A lengthy bombshell report in The Guardian today on the Matrix Meltdown has caused Alabama Power to go mute. Matrix is an obscure political consulting firm tied to alleged unsavory misconduct.
The Guardian reports:
“Southern Company and Alabama Power run the state of Alabama,” [former Alabama Public Service Commission member Terry] Dunn said. “They work off intimidating. You gotta bow down and kiss the ring.”
A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on the firm’s activities. Perkins called Matrix’s work for the utility “confidential”.
Ari Peskoe, director of the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard Law School said the “whole purpose” of firms like Matrix “is to conceal that it’s the utility doing this. The utility doesn’t want to be associated with this campaign.”
Four years ago this month, esteemed Balch & Bingham partner Joel I. Gilbert and ex-Drummond executive David Roberson were convicted on all six criminal counts including bribery and money laundering in the North Birmingham Bribery Trial.
Although disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town attempted to blame the bribery scandal on a “lone wolves” theory, no one believed him. The Three Stooges (Alabama Power, Balch, and Drummond) foolishly thought the worst was behind them.
Wrong!
Corporate representatives, goons, and hired stooges for Alabama Power, Drummond Company, Balch & Bingham, and other related entities are exposed.
Why? Depositions in the Matrix Meltdown.
The Matrix Meltdown is an ugly legal fight between Matrix founder “Sloppy Joe” Perkins and his once-protégé “Jittery Jeff” Pitts. Lawsuits have been filed in Florida and Alabama. Last month, attorneys for “Sloppy Joe” noticed “Jittery Jeff” for a deposition.
An insightful deposition?
What will “Jittery Jeff” Pitts expose?
Will he bring the House of Marked Cards crashing down?
What “dirty deeds” were done for the benefit of the Three Stooges?
Grave problems appear to lie ahead.
Balch’s alleged sugar daddy, Alabama Power, is allegedly under federal scrutiny while media chase the tax-exempt entities tied to Matrix. The utility paid Perkins and Matrix millions secretly behind the scenes allegedly engaged in dirty deeds.
Daydreaming, Balch & Bingham’s Managing Partner Stan Blanton appears to foolishly believe he has weathered-the-storm by accepting make-believe diversity awards and hiring a handful of people of color. How did Balch utilize Matrix? Did they target opponents using Matrix’s alleged collection of fake activists and actors?
Drummond, which sealed the Roberson case in a secretive Star Chamber, and wrote a $25,000 contribution to ex-U.S Senator and Balch stooge Luther Strange during the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal, may find themselves under scrutiny. Did Drummond utilize Matrix? Do they have any secret contracts with Matrix or “Sloppy Joe” Perkins? Was Matrix involved in challenging any of the Colombia lawsuits?
But the biggest screw up we have seen is “Sloppy Joe” Perkins laying out a criminal enterprise last month involving 18 tax-exempt entities and over $50 million in money laundering on yellowhammernews.com only to engage in a full retreat with his tail between his short legs.
Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder and members of his legal team conducted a “shadow investigation” and compiled a “dossier” targeting former team employees, their attorneys and journalists in an attempt to discredit his accusers and shift blame following allegations of widespread misconduct in the team’s workplace, according to the findings of the investigation conducted by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Moreover, Snyder hired private investigators and lawyers to unearth inappropriate emails and evidence aimed at convincing the NFL and Beth Wilkinson, who was conducting a league-sponsored investigation into sexual harassment in the organization, that Snyder’s longtime team president Bruce Allen was primarily responsible for any workplace issues.
Known for using the obscure political consulting firm Matrix for decades, are Balch & Bingham and Alabama Power (along with their third-wheel pal Drummond Company) next?
Will Alabama Power CEO and former Balch partner Mark A. Crosswhite and the alleged unsavory and criminal misconduct against perceived opponents be exposed?
Were attorneys, activists, and journalists targeted by any or none of The Three Stooges (Alabama Power, Balch, and Drummond)?
The alleged federal investigation of Crosswhite and the alleged obstruction of justice in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal could bring down the house of marked cards once and for all.
Most importantly, the Matrix Meltdown between “Sloppy Joe ” Perkins and his once-protégé Jeff Pitts could now possibly open more criminal investigations, including Civil Rights probes, and a slew of federal civil RICO lawsuits against Southern Company, their subsidiaries, and agents like Balch.
Our high-level sources claim more stunning revelations and possible criminal indictments will be coming out of Florida in the forthcoming weeks.
Federal investigators have been waiting to make moves after the run-off elections yesterday. The secretive and unconstitutional Star Chamber involving ex-Drummond executive David Roberson’s $75 million civil lawsuit against Balch and Drummond Company may soon take center stage as federal investigators believe criminal misconduct is being concealed under the auspices of “trade secrets” and “privileged information.”
Before the case was sealed in its entirety, Alabama Power and Crosswhite objected to discovery and intent for deposition requests by Roberson, demonstrating sheer panic to the rebirth of the North Birmingham Bribery Trial.
Roberson’s civil lawsuit is sealed tightly with no public information or details available since February of 2021.
But just like Snyder, the alleged targeting of opponents, alleged unethical shenanigans, and alleged criminal misconduct related to the Three Stooges will come to light, bright and bold, for all to see.
The federal statute of limitations for obstruction of justice is five years. The timing of the alleged federal investigation makes sense. The statute would expire the summer of 2023.
Since November, Birmingham is seeing what appears to be the collapse of the house of marked cards allegedly propped up by the deep resources of Alabama Power. The Three Stooges (Balch & Bingham, Drummond, and Alabama Power) have seen their dominance stumble.
High-level sources told us in late October that allegedly Mark A. Crosswhite, the Chairman and CEO of Alabama Power and a former partner at embattled law firm Balch & Bingham, was an alleged target of an obstruction investigation.
Photos from December show a disheveled Crosswhite who appears to be despondent.
Federal Judge Abdul K. Kallon resigned along allegedly with two Assistant U.S. Attorneys earlier this month, while Balch partner Bo Lineberry committed suicide last week.
What enormous pressure and worry caused Lineberry to end his life? Was he facing unbearable consequences? Was there an offer on the table that was too brutal for Lineberry to accept?
Seasoned law enforcement authorities tell us the Lineberry suicide spoke volumes about the depth and seriousness of the alleged federal probe.
