Subject:  Felony acquittals leave Fieger kinder, gentler |
Author:
Chris
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Date Posted: 06/24/08 6:40pm
In reply to:
Chris
's message, "Fieger may still face civil charges" on 06/22/08 3:42pm
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Felony acquittals leave Fieger kinder, gentler
But normally combative lawyer doesn't rule out lawsuit over prosecution.
Paul Egan / The Detroit News
SOUTHFIELD -- High-profile attorney Geoffrey Fieger said Tuesday a nearly three-year ordeal that ended in his acquittal Monday on federal felony charges has changed him for the better and made him a stronger and more compassionate man.
"I want to forgive," the normally combative Fieger said in a telephone interview.
Though he has previously denounced the U.S. Justice Department investigation that led to his indictment as politically motivated, "I don't think anger is a good emotion to maintain, in light of everything that happened," Fieger said.
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Fieger, 57, said he is still thinking about running for mayor of Detroit, but "right now, I want to enjoy my freedom."
On Monday, a jury acquitted Fieger and his law partner, Ven Johnson, of conspiracy and illegal campaign contribution charges. Fieger also was cleared of obstruction of justice, a charge that could have sent him to prison for up to 10 years and resulted in his disbarment.
The verdict, after a five-week trial and four days of deliberations, ended a nightmare that began Nov. 30, 2005, when 80 federal agents raided Fieger's Southfield law office and fanned out to simultaneously interview lawyers and others who worked for his firm.
He and Johnson, 46, were accused of illegally donating more than $100,000 to the 2004 presidential campaign of Democrat John Edwards by reimbursing employees, employee relatives and law firm vendors.
Prosecutors had to prove Fieger and Johnson "knowingly and willfully" broke the law. Fieger took the stand in his own defense and told jurors he carefully researched the federal law, which does not mention the word "reimbursement," and concluded the bonuses he paid to employees who donated to Edwards were legal.
"It was certainly a frightening episode in my life," Fieger said as he headed for the airport after leaving the Santa Barbara, Calif., home of his attorney, Gerry Spence. "I hope it changed me for the better. It certainly made me appreciate a lot of things you could never fully appreciate unless you're in the (defendant's) dock on the other side."
Fieger flew out of Detroit on Monday with Spence, the 79-year-old celebrity attorney who told jurors Fieger's case would be his last. "What he does is on a different plane," Fieger said of Spence.
Fieger would not say how much he spent on his defense, but the millionaire attorney said few other Americans "could withstand that type of onslaught."
Though he said he is in a forgiving mood, Fieger would not rule out a malicious prosecution lawsuit against federal prosecutors, a move Johnson said Monday he is considering.
Fieger also said he met Monday with U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, and Conyers wants to investigate the handling of Fieger's case. So far, "he's been stonewalled," Fieger said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Helland, who prosecuted the case along with an official from the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., denied politics were behind the case.
Fieger's acquittal was the latest in a series of federal setbacks in Detroit in high-profile cases, including the voluntary reversal in 2004 of convictions won in the "sleeper cell" terrorism trial, the 2006 acquittal of former Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga, and the 2007 acquittal of former federal prosecutor Richard Convertino.
U.S. Attorney Stephen Murphy would not comment on the Fieger case, from which he recused himself. But he said the criticism that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit can't win the big cases is undeserved, noting Washington, D.C. prosecutors were involved in the Convertino and Fieger cases.
"These high-profile cases are difficult to win; they present unique challenges," Murphy said.
You can reach Paul Egan at (313) 222-2069 or pegan@detnews.com.
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