Random News and Notes 25 November
We start with a story that spiked my blood pressure. A jury in Hennepin county Minnesota convicted Abdifatah Yusuf of fraud for running a sham healthcare agency. The 44-year-old Somali resident of Blaine (a suburb of Minneapolis) was accused of running a sham home healthcare agency that bilked over $7.2 million from the state’s Medicaid program, specifically the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver, which provides in-home care and support for low-income people with disabilities. After a mere four hours of deliberation, the jury found Yusuf guilty on all six counts, describing the evidence as “obvious fraud” and “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Nice right? Yeah, it gets worse, a lot worse. Hennepin County Judge Sarah West issued a post-trial judgment of acquittal, tossing out the entire guilty verdict. This rare move (under Minnesota Rule of Criminal Procedure 26.03) allows judges to override juries if they believe the evidence was legally insufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Her (limited) reasoning? The prosecution relied too heavily on circumstantial evidence.
The jury foreman told a local outlet that their decision was unanimous and easy, calling the overturn a “miscarriage of justice.” Minnesota AG Keith Ellison has already announced the appeal of the judges decision. This is one story that I will be monitoring.
HAHAHAHAHA
To be sure, I am not making light of the greater subject here. Kelly and his compadres in that video may have stepped in it. All but one is former military and still subject to the UCMJ. While I am not convinced they should be recalled and Court Martialed – too much baggage related to the recall and everything else it entails – I do think they should be investigated for violations of 18 U.S.C. § 2387, a federal statute often called the “Activities Affecting Armed Forces” law.
(a) Whoever, with intent to interfere with, impair, or influence the loyalty, morale, or discipline of the military or naval forces of the United States:
(1) advises, counsels, urges, or in any manner causes or attempts to cause insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty by any member of the military or naval forces of the United States; or
(2) distributes or attempts to distribute any written or printed matter which advises, counsels, or urges insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty by any member of the military or naval forces of the United States—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof for the five years next following his conviction.
It is being reported that the FBI is arranging interviews with all six of the politicians involved in the video.
Gramma the Galapagos tortoise has died. She was the oldest living creature at the San Diego zoo. Gramma joined the San Diego Zoo either in 1928 or 1931 from the Bronx Zoo. She was collected from the Galápagos Islands in 1835.
It is believed that she was 141 years old.
Resquiecat in Pace.
The Doom Pixie is doing the climate farce thing again. Apparently the pro-Palestine stance didn’t work for her anymore. This time, Greta Thunberg and her retarded friends in extinction rebellion poured green dye in the Grand Canal in Venice.
This kind of crap makes me pine for the days when retards – and she is retarded, like actually diagnosed – were kept away from polite society. Regardless, €150 and a 48 hour ban isn’t enough. Until the slaps on the wrist become full-on floggings the children are going to continue. Also, her parents need to be held to account for the damage she is causing.