Now national media are focused on the alleged unsavory and criminal misconduct and alleged abuse of power surrounding the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal and the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama once run by disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town who resigned in 2020.
Concurrently, federal investigators are allegedly looking at obstruction of justice and accusations of “criminal concealment.”
In what looked like sheer panic with the rebirth of the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal, the illustrious Mark White, Mark Crosswhite’s go-to criminal attorney, fumbled the ball and showed how concealment appears to be part and parcel of the work product and a standard operating procedure of the Three Stooges and their hired guns.
[Alabama Power’s] team of attorneys at White, Arnold, & Dowd, led by white-collar criminal attorney Mark White, filed an avalanche of court pleadings in December [2020] at the courthouse in office, over the counter as if were 1950 not 2020. (We wonder if Mark White still uses a rotary phone, stencil duplicator, and Royal typewriter.)
The delay and “hiding the goods” tactic failed. The paper court pleadings were [immediately] scanned and uploaded by the clerk to Alacourt where we, the CDLU, were able to download them.
Concealment has been a consistent element.
Concealment was discover in January with Alabama Power’s multi-million-dollar secret contracts (no invoicing required)with obscure political consulting firm Matrix and its founder “Sloppy Joe” Perkins were exposed.
Attorneys for “Sloppy Joe” attempted to call the secret contracts “trade secrets” and sent worthless demand letters to an environmental group and blog that published the concealed million-dollar agreements.
Allegations of non-disclosure and concealed indemnity agreements tied to Alabama Power and Balch have swirled since 2017.
Absolute concealment was achieved when ex-Drummond executive David Roberson’s $75 million civil lawsuit was sealed in its entirety in the Winter of 2021 in an attempt to hide alleged criminal misconduct. The secretive Star Chamber does not allow anyone to follow or read proceedings in the case.
Balch terminated an alleged pedophile months before he was arrested for soliciting a child online. Ex-Balch attorney Chase T. Espy had worked at the embattled firm for eight years. He then went on to work briefly for Alabama Governor Kay Ivey when he was arrested and immediately fired last August. What caused Balch to fire Espy? What did Balch conceal from the public and the governor regarding Espy?
Mark White
The biggest concealment appears to be Alabama Power’s alleged secret deal during the North Birmingham Bribery Trial in which the company was “unmentionable” during the trial and criminal defense attorneys allegedly had to clear any mention of Alabama Power with Mark White.
The federal statute of limitations for obstruction of justice is five years. The timing of the alleged federal investigation makes sense. The trial happened in July of 2018. The statute would expire the summer of 2023.
Now Alabama Power and their sister-wife Balch & Bingham appear to have even bigger issues coming.
If obstruction of justice indictments are handed down and/or alleged criminal information is disclosed related to the alleged federal probe and the Matrix Meltdown, expect a federalcivil RICOlawsuit or two against Balch, Alabama Power, and others.
The first civil RICO lawsuit will be based on the Newsome Conspiracy Case, a travesty of justice in which an innocent man, Burt Newsome, was allegedly targeted, falsely arrested, and defamed by Balch in an attempt to steal his law practice providing legal services to banks.
Another, separate civil RICO lawsuit could be filed on behalf of “fall guy”and ex-Drummond executive David Roberson.
Either way, the Three Stooges and their defenders are exposed in the open no matter how many concealed deals, secret smear campaigns, or Star Chambers they create.
Judge Abdul K. Kallon who presided over the North Birmingham Bribery Trial is abruptly resigning. His clerk confirmed the news to the CDLU this afternoon with a sigh.
Kallon joins disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town, who fled in the middle of the night in 2020 after photos were published of him chugging cocktails with Alabama Power CEO and ex-Balch partner Mark A. Crosswhite allegedly at the height of the North Birmingham Bribery Trial.
Judge Abdul K. Kallon
The unexpected announcement comes as federal investigators allegedly probe obstruction of justice.
During the criminal trial of Balch & Bingham partner Joel I. Gilbert and Drummond executive David Roberson in July of 2018, criminal defense attorneys were allegedly instructed not to mention Alabama Power or their ties to the money laundering entity Alliance for Jobs and the Economy (AJE) without first clearing it with Alabama Power’s criminal attorney.
The secret deal was an absolute travesty of the due process of law and demonstrated a blatant lack of integrity or impartiality.
Did Kallon approve this alleged crooked deal? Was he in cahoots with any of the shenanigans?
Now investigators need to continue to dig deep into Crosswhite, Drummond’s confused General Counsel Blake Andrews, Drummond’s ex-CEO Mike Tracy who also “abruptly quit retired” after cuddling Balch & Bingham, and of course the million-dollar blank-check contracts with the obscure political consulting firm Matrix and its head honcho, “Sloppy Joe” Perkins.
As we wrote in January:
For years, incredible rumors and colorful innuendo circulated around Matrix, now in the middle of an ugly, two-state divorce between founder Joe Perkins and his once-protege Jeff Pitts.
The allegations include using actors, smearing political opponents, setting up AstroTurf campaigns, hiring brain-dead journalists, and engaging in fear-tactics that couldappear to be criminal acts.
Although Alabama Power, Balch & Bingham and their henchmen have successfully sealed cases and documents, and helped create an unnecessary and unprecedented secret Star Chamber surrounding ex-Drummond executive David Roberson’s $75 million civil lawsuit where court proceedings, documents, and motions are unknown, the fact is their alleged unsavory and criminal misconduct can no longer be hidden away from federal investigators.
Called the “most powerful man in Alabama” by his admirers, Alabama Power’s Crosswhite was overjoyed in 2020 when he received a make-believe award for doing what electric utilities are obligated to do: keep the lights on during an election.
Targeted
Earlier this year, Stan Blanton, the managing partner at alleged racist law firm Balch & Bingham (where the scheme to target poor African-American children was born) was overjoyed when he received a make-believe award for diversity and inclusion.
But now, reality is knocking on their doors. There will be no make-believe awards from a federal grand jury.
Appointed in 2010, Kallon was three years away from senior status which meant he could have retired with full benefits.
Observers say the abrupt resignation does not make any sense.
Kallon’s resignation used the stock-and-trade “spend more time with family” excuse like Town. And like Town, Kallon will step down not immediately, but in the near future.
We simply cannot believe that BanBalch.com is five-years old as of last Friday.
