Judge overturns porn conviction of Jared Fogle associate

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge has overturned the child pornography conviction of an associate of Jared Fogle who provided evidence that led to a criminal case the against disgraced former Subway pitchman.

Russell Taylor was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2015 for producing pornography. In a 32-page ruling issued Friday,

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ruled that Taylor's defense attorney, Brad Banks, was ineffective because he failed to challenge three charges not supported by the legal facts of the case.

Pratt found that Banks did not inform Taylor that three of the sexual exploitation charges he was admitting to involved hidden-camera images of young, male relatives that did not involve the "sexually explicit conduct" necessary for the criminal charges, The Indianapolis Star reported.

Vacating Taylor's conviction,

Pratt said Banks' error ruined the entire proceedings, including his guilty plea and sentencing.

The stage is now set for a possible new trial on 10 remaining felony charges. Pratt's ruling said federal prosecutors and attorneys for Taylor agreed that was the “proper relief.”

Brandon Sample, one of Taylor's appellate attorneys, told the newspaper that the ruling "vindicates Mr. Taylor's longstanding assertion that his plea was the product of ineffective assistance of counsel."

Steven Whitaker, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler, said Monday that Taylor remained in federal custody and declined further comment.

The Associated Press sent an email Monday seeking comment from Banks to his Indianapolis law office. A woman who answered the phone at that office said Banks “will have no comment at this time."

Taylor was sentenced in December 2015 after he pleaded guilty to 12 counts of child exploitation and one count of distribution of child pornography. He admitted using cameras hidden in his homes to produce pornography of the children, some as young as 9 years old.

Taylor was executive director of the Jared Foundation, a nonprofit that Fogle started to raise awareness and money to fight childhood obesity. He provided evidence that led to the criminal case against Fogle, his one-time boss and close friend.

Fogle was sentenced to 15 years in prison in November 2015 for trading in child pornography and paying for sex with underage girls. He had pleaded guilty to distributing and receiving child pornography and traveling out of state to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

Fogle became a Subway pitchman after shedding more than 200 pounds (90.7 kilograms) as a college student, in part by eating the chain’s sandwiches. Subway ended its relationship with Fogle after authorities raided his suburban Indianapolis home in July 2015.

Taylor was being held at a federal prison in Yazoo City, Mississippi; Fogle was being held at a federal prison in Littleton, Colorado, Bureau of Prison records show.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/judge-overturns-porn-conviction-jared-181713812.html

>>8316427

So will Biden then pick HRC as his running mate, so she can delay this depo?

Muh, I'm running, can't testify…

Fitton has been constantly blocked from info.

How many times have [THEY] pulled this ridiculous crap to STALL?

When do you call a Plumber? WHEN THERE IS A CLOG!

US forces conduct airstrike on Taliban soldiers just days after agreement signed

U.S. forces conducted an airstrike against Taliban fighters in Helmand, Afghanistan, Wednesday, the first such strike since the two sides signed a historic peace deal.

The airstrike was conducted as a "defensive" measure as Taliban fighters were "actively attacking" an Afghan government checkpoint, Colonel Sonny Legget, the spokesman for American forces in Afghanistan, said.

Taliban forces carried out 43 attacks on Afghan government checkpoints on March 3, despite their promises to the international community to reduce levels of violence, the spokesman said.

"Taliban leadership promised the int’l community they would reduce violence and not increase attacks," Leggett posted on Twitter. We call on the Taliban to stop needless attacks and uphold their commitments. As we have demonstrated, we will defend our partners when required."

The airstrike came just a day after President Trump spoke to Abdul Ghani Baradar, the co-founder and a senior leader in the Taliban, by phone, in the first known conversation between a U.S. president and the militant group.

After the phone call, Trump told reporters that his relationship with Baradar was "very good" and that the Taliban "want to cease the violence." According to the Taliban, Trump told Baradar that "the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan now is in the interest of everyone."

Despite the assertion that the Taliban were looking to reduce levels of violence, the group released a statement Monday saying they would resume attacks on Afghan government forces.

On Saturday, U.S. negotiators led by Zalmay Khalilzad concluded a year-and-a-half long process by signing a bilateral agreement with the Taliban which lays out a full U.S. withdrawal from the country. The withdrawal is conditional on the militant group engaging in a peace process with the Afghan government and preventing the country from being a safe haven for terror groups.

Doubts about the Taliban's commitment to peace have surrounded the agreement. Wednesday's airstrike is the first on Taliban forces since the signing last weekend, and the first in 11 days.

"To be clear- we are committed to peace, however we have the responsibility to defend our #ANDSF partners," Leggett said on Twitter. "#Afghans & US have complied w/ our agreements; however, Talibs appear intent on squandering this opp. and ignoring the will of the people for #peace."

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/us-forces-conduct-airstrike-taliban-soldiers-just-days-114438832–abc-news-topstories.html