By the time the Coca-Cola case got started a year later, City of Chicago Commissioner of Water, John Bolden, was targeted for federal criminal prosecution in "Silver Shovel". His and the soda pop case were both pending before Judge Manning. Commissioner Bolden's defense attorney, James Montgomery, was reportedly a close crony of Judge Manning. It was obvious to savvy sorts what might happen.
Montgomery reportedly had ties of some sort over the years with Nevada gambling casino gangsters. Reportedly part of the crime cartel and a big-time owner of gambling casinos, William F. Cellini reportedly had bought the federal judgeship for Manning, paying some one million dollars through then U.S. Senator Carol Moseley-Braun [D., Ill.].
John DeCamp, in a position reportedly to understand a few things about Coca-Cola and the CIA and the Chicago federal judges, withdrew from the newly started case against Coke, in July, 1997. A few weeks later, started the federal criminal trial USA vs. John Bolden. Same Judge.
Anyone knowing a lot about court knows that even trials by jury can be "fixed" or sabotaged by the trial Judge. Such as, by the Judge keeping out key evidence as being "inadmissible", by manipulating the dates and circumstances of the jury procedures. By slanting the court procedures against the prosecutors and in favor of the criminal defendant. By scheduling the jury under peculiar circumstances.
In September, 1997, the jury in the Bolden case came back with a split verdict. Guilty on tax evasion, wherein Bolden could get, at most, six months in prison. They acquitted Bolden on the more serious charges of extortion.
John Bolden was a bigshot making as much as 90 thousand dollars a year as Commissioner of Water for City of Chicago. [And perhaps much more as pay-offs to influence his official position.]
He was a big fish. The team that helped put together the charges against Bolden were and are livid. Why? They contend that Judge Manning, to go easy on Water Commissioner Bolden, got a financial benefit that some might construe as a bribe.
The team, in plain language, grumbles loud enough for others to hear, that U.S. District Judge Blanche M. Manning is a crook, whose chair reportedly was bought for her by a crook, and that she belongs in prison, along with the one who bought her the Judgeship.
To understand this story fully, you have to understand the realities of political and financial power. Those who put together criminal charges are most often NOT concerned about bribes to Judges in CIVIL cases. So, if Judge Manning had been bribed or corruptly influenced or blackmailed in the CIVIL case, the one against Coca-Cola, well, the team is NOT concerned.
In the Water Commissioner's case, Judge Manning made the same mistake, however, as Chicago Federal Appeals Judge Otto Kerner, Jr., in 1969. He had reportedly taken a huge bribe in a CIVIL case, involving a five million dollar claim regarding a pet food company. The matter, however, that instigated the federal criminal charges against Judge Kerner was that he had been corrupted to turn loose the Silver-Hi-Jacking Gang, an important federal CRIMINAL case.
A federal judge is a fool to counter the prosecutors in a federal criminal case. A federal judge who takes bribes or financial benefits or is corruptly influenced or blackmailed, in a CIVIL case, most likely stays peacefully and quietly on the bench until he or she retires or croaks.
pt 20