A half-decade later, our website is a success because of you, our dear readers, and the incompetent and foolish leadership at Balch & Bingham and Alabama Power which arrogantly dismissed the need for an examination of conscience, apologies, and internal reform.
Although this site started with the Newsome Conspriracy Case, (and was quite plain and boring), Balch’s self-inflicted wounds mushroomed our reporting and advocacy.
Hit head-on: September 11, 2020
Five years later, Burt Newsome is more successful as an attorney, and highly respected for fighting for his livelihood while protecting his family from the alleged criminal and egregious misconduct of his unknown enemies. Even though he suffered a broken leg and grave injuries in a highly unusual head-on collision, “Iron-man” Newsome came back stronger than ever.
People have had enough of the bullying and lopsided favoritism by powerful interests in Alabama.
While the Newsome Conspiracy Case and Roberson Civil Case are sealed and hidden in secretive Star Chambers, eventually federal RICO suits could be filed that will open the pandora’s box.
More importantly is the alleged ongoing federal probe of Alabama Power, Balch & Bingham, the Matrix Meltdown, and others, allegedly over the obstruction of justice.
Sources tell us that the probe could branch into the alleged cover-up of former Balch attorney and accused pedophile Chase T. Espy, the alleged Elderly Abuse Scandal, and/or the Mississippi Rental Assistance Debacle.
And disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town’s alleged misconduct in the North Birmingham Bribery Trial and Newsome Conspiracy Case may have spurred the probe.
We, the CDLU, will continue to write, advocate, and reach out to law enforcement, congressional investigators, federal regulators, and investigative journalists.
Since November, we have been told by high-level sources that a federal investigation is ongoing in Birmingham and focused on “obstruction” and other alleged crimes. Balch & Bingham appears to be in disarray, suffering from internal strife since late last year and we know that something is going on.
Today, we list a cast of characters that should be interviewed by federal investigators.
Undoubtedly, backers, insiders, lackeys and stooges from Alabama who were tied to the Trump Administration appear to have tried to protect their web of power, allegedly obstruct justice, possibly cover-up alleged criminal acts, and limit additional investigations during the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal, Trial, and aftermath.
Chug, chug, chug!
The photos of Alabama Power CEO and former Balch partner Mark A. Crosswhite enjoying refreshing cocktails at the Moon Shine Lounge with then-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town allegedly at the height of the North Birmingham Bribery Trial symbolize the enormous power, bottomless financial resources, and unlimited influence Alabama Power has.
The ties between the Three Stooges (Balch, Alabama Power, and Drummond) and the Trump Administration were intensely close.
The common denominator is the Trump Administration appointees.
When President Donald J. Trump as a candidate was to be endorsed by then-U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions in 2016, the original venue was to be at the hangar of Black Hall Aerospace in Huntsville, a Balch & Bingham client.
Sessions number one lifetime donor was Alabama Power while his number two lifetime donor was Alabama Power’s sister-wife Balch & Bingham, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Jeffrey H. Wood
After Trump’s victory in 2016, Jeff Sessions became U.S. Attorney General and Balch partner Jeffrey H. Wood, a lobbyist who was on Capitol Hill on behalf of Alabama Power at the height of the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal in 2016, was nominated as Assistant Attorney General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD).
Balch stooge and Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange was appointed U.S. Senator in February of 2017 after Sessions became U.S. Attorney General.
Trey Glenn, the former Executive Director of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and a Balch & Bingham consultant, was appointed EPA Administrator for the Region Four in August of 2017.
That summer of 2017, Jay E. Town was nominated and confirmed as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama.
President Trump’s Economic Advisory Councils were disbanded in 2021.
Luther Strange and ex-Alabama Governor Robert J. Bentley
The biggest if not smelliest alleged crime we uncovered was the $25,000 contribution alleged bribeto Luther Strange that was allegedly hand-delivered by the Drummond family to Strange just before he signed and sent a letter drafted by Balch against the North Birmingham CERCLA matter on official Alabama Attorney General letterhead.
Beyond the alleged bribe contribution to Strange, federal authorities should look at the alleged “just-cut-a-check-and-don’t-ask-questions” bribery ring involving some of the most powerful corporations in Alabama.
Each and every executive at Drummond, including “confused” General Cousel Blake Andrews, every member of Drummond’s Board of Directors, and all Drummond family members involved with the company need to be interrogated by federal investigators.
Then there is the “most powerful man in Alabama,” Mark A. Crosswhite, the CEO of Alabama Power, and the “blood money” contribution to the entity that allegedly helped provoke the January 6th insurrection on Capitol Hill, trying to overturn the election for Trump.
During the 2019-2020 election cycle, the single largest contribution from Alabama Power Employees Federal PAC went to the Rule of Law Defense Fund, the entity that launched robocalls the day before the insurrection mob marched to and desecrated the U.S. Capitol.
The most powerful man in Alabama?
The robocall stated, “The March to Save America is tomorrow in Washington, D.C….At 1:00 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,” according to The Washington Post.
In addition, allegedly Alabama Power had a secret deal where they were “unmentionable” during the North Birmingham Bribery criminal trial. Alabama Power was the only entity that donated to the money laundering entity known as the Alliance for Jobs and the Economy (AJE) that did NOT testify during the trial in 2018.
Crosswhite, boasted in 2016 that he enjoys being the final decision maker as the leader of the utility.
When speaking to investigators, will Crosswhite admit he made the final decision to funnel $25,000 to the Rule of Law entity or will he blame others? Will he even acknowledge an alleged secret deal with the Office of the U.S. Attorney or will that remain unmentionable?
Speaking of disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Town, he was an important Trump ally and appointee who looks like he engaged in possible prosecutorial misconduct.
Disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town
Town allegedly told others, according to sources, that his nomination was confirmed too late in 2017 by the U.S. Senate for him to kill the North Birmingham Bribery Trial and that some would have to stand trial.
After the criminal convictions in 2018, Town refused to expand the North Birmingham Bribery investigation and declared that Balch’s Joel I. Gilbert and ex-Drummond executive David Roberson were “lone wolves,” which law enforcement officers and others saw as a betrayal.
Knowing there are no such things as coincidences, the half-baked deposition with Verizon in the Newsome Conspiracy Case appears to be a centerpiece in the alleged dirty work linked to Town.
And what law firm represents Verizon regularly? McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter in Morristown, New Jersey, just one mile away from Verizon’s Corporate Headquarters. And who worked for McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter before his career as a prosecutor? Jay E. Town.
