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Bombshell: Others at Balch Knew of Bribery Scheme
Last October, we asked, who on Balch’s Executive Committee knew about the bribery scheme? It was in a way prophetic. The federal judge’s order against the motion to bifurcate the case not only revealed that Drummond Executive David Roberson has a realistic chance of being acquitted, but it also revealed others at Balch knew about the alleged bribery scheme. The judge writes: Defendant Gilbert testified before the grand jury that he discussed the legality of the Defendants’ agreement with Robinson’s Foundation “internally with [his law firm’s] ethics people,” who concluded that it was lawful. Additionally, Gilbert told the grand jury that…
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Powerful Bullies Lose
Josh Moon of the Alabama Political Report gives his analysis today of why Bill Canary lost support as CEO of the Business Council of Alabama: [Canary] tried to bully his way around and such tactics quickly wear thin among grown people….lawmakers, who once happily strolled into the building and voted for anything BCA sponsored, were so disenchanted with Canary and BCA that they told me they would vote against anything the organization backed. They were tired of being threatened, they said. And they were tired of Canary telling them what to do instead of working with them. Moon’s words are…
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Roberson Acquittal?
David Roberson, the Drummond Company executive who was indicted along with Balch & Bingham partners Steven McKinney and Joel Gilbert, has a realistic chance of being acquitted while his two former legal counselors could end up convicted for the Oliver Robinson Bribery Scheme. Although Roberson’s legal team lost their motion to bifurcate the case, the district judge wrote in his order: But, as the Government notes, when [Gilbert and McKinney] testified before the grand jury neither codefendant could recall specific discussions with Roberson regarding the legality of the agreement with [Oliver] Robinson or about the decision to hire Robinson’s Foundation.…
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DOJ Cracks Down on Judicial Corruption
Judge Carole Smitherman, the patron saint of the secretive and unconstitutional Star Chamber, may have more problems after she and her husband, State Senator Rodger Smitherman, accepted $30,000 in questionable contributions from entities funded by, associated with, or run by former associates of Balch & Bingham. The U.S. Department of Justice is cracking down on judicial corruption. Yesterday a Supreme Court Justice in the highest court in the State of West Virginia was arrested. Having provided information to the U.S. Department of Justice on alleged corruption and possible criminal conduct here in the judicial branch of Alabama, we were encouraged with the…
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Lies and Impunity Kill Canary
As the Business Council of Alabama collapses on the eve of the Oliver Robinson Criminal Bribery Trial, our readers ask why did Alabama Power and others seek leadership change? Bill Britt of the Alabama Political Reporter writes this morning: For over a year, [Alabama Power CEO Mark] Crosswhite and other prominent business executives worked quietly in the background to restore credibility to the once venerable business organization after its CEO, Billy Canary, took the witness stand in Lee County and discredited himself in defense of then-Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard. Canary not only prevaricated, he outright denied the sworn…
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Six Months Later, Feaga is MIA
[Update: In January of 2020, Stephen Feaga left the embattled firm. Click here to read more.] We were extremely pleased when Balch & Bingham announced six months ago the appointment of their first-ever Chief Compliance Officer, Stephen Feaga. We respect him and believe he is a pillar of integrity. But six months in, we ask, was it all window dressing? Our involvement began with the Burt Newsome Conspiracy Case. The case sits in a secretive, unconstitutional, and criminal Star Chamber for almost 300 days now. This case should have been settled over a year ago when former partner Clark A.…
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Will Balch & Bingham End Up Like Bill Canary?
