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Prestigious to Egregious: Balch in Disarray After “Seeking Sex with a Child” Arrest
??Update March 8, 2023: Espy was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison. Read more by clicking here. With the criminal arrest Wednesday night of Chase T. Espy, a former long-time Balch attorney who allegedly was seeking to have sex with a child, Balch & Bingham appears to be in disarray, and former attorneys and ex-partners are allegedly scrambling to distance themselves from the embattled firm, sources tell us. The once prestigious, silk-stocking law firm appears to have become the cesspool of egregious misconduct, and observers are in disbelief that clients like Southern Company and Alabama Power continue to utilize the…
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Drummond, Elderly Exploitation Scandal, Mississippi Controversy, North Birmingham Bribery Case, Russian Sanctions Website Scrub, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham
Three Years Later, Balch Partner’s Criminal Conviction Stings Three Stooges
Three years ago today, Balch-made millionaire and esteemed partner Joel I. Gilbert was convicted on all six-federal charges, including bribery and money laundering. Will Gilbert be reporting to prison soon, now that he has lost his appeal? If Gilbert had reported to prison during his appeal, due to COVID-19, he probably would have been released early like the bought-and-paid-for ex-State Representative Oliver Robinson was. Instead, he’ll probably now have to serve the entire 5-year sentence. Convicted along side Gilbert was ex-Drummond Executive David Roberson who will serve two and a half years. In his early 70s, some ask, is this…
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Lackeys: Alabama’s Unconstitutional and Secret Star Chambers
“Luckily, legislatures make laws, not courthouse lackeys on the fly.” –Kyle Whitmire, AL.com Where are the open courts of Alabama? During the Newsome Conspiracy Case, we observed that Judge Carole Smitherman created a secretive “Star Chamber” where alleged criminal acts, perjury, and unsavory conduct were hidden from public view; and all hearings, pleadings, and oral arguments were held in secret with no public notice. For 500 days, no one knew what was happening, except when appeals were filed and we learned about the counterfeit court order used to trample the due process of law, civil rights, and civil liberties of Burt Newsome. Now the…
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As Investigations Probe Political Misconduct by Trump DOJ, Alabama Becomes Ground Zero
After four years of blogging on the alleged corruption in Alabama, we believe the egregious misconduct by the “Trump machine” in Alabama will become a national embarrassment. Media and investigators can easily probe disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, Jay E. Town, who appears to have acted as a political agent for the Three Stooges of Alabama (Drummond Coal, Alabama Power, and embattled law firm Balch & Bingham). All Three Stooges were closely tied to ex-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions (Alabama Power and Balch & Bingham being his number 1 and number 2 lifetime donors respectively when…
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Breaking News: U.S. Appeals Court Affirms Criminal Convictions of Roberson and Gilbert; Balch Skewered
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit affirmed the criminal convictions of ex-Balch partner Joel I. Gilbert and ex-Drummond executive David Roberson in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal. The court issued a 37-page opinion in the unanimous 3-0 decision. The court skewered Balch & Bingham, writing: Although Appellants attempt to paint the agreement between Balch and the Oliver Robinson Foundation as some sort of permissible advocacy campaign, as indicated Gilbert testified that the Foundation was the only entity asked to submit a proposal and that Gilbert and the Balch firm did not do any due diligence on the…
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New Indictments? Drummond Family May Now Begin Biting Their Fingernails
Kristen Clark, the first African-American woman to serve as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate yesterday. We, the CDLU, were awaiting her confirmation as we begin the process to debrief the U.S. Department of Justice, the EPA, and others on the alleged corrupt if not criminal conduct in Alabama. First up is Drummond Company and their outrageous act of trying to cross-dress as a law firm while justifying and rationalizing the abrupt firing of “Fall Guy” David Roberson. The fundamental question for federal investigators is: Was ex-Drummond executive David Roberson framed? Clark not only…
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Target: Alabama Power; Time Feds Clean Up Alabama Like Phenix City was in 1954
The photo above of disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town chugging cocktails with the Chairman and CEO of Alabama Power Mark A. Crosswhite at the Moon Shine Lounge at the Elyton Hotel is the epitome of the unethical if not corrupt environment in Alabama. After the criminal conviction of Balch-made millionaire Joel I. Gilbert, one of the most interesting and insightful comments made to us was from a seasoned federal official who stated that the alleged corruption in Jefferson County and North Birmingham was not caused by Balch & Bingham but appeared to have been caused by the embattled law…
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Unanimous! Drummond Company to Stand Trial; Floodgates Open