Trey Glenn
Finally, there is Trump appointee and former Balch consultant Trey Glenn, the disgraced former EPA Administrator of Region 4, who lasted about a year on the job. He could make for a terrific federal witness.
In November of 2020, AL.com reported that Glenn had struck a plea deal in his criminal ethics case writing:
As part of the deal, prosecutors dropped felony charges against him and he won’t spend any time in jail. Instead, he must pay $10,000 in fines and keep his nose clean during two years of unsupervised probation.
“Part of the understanding is that Mr. Glenn will testify truthfully in any matter in which we call him and subpoena him as a witness,” Alabama Ethics Commission General Counsel Cynthia Raulston told the court.
The Three Stooges (Drummond Company, Balch, and Alabama Power) fiercely sought protective orders in December of 2020 in the rebirth of the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal, David Roberson’s $75 million civil lawsuit, which has since been sealed in its entirety.
What are they afraid of? The Three Stooges have shown concern and vivid panic, and investigators need to probe.
Crosswhite, Andrews, Town, Glenn, Strange, Sessions, Wood and others close to them should be interviewed by criminal investigators if they haven’t been already.
With the Alabama Supreme Court saying Balch must stand trial for fraud in ex-Drummond executive David Roberson’s $75 million civil lawsuit, more criminal indictments are needed.
The Three Stooges of this horrific saga known as the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal need to be held accountable.
The rebirth of the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal may go on for another three or four years in secret, in a sealed and closed Star Chamber.
However, federal investigators can and must dig deep into the shenanigans.
Larry, Curly and Moe have been replaced by “Lying” Balch, “Confused” Drummond, and “Unmentionable” Alabama Power.
1. More Potential Lies and Possible Co-Conspirators
The bottom line is if Balch can mislead and lie, and call the bullshit a “legal service,” then what other lies or misleading statements have they provided to federal investigators?
What to expect from Balch? White lies, damn lies, and prison time?
As the judge in the criminal case wrote during the trial, “[Balch partner Joel I.] Gilbert told the grand jury that others at the law firm ‘were aware of [the] engagement’ of Robinson on behalf of Roberson’s employer, and Defendant [Balch partner Steven] McKinney testified that Gilbert told him that ‘the government affairs guys vetted [the agreement with Robinson’s Foundation] and said it was okay.'”
But Gilbert had lied to McKinney as he had done so to Roberson.
David Roberson told The Washington Post in 2020 that beyond convicted felon and ex-Balch partner Joel I. Gilbert, allegedly another 20 Balch & Bingham attorneys were involved in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal.
So how many Balch partners or attorneys were involved in stamping their seal of approval on the purchase of corrupt politician Oliver Robinson?
How many more individuals at Balch knowingly were involved in processing the over $360,000 in bribes to Robinson?
2. Tampered Evidence
More importantly, how many documents, invoices, and/or emails have been tampered with and by whom?
On December 1, 2014, convicted ex-Balch & Bingham partner Joel I. Gilbert dispatched a letter of intimidation to GASP, the health and environmental public charity that they tried to undercut.
Gilbert outside the courthouse
According to Balch billing documents, Gilbert may have been on vacation the week of Thanksgiving 2014, because his last billing is for Friday, November 21, 2014. The letter is dated December 1, 2014, a Monday, but nothing shows up in the December billings.
Who paid for that letter? Were there alterations of billing documents and invoices?
Were federal prosecutors misled or hoodwinked?
Balch allegedly may have provided a manipulated invoice to federal authorities during the North Birmingham Bribery Trial as the original invoice.
Drummond claimed in pleadings before the Roberson case was sealed in its entirety that “Balch’s first draft of the invoice was incorrectly addressed to Blake Andrews…”
Drummond’s lawyers were so furious that the original invoice was being used in the $75 million civil lawsuit, Drummond even subpoenaed the former secretary of convicted felon and ex-Balch partner Joel I. Gilbert. She handwrote “It should be David Roberson” on the invoice.
Who really cares who actually scribbled down the change?
The undisputed fact is the original invoice was changed. Was Roberson duped, signed off on the corrupt invoice, and set up as the “fall guy?”
Federal investigators need to only look at an example of the alleged alteration of evidence in the Newsome Conspiracy Case—the future RICO suit against Balch that currently is awaiting further indictments.
Nothing should surprise federal investigators. Nothing.
3. Paid Balch Stooges
Then there are Trey Glenn and Scott Phillips who should be probed by federal investigators. As readers may recall, Glenn and Phillips were indicted in November of 2018 by a local grand jury.
Mugshots of Phillips and Glenn
Balch & Bingham contracted with Trey Glenn who then directed payments to Scott Phillips to lobby the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to oppose the EPA in listing the North Birmingham site on the National Priorities List.
At the time that Scott Phillips and Trey Glenn were receiving money from Balch to lobby ADEM on a policy matter involving the listing of North Birmingham as a Superfund site, Scott Phillips was on the Alabama Environmental Management Commission, the entity that oversees ADEM.
The lobbying scheme and testimony from Phillips and Glenn were used to convict Roberson in his criminal trial. Roberson was allegedly told by Drummond executives and lawyers at Balch that the consulting work paid to the duo was in regardsto the ABC Coke plant, a lie.
4. “Confused” Drummond and Alleged Bribes
According to sources, the federal government wanted Roberson to honestly testify about the alleged bribes from Drummond Company to politicians.
The Roberson Family
The testimony the feds also sought included details of an alleged bribery ring of “do-not-ask” but “just-send-the-check” co-conspirators. But Roberson’s criminal attorneys allegedly rejected a full-immunity deal. Roberson would be a free man today.
With the criminal attorneys being paid generously by Drummond Company, some observers wonder: Was the rejection of the immunity deal done solely for Drummond’s benefit at Roberson’s expense?
Blake Andrews, General Counsel of Drummond Company, was allegedly so “confused” by the invoices in the North Birmingham Bribery Scheme, he allegedly had Roberson sign off on them as the “fall guy.”
Was “Confused” Andrews involved in any way with the rejection of this immunity deal?
Drummond allegedly vowed to keep him on the payroll, pay for his criminal litigation costs, and take care of Roberson and his family. Yet six months after his conviction, Roberson was terminated. He lost his home, his possessions, and barely can pay for the prescription drugs of his family members.
