Almost like it was a Friday evening news or document dump coming out of the Bush White House, news has just hit the wires that convict Brent Wilkes has been released from prison pending appeal.
A federal appeals court has ordered the release from prison of former Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes while he pursues an appeal of his bribery conviction and 12-year sentence.
The order from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was issued Thursday by judges Thomas G. Nelson and A. Wallace Tashima. Wilkes was convicted in November of bribing former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham and sentenced three months later to 144 months in prison. He immediately appealed the conviction and sought to remain free, but U.S. District Judge Larry Burns refused and ordered him into custody.
In a brief order, Nelson and Tashima said it was unlikely that Wilkes poses a danger to the community or would flee if he were released.
Moreover, the judges said his appeal raised a "substantial question" of law or fact, that "is likely to result in reversal, an order for a new trial, or a sentence that does not include a term of imprisonment."
That was certainly fast; Wilkes was only sentenced about a month ago. Things sure work faster and better if you are a card carrying wingnut member of the Cheney/Bush criminal cabal as opposed to, say for instance, a Democratic governor in the Gooper infested South eh? Now, don’t get me wrong, I made the last statement somewhat tongue in cheek. I don’t think that the timeframe was necessarily accelerated as to Wilkes at all; however, anybody that now doesn’t understand how egregious and malicious the treatment of Don Siegelman was needs to give up the ghost, because any argument to the contrary just doesn’t fly. Are the judges in the 9th Circuit really nine times faster and better than those in the 11th Circuit? Or was something else going on? Go figure….