Sunday McHenry County Blog ran a story about an anonymous mailing sent out on behalf of McHenry County State’s Attorney challenger Dan Regna. Turns out it was paid for by McHenry County Treasurer and Republican Party Chairman Bill LeFew, but he didn’t care to put his name anywhere on it.
I didn’t put it this bluntly then, but it was unethical.
Only time will tell if LeFew will report the cost of this in-kind expenditure to Regna so he can put it on his campaign finance report.
Now, one of McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi’s internet savvy supporters has come up with an article that brings into question the ethics of Regna while he was a Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney.
It’s a copy of an August 2, 2004, article from The Clarksville Press Register by Emily Le Coz.
Here’s what caught my attention:
”In the meantime, (defense attorney Barbara) Cahn said, the prosecuting attorney withheld evidence – including cassette and videotapes of (Marquis) Barnes’ police interviews – in order to thwart the defense.
“She said prosecutor Daniel Regna lied to her, saying Barnes’ interviews were never taped.
“’We came to the trial date and, lo and behold, appears from out of the sky five hours of videotape, a 911 tape and a tape with a snitch talking to police,’ Cahn said.”
Turns out, the article continues, “she and Barnes noticed the tapes had been altered. With key testimony dubbed over or completely removed, including parts where Barnes denied having committed the crimes and where police refused him the right to talk to an attorney.”
“It was the biggest sham I’ve ever seen in my life. It was exactly as I told the jury. They wanted to get this kid convicted in the worst way that they actually committee perjury, changed witnesses’ stories, changed dates and times and altered taped evidence,” defense attorney Cahn told the Mississippi paper.
Marquis Barnes was acquitted July 20, 2004, of playing a role in the $202,000 Vernon Hills’ Kay Jewelers robbery. The robber was black, as is then-Lake County College student Marquis Barnes.
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The images of the newspaper article can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Unfortunately, you didn’t get all your facts straight. You didn’t put that the Judge found no prosecutorial misconduct on the part of Mr. Regna. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones! Ask Nichole Owens and Donna Kelly whom had the same allegations hurled at them by the attorneys for Volstad and Pilati that they deleted the part of the 911 tape that went to their entire defense. At least Dan Regna tries the tough cases. Bianchi has never tried a single criminal case in his life!
Let’s see, we have a McHenry Country Republican Party official who would not know a conflict of interest if it bit him in the ass and who spinelessly sends anonymous emails, a lawyer who was so discredited after her performance in the State’s Attorney’s office that she has to go all the way to Naperville to get a job, and now “bearsfan” who apparently skipped his third grade grammar class (“whom had the same allegations…?”) and they are all supporting a guy who has been out of law school for what, ten years Dan? The only thing Lou Bianchi has to be embarrassed about is the level of competition and the idiocy of the allegations being made against him.
To bearsfan: If you consider “tough” cases, the one of B.J. Cox should apply. In that case, Regna not only worked deals with the defense on the case, he also filed flawed charges which would have allowed the attacker a reduced sentence. It was Lou Bianchi’s office who had to correct that incompetence.