The Alliance for Jobs and the Economy (AJE) was the corrupt entity behind the money laundering of $360,000 in bribes to disgraced ex-State Representative Oliver Robinson.
Strange involved himself in the North Birmingham EPA matter, allegedly provoked by Balch, even though Strange had no authority to do so. At the time, the Governor had delegated the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to handle all issues related to the North Birmingham EPA matter.
On October 13, 2014, convicted felon and Balch-made millionaire Joel I. Gilbert sent Luther Strange, then the Alabama Attorney General, a draft letter about the North Birmingham EPA matter.
Four days later, on October 17, Strange accepted a $25,000 contribution from Drummond Company.
The $25,000 was allegedly hand delivered in 2014 to Attorney General Strange when Thompson allegedly brought him over to Drummond Company’s executive offices, circumventing government affairs and meeting with members of the Drummond family directly.
Six days later after the money was deposited, Strange signed the ghost-written letter and dispatched it on his official letterhead to the EPA on October 23, 2014. (Read the source documents here.)
5. Alabama Power’s Secret Deal and the Matrix Meltdown
In court filings in the Roberson case (before it was sealed), Alabama Power claimed the utility “was a victim of those who ran AJE.”
As we said before, cry us a polluted river!
The money-laundering entity of the Alliance for Jobs and the Economy (AJE) was the alleged brainchild of Alabama Power while emails from convicted Balch-made millionaire Joel I. Gilbert discussing the North Birmingham Bribery Scheme were sent to Alabama Power while convicted ex-Drummond executive David Roberson in some instances was simply carbon-copied. Alabama Power was briefed regularly.
In their pleadings Alabama Power also discusses our post on Jeffrey H. Wood, the ex-Balch & Bingham lobbyist who was on Capitol Hill in 2016 being briefed on the North Birmingham CERCLA matter at the height of the bribery scandal on behalf of Alabama Power, calling information on Wood’s lobbying efforts “irrelevant.”
Paying for Refreshing Cocktails or a Conspiracy on the Rocks?
What really angered Alabama Poweris the alleged secret deal with disgraced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town in which Alabama Power was “unmentionable” during the criminal trial, calling the allegations a “conspiracy theory.”
The jaw-dropping photos of Town and Crosswhite at the Moon Shine Lounge are not a “conspiracy theory.”
Now Alabama Power has more controversy with alleged secret indemnity agreements and multi-million-dollar contracts not requiring detailed invoicing.
The Matrix Meltdown is causing a storm of documents to be leaked and a published report outlined how Alabama Power allegedly dished out $2.5 million to Joe Perkins, the founder of the obscure political consulting firm Matrix, without the need to provide itemized invoices.
For years, incredible rumors and colorful innuendo circulated around Matrix, now in the middle of an ugly, two-state divorce between founder Joe Perkins and his once-protege Jeff Pitts.
The allegations include using actors, smearing political opponents, setting up AstroTurf campaigns, hiring brain-dead journalists, and engaging in fear-tactics that could appear to be criminal acts.
And these alleged fear-tactics and criminal acts, could they the center of a criminal investigation that could lead to more indictments?
[This post originally was published on October 22, 2018 before Alabama Power was linked to the staged arrest of Burt Newsome or the filing of ex-Drummond executive David Roberson’s $75 million civil suit. The Crosswhite Scandal (alleged imdemnity deals and secret million-dollar contracts) and the ever-growing Matrix Meltdown appear to have spurred a federal investigation. The actors, paid agents, and smear artists serving as apologists to Alabama Power and/or Balch & Bingham have only amplified the alleged insidious and corrupt misconduct.Now in 2022, Crosswhite has done nothing to cut ties with Balch. The secret $2.5 million in contracts with Matrix withoutthe need of detailed invoices is a financial embarrassment. Crosswhite should be fired or forced to resign or retire.]
Responding to the weasel-worded denial by Alabama Power’s consultants, Hawthorn Group, we asked two hardball questions:
Were actors ever hired for any other purpose (besides attending meetings) on behalf of Alabama Power?
Has any other “third-party” vendor of Alabama Power ever engaged in conduct to create AstroTurf campaigns and bogus testimonials?
We followed-up the next day with a post about bogus environmentalistswho were hired actors and, in a separate matter, how Balch & Bingham was hired in an alleged smear campaign.
We wrote at the time, “A coming crisis is truly on the horizon.”
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Times had a well-written piece of journalism about one of the entities involved in the “hired actors scandal” from June: Crowds on Demand.
Crowds on Demand, a Beverly Hills firm that’s an outspoken player in the business of hiring protesters, boasts on its website that it provides its clients with “protests, rallies, flash-mobs, paparazzi events and other inventive PR stunts.… We provide everything including the people, the materials and even the ideas.”
But according to a lawsuit filed by a Czech investor, Crowds on Demand also takes on more sordid assignments. Zdenek Bakala claims the firm has been used to run an extortion campaign against him.
Bakala has accused Prague investment manager Pavol Krupa of hiring Crowds on Demand to pay protesters to march near his home in Hilton Head, S.C., and to call and send emails to the Aspen Institute and Dartmouth College, where Bakala serves on advisory boards, urging them to cut ties to him. Bakala alleges that Krupa has threatened to continue and expand the campaign unless Bakala pays him $23 million.
Bakala’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in South Carolina, also alleges violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, a law originally intended to target organized crime syndicates. Bakala alleges Krupa, [Crowds on Demand founder Adam] Swart and Crowds on Demand have violated that law by participating in an extortion scheme against him.
In the Newsome Conspiracy Case, like Bakala, an innocent but successful person was targeted and defamed.
According to the 44 retaliatory orders, the Queen of the Star Chamber, Judge Carole Smitherman, had all of the co-conspirators’ “costs taxed against” Newsome.
Railroaded by an alleged criminal conspiracy that abused and manipulated the Alabama judicial system, the civil RICO case, currently being carefully and meticulously drafted on behalf of Newsome, may show how the “costs taxed against” Newsome appears to be nothing more than a form of extortion.
The incestuous, sister-wife relationship between Balch & Bingham and Alabama Power has existed for almost a century.
Soon the misdeeds, actors, and staged events will be exposed.
Mark Crosswhite, the CEO of Alabama Power, who took the lead to reform the Business Council of Alabama, will have to rise above the loyalty to his former firm and end this miscarriage of justice once and for all.