Last week, the Alabama Supreme Court unanimously rejected Drummond Company’s Writ of Mandamus against ex-Drummond executive David Roberson’s $75 million civil lawsuit with one word, “Denied.” In their 46-page Writ filed last December, Drummond summarized their grave concern claiming, “A man—convicted by a jury of his peers for bribery, money laundering, and fraud—has now sued his employer and a law firm claiming they caused him to be wrongfully convicted.“ So will we find out if Drummond, their “confused” General Counsel Blake Andrews, and other co-conspirators indeed caused Roberson to be wrongfully convicted? The court proceedings and filings in Jefferson County…
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Unexpected! Former U.S. Attorney Blasts Alabama Power’s Conduct as a “Travesty”
Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama Richard Moore, appointed to the post by President Donald J. Trump in 2017, blasted Alabama Power for its conduct supporting an archaic coal ash plan, the possible cornerstone of corruption in Alabama. Alabama Media Group reported: Moore called out Alabama Power for its decision to keep the toxic byproduct of burning coal in a pit near the Mobile River instead of trucking it away to a far-away site where it could be buried in a lined landfill. “I am disappointed in the Alabama Power I have known to be a good…
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CDLU Entrenched in Investigations of Elderly Abuse while Three Stooges Spin in Circles
We have always described ourselves as the little speedboat that drives the large aircraft carrier mad. Alabama Power, Balch, and Drummond appear to be beyond mad. At the Jefferson County Courthouse, one of our sources overheard a top official ask, “Why has there not been more posts on BanBalch.com?” We, the CDLU, are flattered that our readers are eager for more. Since February, we have been entrenched in an international investigation of elderly abuse and financial crimes against innocent senior citizens who are people of color. From Houston to Mexico City, the conduct is stunningly deplorable. From “time-share” scams to…
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Racial Reckoning: Will Southern Company’s Institutional Investors Terminate Balch?
Now is the time for institutional investors to bring an end to institutional racism. The conviction of Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd is the first step in the fight for justice and equality, and against systemic racism in law enforcement. While America let a sigh of relief that justice had been served, the fight against inequality, racism, and the abuse of People of Color has only just begun. Southern Company, the sister-wife of Balch & Bingham, has funneled millions of dollars to an alleged racist law firm, Balch & Bingham, which among a list of alleged unsavory,…
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AG Garland: “Same Kind of Hatred” Fuels Criminal Acts
Speaking to ABC News yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland discussed the “same kind of hatred” that was behind the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 and the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995: racism and white supremacy. Garland was one of the prosecutors in Oklahoma City in 1995. In the post-Balch era, the environmental racism and “same kind of hatred” behind the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal and alleged secret Ketona Lakes site will bring even more federal scrutiny in the coming months. The Three Stooges (Balch, Alabama Power and Drummond Company) played their cards in December showing the sheer nervousness and uncontrolled…
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Tied Up and Pinned: Alabama Power Stooge Tumbles in Disgraceful Sex Scandal
On Wednesday, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill lied about engaging in a scandalous sex affair. After raunchy texts and audio recordings were released yesterday, he admitted to the “tie-her-up-and-bite-me” affair of three years and dropped out as a U.S. Senate candidate. Merrill is a long-time Alabama Power stooge having received over $13,000 in political contributions from the Alabama Power Employees State PAC. In December, Merrill honored “the most powerful man in Alabama” Mark A. Crosswhite, the CEO and Chairman of Alabama Power, with an award for keeping the lights on during election night. The awards ceremony was a ridiculous…
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Round 1: “Unfinished Business” Against Three Stooges Mounts
As we predicted last year, the sheer and uncontrolled panic of Alabama Power, Balch & Bingham and Drummond Company with the possible rebirth of the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal would provoke an avalanche of investigations and probes under a new administration and congressional leadership. The Three Stooges were utter fools. Round one: the national media are investigating and putting pressure against Drummond Company. In an extensive piece in E&E News on environmental justice, Drummond’s deal for its polluting ABC Coke Plant in North Birmingham is now under scrutiny. E&E writes: But what happened — and didn’t happen — next tells…
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Drummond, Elderly Exploitation Scandal, Newsome Conspiracy Case, North Birmingham Bribery Case, Southern Company, Spotlight on Balch & Bingham
Happy 4th Birthday to BanBalch.com!
This month we reached our fourth birthday and we want to thank YOU our dear readers. We hope you had a safe and pleasant Spring Break, and also hope that you and your loved ones were not impacted by the horrific tornadoes from last week. We will continue to report about the alleged criminal, egregious, and unsavory conduct of Balch & Bingham and their sister-wife Alabama Power, especially now with the Biden Administration taking a hard swing at environmental racism. Expect more fireworks in the next year! Look at some of the possibilities: Balch & Bingham’s alleged elderly exploitation scandal…