Powerful. Connected. Trusted. Bill Canary at one point had it all. The former Chief of Staff to Alabama Governor Bob Riley is married to the former U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, Leura Canary. At their height, they were the most powerful political couple in Montgomery. But in the last 72 hours, we have seen Canary’s leadership at the the Business Council of Alabama crumble apart, completely collapse. Why? Because Alabama Power, Regions Bank and others have withdrawn their support of the BCA after their demands for leadership change were ignored. Once a plea deal or conviction is secured…
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States’ Rights, Overreach, and Balch & Bingham
In less than a week, indicted Balch & Bingham partner Joel I. Gilbert‘s criminal trial begins. In February, we took Gilbert to task for drafting what appears to be a letter of intimidation to a public charity in 2014 that demanded a list of their financial supporters. The hardball tactic reminded us of the unsavory tactics of segregationists and racists in the 1960s who would demand lists of financial supporters of Civil Rights organizations. Public charities are protected from these tactics. In another alleged racist incident, Balch & Bingham was allegedly involved in an alleged “whites-only” land grab in Vincent,…
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Alabama Power Withdraws from Business Council of Alabama
Alabama Political Reporter broke the news today: This morning, a letter was delivered to the Business Council of Alabama stating that Alabama Power is withdrawing its membership from the business organization, “effective immediately.” Alabama Political Reporter obtained a copy of the letter in which Alabama Power CEO Mark Crosswhite makes clear to BCA Chairman Perry Hand and Executive Committee members why the company is pulling its support. “[W]e have become concerned that membership in BCA has become a liability rather than a benefit,” states Crosswhite in the first paragraph. He further writes, “To be candid, BCA has needlessly alienated federal…
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No Three Musketeers
Maybe some thought the Three Musketeers would walk through the courtroom doors on June 25th screaming, “All for one, one for all!” But this criminal trial is not a movie; the reality is there are two trials wrapped in one: one against the Balch & Bingham partners Joel Gilbert and Steven McKinney, and another against the Drummond executive David Roberson. Our sources confirm that Drummond is allegedly furious at Balch & Bingham for engaging the company in an illegal, criminal scheme. The anger allegedly is weighed more against Gilbert than McKinney. Why the anger? As we reported before, our sources…
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Will the Drummond Separation End in Divorce?
Just imagine if the Drummond executive’s honesty, hard work and integrity are contrasted before a jury against the alleged abhorrent and unprofessional conduct by Balch in the Newsome Conspiracy Case. [ This post originally was published on December 14, 2017. Because the defendants recently lost their motion to bifurcate the case into two separate criminal cases, the case will be even more interesting to watch come June 25th.] On September 28, 2017 when two Balch & Bingham partners were indicted along with an executive at Drummond Company, Inc. in the Oliver Robinson Bribery Scandal, Drummond issued the following statement: When…
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Losing Streak
Will the indicted partners at Balch & Bingham risk their lives for the sake of the firm? Do they honestly, truly believe they can beat the criminal charges? Before Steven McKinney and Joel Gilbert were indicted, Washington insiders were allegedly used to try to prevent or block the indictments, even allegedly whispering indirectly into U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ ear. They lost. After a new U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama was confirmed, Alabamian power-brokers thought he’d toss the possible indictments aside. He didn’t. They lost. On the eve of their indictments, the law firm representing Joel Gilbert attempted…
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Balch’s Blob
60 years ago, the horror flick “The Blob” was Steve McQueen’s film debut. The Blob was devouring and dissolving everything in its path in rural Pennsylvania. Now Balch & Bingham’s Blob is devouring the legal system in Alabama. In less than two weeks, a criminal trial against two Balch partners begins. At around the same time, Balch’s secretive and unconstitutional Star Chamber will strike 300 days of existence. Balch’s Blob was created with hubris and the foolish need to demonstrate absolute power and control. Although there is a complete blackout regarding the Newsome Conspiracy Case, the case has now gone…
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Balch vs. Balch
We know about some of the great and honorable partners at Balch & Bingham who truly have been hurt by the alleged unsavory, racist, and criminal conduct by a few bad apples at the firm. In Atlanta, a controversy has exploded over the high legal fees paid to a law firm to investigate a first-class junket to South Africa. And who offered the most ethical, most honorable, most insightful observations on the matter? A Balch & Bingham partner. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports: Mike Bowers, a former Georgia attorney general and partner at Balch & Bingham, said officials were right…
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Who Will Flip Before June 25th?
As the criminal trial against Balch & Bingham partners Joel I. Gilbert and Steven McKinney set to start on Monday, June 25th with jury selection, the question observers have is will either of them flip and take a plea deal? We had reported after the indictments for the $360,000 bribery scheme were handed down that there had been speculation that due to his age, maybe McKinney would become a federal witness instead of facing a literal life sentence in federal prison. Now there is speculation that Gilbert may cut a deal since he is at the prime of his life…