Even through all the name changes and acquisitions, BBVA USA was a consistent money train for Balch for almost six decades until PNC Bank bought and finalized the acquisition in 2021.
Now Clanton and other seasoned professionals appear to be avoiding Balch & Bingham. As General Counsel at BBVA USA (formerly BBVA Compass, Compass Bancshares), Clanton had worked closely with Balch attorneys over the years.
Why did Clanton take a beeline to Bradley instead of Balch? Has Balch become radioactive?
At the tail end of last year, Balch lost two legacy partners with a combined experience of almost 40 years at the firm.
Balch, which lives on fluff that apparently no one believes, has boasted of hiring green-behind-the-ears newbies and promoted some young attorneys as full partners.
Under mounting pressure, the alleged racist law firm has hired more African Americans and people of color in the past two years. Embarrassingly, one African American attorney left last year after only eight months at Balch.
Balch now has 11 attorneys and top administrators who are African American or people of color, averaging exactly one minority for each of their offices. The alleged racial tokenism is blaring and blinding.
In reality, some offices have two, others have none, and many have only one attorney who is African American or a person of color.
Other observers claim and allege that Balch appears like it could not afford to hire Clanton and allegedly may have reduced compensation and bonus packages for legacy partners causing the exodus late last year.
Alabama Power and the affiliated subsidiaries of Southern Company appear to be the top clients that continue to subsidize the embattled firm, where only 2 percent of Balch’s partners are people of color.
The chattering class in the elite enclave of Mountain Brook is on fire after an FBI raid last week.
WBRC Fox 6 reported last Wednesday:
A home on Overton Road was raided by the FBI Wednesday, according to Mountain Brook Police. The raid was a result of an ongoing FBI investigation. Details about the investigation and the result of the raid have not been made available. According to Mountain Brook PD, there is no known threat to the public at this time.
Although our sources could not confirm what the raid was exactly about, the action appears to be for a white-collar crime in which no one appears to have been arrested (yet) and documents, electronic devices, and hard evidence probably were seized.
Our high-level sources could not confirm or deny if this raid was related in any way to the Matrix Meltdown or Crosswhite Scandal. The raid could be for a completely unrelated crime.
Sloppy Joe appears to not have had strong internal controls or high-end security to protect himself or his clients even though he was paid millions.
Andrew “Andy2K” Campbell, the illustrious attorney who represents embattled law firm Balch and Bingham, also represents Matrix, the obscure political consulting firm, and its founder Joe Perkins.
Andy2K
Andy2K picked up his nickname after he donated $2,000 to Judge Carole Smitherman, the Queen of the secretive Star Chamber, at the height of the Newsome Conspiracy Case, just weeks before he became lead counsel for Balch. Smitherman was the presiding judge.
While the Newsome Conspiracy Case has exhausted all state legal remedies, a federal civil RICO will be filed against Balch and others after more indictments are handed down.
Andy2K was also involved in his own bitter law firm divorce in 2018. His former partners and owners at Campbell Guinn alleged that Andy2K “failed to comply with operating agreements….has failed to distribute funds due and has further failed to provide an accounting thereof,” according to a lawsuit filed against him in August of 2018.
The law firm collapsed and the lawsuit was finally settled in 2019.
Now in 2022, the new and improved Campbell Partners is center stage of the theatrics of the Matrix Meltdown.
Last week, the firm dispatched a laughable demand letter to donaldwatkins.com after the news site/blog posted two “non-existent” contracts between Perkins’ entities and Alabama Power. The contracts were worth over $2.5 million, required no invoicing, and could never be publicly disclosed.
Cason M. Kirby, a partner at Campbell Partners, alleged that the contracts had been “stolen” and contained “trade secrets.” He demanded that the documents be immediately removed.
Donald V. Watkins in essence told Andy2K’s firm to pound sand.
Crosswhite
The publication of those contracts is causing a firestorm. Alabama Power CEO Mark A. Crosswhite is allegedly furious and now observers believe his own future at Alabama Power and parent company Southern Company is in doubt.
But Andy2K’s firm wasn’t done dispatching demand letters.
Kirby dispatched a letter on behalf of Matrix to the EPI (click here to read) that showed unequivocally that the Matrix Meltdown is spiraling out of control.
Using half-baked wording, Kirby writes, “Neither [Joe] Perkins nor anyone at Matrix was involved in the planning or formation of any strategy related to the potential superfund site [in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal].”
While Matrix may not have been involved in planning or strategy, Matrix was involved in an AstroTurf mail drop in North Birmingham to discourage poor African-American families from having their toxic and contaminated property tested by the EPA.
Is that not morally reprehensible in itself?
Cason M. Kirby
At Day 10 of the federal criminal trial in 2018, then-CEO Jeff Pitts testified that Matrix “helped send out th[e] letters purporting to be [from] the ‘grass roots’ group Get Smart Tarrant. Which was really an arm of Balch and Drummond,” according to Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist John Archibald.
Most interesting is Kirby’s very defensive comments on the multiple stories out of Florida regarding “ghost candidates” and an ongoing criminal probe.
He writes, “Matrix has sued Mr. Pitts and the other former employees because, while employed by Matrix, they conducted secret, off-the-books communications campaigns that were not authorized by Matrix or [Joe] Perkins. Neither…Perkins nor any Matrix employee provided legitimate services to or had any direct or indirect involvement in any of the Florida ghost candidate campaigns.”
Zealous state and federal investigators could possibly use Kirby’s own words against his client.
Why would Andy2K’s firm send out these worthless demand letters that only add fuel to the never-ending fire?
Is Joe Perkins’ ego really that bruised? Or is Alabama Power or Crosswhite demanding Perkins clean up his sloppy mess?
Handwritten notes allegedly written by Perkins related to an alleged smear campaign that targeted Donald Watkins were released on donaldwatkins.com.
The document shed light on the alleged “dirty tricks” and smear tactics, including branding Watkins as “Desperate, Deranged Donald” or “Donald the Dodger.”
Now Perkins most important client, Alabama Power, has been exposed with the publication of the two “non-existent” contracts.
How in the hell do handwritten notes and never-to-be-revealed contracts land in the hands of an adversary?
Sloppy Joe appears to not have had strong internal controls or high-end security to protect himself or his clients even though he was paid millions.
Encryption, Sloppy Joe, encryption!
