned with Donald Trump when you look at his Republican Party backed campaign donations, his support from fiscally conservative financial donors, and his centrist policies.
In conclusion, Richard Neal should join the progressive movement and the Democrats should be unified in opposing Donald Trump, including an affirmative third U.S. House vote for impeachment in 2019!
– Jonathan Melle
Total TDS.
Trump 2020 what Jonathan posted are factual truths. Each can be confirmed. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all knew a lie from the truth and knew the facts from the alternative facts.
There are none so blind as those who will no see.
The next president announces momentarily in Minn. AK.
Only you would be stupid enough to back her.
Your predictions never come true so we know that she has no shot.
Trump will win the 2020 election,that’s if he stays away from social security in any form. If not, he loses,if not indictedoutside of politics.Go Trump, Joanathan, you seem to be all woman, are you a latent ho..s..al?
Dan, who is the psycho that was acquitted for shooting out windows at a home on Wahconah St. occupied by a fine legal South American family and legal American Citizen. Police had evidence and slam dunk conviction. Thrown out on a technicality.
A Capeless flunky non prosecution for sure. Talk about Hate Crimes? If Andrea had known this,she would have won on a slam dunk first time around.
Capeless will tell you himself, the D A budget has-been underfunded for-years.
That’s a tough one p,whether to keep an ex DA,whether ordered by A Judge or not. The current DA has to be able to reconcile that order. Personally,Judge, Law, or Governor request, I wouldn’t want a rival interfering with the current agenda, current cases pending or not.
Klonuchar is a shouting windbag. As bad as fauxcnahontis.
Here is the national version of Hooters Harrington.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/02/klobuchar-campaign-president-staff-mistreatment-reputation.html
Klobuchar doesn’t have the votes to be President,sorry. Way, to politically correct.
Don’t like Warren either,to spunky. All of these Democratic Candidates are trying way to hard to be liked. Trump 2020.
If Trump was as bad as they say he is,why didn’t they nail him befor the election. Trump should drop Mick Mulvaney
Trump will be in El Paso Tx tommorrow one of those he most safest Cities in the South West. Thank You President Trump.
The election should be about the truth. We have seen what we get when we dont hold people accountable when they lie. It appears all scump supporters are liars and also love a liar. What a mess scump has created. Be assured things will be corrected. Calling your self a scump supporter is calling yourself a liar. If you raise your children to accept lies what does that say about you. Do you really hold up scump as a role model for you children?? If you do you need help!!!!!
You will be judged for all your parroting of MSM propaganda and lies about President Trump.
You are a complete fool, as the Bible defines a fool.
What a crock of crap, Art. You consistently lie on this blog.
I believe you were asked to drop the Scump diatribes, but of course you think the rules don’t apply to you.
Some links on the background of Pucci.
If his client is seeking justice and not a payday, why not meet with the new DA?
If Pucci is worried about other victims why not ask his client to be the leader of this call for justice?
If Pucci is worried about victims and victims rights, why would he say?
Some quotes:
“Pucci is an outspoken supporter of Andrea Harrington and made two $500 contributions to her campaign. Harrington told WAMC she had spoken to Pucci about the issue.”
That’s what the world calls pay to play. I was off by $500. It was $1,000 not a measly $500.
“The DA’s release also says two-thirds of the reported incidents failed to identify either the victim or the alleged assailant.”
But Pucci’s solution is
““You contact Williams College. You ask them for their reports and interviews of the victims. If they don’t want to give them to you, you issue a grand jury subpoena,” he said. “The district attorney in Berkshire County has a grand jury standing and available. They issue a simple piece of paper to Williams, Williams gives them the name of the victims, and then they do the basics. ”
That’s right ignore Federal law and protections afforded victims and get those victims names and force them to be interviewed, to be witnesses, to be revictimized. Somehow the new DAAH agrees with this legal scheme based on her vast legal experience, why are they not getting those subpoenas now?
So Pucci has a client, she knows her assailant, she’s a married adult when was allegedly sexually assaulted, as an adult alumna, and drunk when it happened, makes for a very sympathetic victim. If she is seeking justice, she has a friendly DA, why not go to her now? If other victims have felt their needs were ignored, they were not heard…why aren’t they storming the gates at the DA’s office?
This is a DAAH campaign talking point, sounds great as a sound byte but when you really take a look at it the lies and self-interest and dealing are obvious.
https://www.wamc.org/post/berkshire-da-attacks-critic-addresses-williams-college-rape-cases-press-release
https://www.wamc.org/post/attorney-claims-berkshire-das-negligent-handling-williams-college-sexual-assault-reports
Why do you pretend to know what Pucci and his client are doing? How do you know he hasn’t already met with AH?
Pucci was pretty clear about the fact that he believed Capeless and Caccaviello had overseen an injustice against his client. And then both lied openly about aspects of the case during the campaign, a fact that you blithely ignore. Of course Pucci donated to anyone who could defeat the Capeless/Caccaviello regime. He experienced their “methods” firsthand and apparently wasn’t very impressed. I’m sure he despises them with a passion. If what he said during the campaign is true, he had very good reason to support AH. Stuff your simplistic “pay to play” gibberish.
The way you assign motivations to people is offensive. As is your flippant attitude about Pucci’s client or any other SA victim going public. And your “why aren’t they storming the gates?” comment is awful. An insult to victims.
Go away now.
CICERO
Do you know if Pucci has met with AH?
No idea. But how could I or anyone else claim that he hasn’t? That was my point. Unless AS is some sort of ever present, all-knowing being, how could she possibly confirm that Pucci and AH have not met?
I have heard things in other regards through a Williamstown contact, but has nothing to do with AH as far as I know.
Thanks, C.