Alabama Power’s problem of having secret contracts that disbursed millions while investors, regulators, and consumers were left in the dark appears to now have become a significant Matrix problem.
And why would Andy2K’s partner Cason M. Kirby so passionately write and dispatch these truly worthless demand letters?
Maybe because his wife Madolyn Kirby has worked at Matrix longer than they have been married.
The King of Balch & Bingham and dinosaur partner at the embattled law firm Schuyler Allen Baker, Jr. died one year ago today.
Ironically in 2017, Baker vowed to fight the Newsome Conspiracy Case to the death.
Baker, serving as General Counsel at Balch, made an enormously foolish decision.
His fight to the death cost the firm millions,tarnished and damaged Balch’s once-respected reputation, made 18 of 18 D.C. lobbying clients dump the firm, and created the greatest exodus ever of money-making partners.
The ghost of Balch’s past is sadly still present.
Now with an alleged pedophile cover-up, an alleged ongoing Elderly Exploitation Scandal investigation, and the Mississippi Rental Assistance debacle, the unholy trinity of scandal would not be garnering interest by law enforcement or the media if Balch had cleaned up their loose ends after Baker died.
Where is the sensible leadership?
Yesterday, ex-Drummond executive David Roberson and ex-Balch partner Joel I. Gilbert reported to federal prison for criminal acts born at the offices of Balch & Bingham.
The Newsome Family
And while Baker is dead, the Newsome Conspiracy Case continues alive and vibrant. Having exhausted all state and federal court remedies, a federal civil RICO lawsuit can now proceed.
The RICO will most likely come after additional indictments are handed down.
Like probate lawyers, sensible and responsible Balch leaders would have brought the Newsome Conspiracy Case, the David Roberson civil lawsuit, and other matters to an agreeable resolution and a close after Baker’s death.
Since 2017, we have asked Balch to conduct a top to bottom review of their firm, get rid of any bad apples, and apologize to the African-American community of North Birmingham.
In the summer of 2018, Balch, during a brief moment of mental clarity, attempted to reach out to us to bring matters to a close.
The former Assistant U.S. Attorney who represented Burt Newsome was blind-sided since he did not know what BanBalch.com exactly was or who we, the CDLU, were when they asked him to serve as an interlocutor.
We wrote three years ago after Balch walked away from the resolution discussions:
Balch’s acts of impunity are no longer tolerated by the public; and acts of contrition, reconciliation, and forgiveness are the only path forward to salvage the firm.
Obviously someone with common sense at Balch & Bingham tried, in good faith, to reach out to us and put the matters behind them.
Instead, now, Balch & Bingham have reversed themselves and appears to be on a path of self-destruction.
The many honorable, ethical and professional Balch partners and their colleagues appear to have been ignored againby their leadership.
Prophetic.
Baker is dead, Gilbert is sitting in a federal prison, while Balch appears to be slowly hemorrhaging and dying.
Crosswhite
The Crosswhite Scandal involving Alabama Power is bringing a new, heated spotlight on ex-Balch partner Mark A. Crosswhite, “the most powerful man in Alabama” according to his adoring fans.
The unsavory if not criminal conduct linked to alleged secret indemnity agreements is the cherry on top of a spoiled, rotten, inedible banana pudding full of maggots.
Will Balch ever come to their senses? Ever? Or will Balch partners continue to swallow the rotten pudding left behind a year ago?
The motion to delay reporting to prison by ex-Balch partner Joel I. Gilbert has been summarily denied, the court responding that the convicted felon had more than enough time to put his affairs in order.
Gilbert is now obligated to report to federal prison tomorrow, Wednesday, October 27th.
The last-minute move comes as Balch & Bingham’s sister-wife Alabama Power is allegedly suffering from internal convulsions.
Ex-Balch partner and current Alabama Power CEO Mark A. Crosswhite is allegedly furious that unconfirmed news reports are circulating about the alleged pending and unannounced retirement of Tom Fanning, the CEO of parent company Southern Company.
Unsubstantiated claims include the allegation that Crosswhite allegedly has told elite decision makers that he is next in line for the top job in Atlanta.
Southern Company’s Board of Directors would be under intense pressure to select a woman or person of color.
If so, Crosswhite would be out of the running. He will also probably tied up in a federal civil RICO lawsuit tied to the Newsome Conspiracy Case.
Insiders tell us if Crosswhite is forced to retire, he would be replaced at Alabama Power by Alexia Borden, a woman.
Balch & Bingham felt they had the right to “ruin a rival.” Instead they ruined themselves and their closest allies.
Just look at Balch-made millionaire Gilbert who will be playing solitaire and counting the days for the next 5 long years.
On Wednesday, October 27, 2021, convicted felon and ex-Balch & Bingham partner Joel I. Gilbert is to report to federal prison.
However, Gilbert has filed for a delay arguing he wishes to remain a free man as he appeals his conviction before the the Supreme Court of the United States.
Gilbert seeks a delay.
If the lower court refuses, he then asks for a 90-day extension as an alternative so he can handle a real estate sale and estate matters for his nieces.
We believe Gilbert actually wishes to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas as a final goodbye as he is locked away for five hard years.
Although we take no happiness and no pleasure in seeing Gilbert locked up as his young children grow up without a father, we believe justice was partially served for the unfathomable, abhorrent, and racist scheme known as the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal.
Targeting poor black children by handing out $50 Burlington Coat Factory gift cards to their parents was just one of the revolting acts to suppress African-Americans from having their property tested by the EPA.
And now with allegations that Alabama Power and/or other related entities have indemnified the alleged racist, unsavory, criminal, and immoral misconduct at Balch & Bingham, the Crosswhite Scandal is growing by the day.
If true, how many millions has Alabama Power or its parent company, Southern Company, funneled to Balch? Were moneys funneled through PACs or other allies or front groups?
Indemnifying Balch means Southern Company shareholders may have picked up the tab when it serves no shareholders interest but only benefits the crooks or criminals behind the shenanigans.
We, the CDLU, exposed the fact that Balch-made millionaire Joel I. Gilbert was on the payroll even after he was indicted. Balch waited to terminate Gilbert until the day he was convicted on all six criminal counts.
Who really paid Gilbert? Was he indemnified? Did he get a generous final paycheck with a go-to-jail bonus? Was Alabama Power involved in any way?
The serious questions surrounding the alleged indemnification agreements are provoking keen interest, regardless of what non-disclosure agreements were signed. (wink!)
Crosswhite’s absolute control now appears to be out of control absolutely.
Disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town drinks while Crosswhite smiles.
Rumors are flying that Southern Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Fanning is retiring next year.
And Alabama Power CEO and Chairman Mark A. Crosswhite is allegedly telling bourgeois insiders that he has the lock and key to the C-Suite at Southern Company, Alabama Power’s parent company.
Crosswhite is unfit to serve.
He worked as a top partner for alleged racist and embattled law firm Balch & Bingham before taking the revolving door to Alabama Power.
Instead of distancing himself from Balch, Crosswhite appears to be embracing his former employer, even allegedly subsidizing the firm with lucrative business as Balch is hemorrhaging from alleged unsavory and criminal scandals engulfing the 99 year-old firm.
Now unsubstantiated rumors say Alabama Power and unknown related entities have indemnified Balch and others for their alleged criminal, racist, and egregious misconduct.
Hiding behind non-disclosure agreements and now allegedly million-dollar indemnity deals, the Crosswhite scandal smells like raw sewage.
For Crosswhite, protecting Balch & Bingham appears to be more important than protecting poor African-American children.
Institutional investors and the Southern Company Board of Directors should not take these rumors lightly.
Most significant is the sheer panic Crosswhite had with the rebirth of the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal where he and his legal counsel Mark White fumbled the ball.
With a federal RICO lawsuit coming, more scrutiny from federal investigators, and heightened interest from U.S. congressional leaders, the Crosswhite scandal will undoubtedly make institutional investors nervous.
Wall Street has consistently supported Tom Fanning, regardless of the billion-dollar Vogtle and Kemper boondoggles.
Crosswhite is a completely different story. The sent of raw sewage surrounds Crosswhite.
The decades of alleged shenanigans involving actors, AstroTurf campaigns, alleged corruption, hidden bribes, and staged arrests have taken their toll.
Now with alleged secret indemnity agreements, an alleged hidden deal to be “unmentionable” during a federal criminal trial, and millions spent on an alleged racist law firm, Crosswhite’s future appears to have been terminated.
When the late Schuyler Allen Baker, Jr., Balch’s long-time General Counsel, vowed to fight to the death before settling the Newsome Conspiracy Case, did he ever believe Newsome would have the testicular fortitude to fight the embattled and once-prestigious firm all the way to the highest court of the land?
Probably not.
Newsome, the sole-practitioner attorney, an innocent man who was minding his business when he was allegedly targeted, falsely arrested, and defamed by Balch & Bingham has refused to take it on the chin.
Birmingham attorney Burt Newsome is seeking review with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in a case alleging individuals connected to the Balch & Bingham law firm conspired to frame him for a crime and then used that information in an [alleged] effort to steal a chunk of his banking-related work and ruin his practice.
Newsome, the proprietor of Newsome Law LLC in North Shelby County, alleges that former Balch attorney Clark Cooper was a central figure in the conspiracy, and the conspirators used prepaid “burner phones” to communicate about their plans and hide those conversations from Newsome and authorities. The matter has become known as the Newsome Conspiracy Case.
Alexandra Siskopoulos, an attorney from New York City, filed a petition for a writ of certiorari … on Newsome’s behalf. She asks the high court to review the Alabama Supreme Court’s judgment in the case, or in the alternative, summarily reverse the decision and judgment of the Supreme Court of Alabama pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 16
Although the U.S. Supreme Court has to make a decision in October if they will grant the petition, the narrative is damning for Balch and their stooges as it outlines the conspiracy, staged arrest, alleged acts of defamation, and the alleged unlawful, unsavory, and unconscionable acts of Balch and the co-conspirators.
This purported order, however, was never file stamped and never entered in the State Judicial Information System (“SJIS”) in Alabama as required by Alabama law. Petitioner Newsome sought a Writ of Mandamus from the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals arguing that the court order that the judge vacate the purported order because it was void based on numerous grounds. On April 27, 2018, the Supreme Court of Alabama denied the Writ and ordered that the June 8, 2016 order be entered in the SJIS system.
And what are the principal federal issues at hand?
When Balch and the co-conspirators allegedly attempted to screw over Newsome with a make-believe, counterfeit order, they based the fabricated order on a release-dismissal agreement, a product from the staged arrest and phony criminal case that collapsed and was dismissed with prejudice.
The release-dismissal agreement in Shelby County was overly broad.
Balch, which was not involved in the proceedings of the phony, baloney criminal trial, used the release to claim they were protected from any litigation by Newsome. At the time of the release, Newsome had no idea that Balch was involved in the conspiracy.
Also the the counterfeit order brings up the issue of the due process of law. As we have commented repeatedly, the judicial branch of Alabama appears to have compromised the Rule of Law for the benefit of their cronies and political boosters at Balch & Bingham.
From the petition:
The Supreme Court of Alabama’s decision is the ideal vehicle to address whether a release-dismissal agreement pursuant to this Honorable Court’s guidelines can encompass non-governmental persons and entities which were never contemplated in the seminal holding of Newton v. Rumery, 480 U.S. 386 (1987). Further, this Honorable Court must address whether these increasingly overbroad release-dismissal agreements can waive a litigant’s right to pursue a criminal prosecution. The Supreme Court of Alabama’s decision is also an ideal vehicle to address whether a state court judge can withhold the formal filing of a final decision/order and still be in accord with due process principles established by our Constitution.
And while Balch and their defenders may believe that SCOTUS will deny the Newsome petition, our understanding is a rock-solid RICO suit will come thereafter.
Through the corrupt judicial system of Alabama, Balch defenders probably thought they had squashed, destroyed, and ruined Newsome when the reality is quite the opposite.
And all the while Balch has lost millions, tarnished their brand, and lost numerous money-making partners.
[Alabama Power’s] team of attorneys at White, Arnold, & Dowd, led by white-collar criminal attorney Mark White, filed an avalanche of court pleadings in December [2020] at the courthouse in office, over the counter as if were 1950 not 2020. (We wonder if Mark White still uses a rotary phone, stencil duplicator, and Royal typewriter.)
When Balch and the co-conspirators allegedly attempted to screw over Newsome with a make-believe, counterfeit order, they based the fabricated order on a release-dismissal agreement, a product from the staged arrest and phony criminal case that collapsed and was dismissed with prejudice.
