Read Florida Motion to Revoke George Zimmerman Bond

April 12, 2012 attorneys for George Zimmerman stated that their client did not have a U.S. passport, and did not have significant financial assets, savings, or bonds. The prosecution stated that during the April 20, 2012 bond hearing, George Zimmerman misrepresented his financial status as well as the current status of his U.S. passport. In fact, the prosecution didn’t just accuse Zimmerman of misleading or withholding information, but rather stated that Zimmerman’s wife, Shelly Zimmerman, actually lied to the court.

Though George Zimmerman surrendered a passport to the court, he had an additional passport that did not expire until 2014. He kept this passport in his possession, against court order, during his bond.

During a recorded jailhouse, phone conversation between George Zimmerman and his wife, Shelly Zimmerman, Zimmerman was overheard speaking to his wife about his passport. She stated the passport was in a safety deposit box, and he asked her to hold on to it for him.

Regarding donations, it was learned that at the time of Zimmerman’s bond hearing, he had approximately $150,000 in PayPal donations

Read Florida Motion to Revoke George Zimmerman Bond Here 

 

No Nasal Strip for “I’ll Have Another” at Belmont

Even people who aren’t familiar with horse racing know that they’re high strung animals. For that reason what seems like an insignificant equipment change could be an issue for Triple Crown challenger I’ll Have Another at the Belmont Stakes. Belmont Park stewards won’t let him wear a nasal strip for the race.

The strip that I’ll Have Another wore in both the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby is similar to the ‘Breathe Right’ nasal strips worn by human athletes and sleep apnea sufferers. I’ll Have Another wears the Flair Equine Nasal Strip and also was so equipped in his wins in the Robert Lewis Stakes and Santa Anita Derby. Apparently racing stewards have decided not to allow nasal strips at New York tracks. Dr. Ted Hill, the Jockey Club steward at Belmont Park, said that they’ve reviewed the nasal strip issue on several occasions. The problem, he said, is how to regulate it:

“If it’s really going to help the horse that much, to be fair and consistent, we have to regulate it. That’s always been the issue.”

He says that there hasn’t exactly been a lot of demand for nasal strips from New York horsemen:

“We’ve never had someone say, ‘What can we do here because we’d like to use this product?’. There’s really been no push for it.”

I’ll Have Another’s trainer, Doug O’Neill, says that nasal strips are “a safe, natural piece of equipment for the horse” but he will “completely respect the New York rules and will not use one.”

Dr. James R. Chiapetta, who is a veterinarian who is the president of Flair LLC, the company that makes the equine strips attempted to lobby Belmont for their approval to no avail and says it’s an issue of well being for the horse:

“The strips make no more difference in the outcome of a race than do horseshoes, tongue ties, figure eight bridles, or other equipment horsemen are permitted to use. The strips, however, are designed to protect horses’ lungs so they can stay healthier.”

According to Chiapetta, the strips are a good alternative to drugs like Lasix and ““are scientifically proven to reduce lung bleeding and can reduce bleeding as much as the drug Lasix/Salix when horses are running to fatigue.”

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TALLAHASSEE — Florida elections supervisors said Friday they will discontinue a state-directed effort to remove names from county voter rolls

Florida voter purge gets pushback from elections supervisors, U.S. Justice

TALLAHASSEE — Florida elections supervisors said Friday they will discontinue a state-directed effort to remove names from county voter rolls because they believe the state data is flawed and because the U.S. Department of Justice has said the process violates federal voting laws.

Late Thursday, the Department of Justice sent Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner a letter telling him that an effort launched by Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s administration last year to remove the names of people believed to be non-citizens from voter rolls appears to violate at least two federal voting laws. The federal agency gave Detzner until Wednesday to respond.

The Justice Department letter and mistakes that the 67 county elections supervisors have found in the state list make the scrub undoable, said Martin County Elections Supervisor Vicki Davis, president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections.

“There are just too many variables with this entire process at this time for supervisors to continue,” Davis said.

Ron Labasky, the association’s general counsel, sent a memo to the 67 supervisors Friday telling them to stop processing the list.

“I recommend that Supervisors of Elections cease any further action until the issues raised by the Department of Justice are resolved between the parties or by a Court,” Labasky wrote.

Davis said the effect on supervisors will be “if they’ve started the process and they do find out that someone is ineligible to vote and they have credible and reliable information to back it up, then they will remove that person from the database. But if they have not had contact with someone on the list, they’re stopping at that point.”

Detzner in April sent supervisors a list of more than 2,600 voters his Division of Elections had identified as potential non-citizens by matching the state’s voter registration database with driver license records. Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher received 115 such names.

Supervisors were supposed to send letters to those on the list notifying them to provide proof of citizenship within 30 days or be removed from the voter rolls. But supervisors say they have found errors, including some on the list who have died, many who have become naturalized citizens since they first got their driver licenses, and others who are U.S.-born citizens — including a 91-year-old, Brooklyn-born World War II hero who now lives in Broward County.

Detzner’s spokesman, Chris Cate, said of the supervisors’ plan, “The supervisors have the ultimate duty of making the determination of eligibility. We respect the process and we have confidence in their capability to determine if someone is an ineligible voter or not.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department said the scrub appears to violate at least two federal National Voting Rights Act laws.

Five counties in Florida require federal approval before any voting or election changes are made for those counties, but Detzner did not seek approval from the Justice Department or a federal court, according to the letter written by T. Christian Herren, chief of the Justice Department’s voting section.

Florida’s current effort also appears to violate the National Voting Right Act’s prohibition on any major voter scrub 90 days before an election, Herron wrote. With an Aug. 14 primary scheduled in Florida, that would prohibit scrubs after May 16.

Herren gave Detzner until Wednesday to respond “so that the Department can determine what further action, if any, is necessary.”

Detzner issued a press release Friday indicating he will respond on time but will not back down from the state’s effort.

“As Florida’s Chief Election Officer, I am committed to ensuring the accuracy of Florida’s voter rolls and the integrity of our elections. . . . The Department will continue to act in a responsible and cautious manner when presented with credible information about potentially ineligible voters. No one that has the right to vote has been denied the opportunity to cast a vote, and as the Secretary, it is my duty to ensure that remains the case,” Detzner said.

Cate said the agency disagrees with the federal department’s interpretation of the 90-day restriction on voter list maintenance

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George Zimmerman’s credibility could be issue in legal case after bond revoked

Case hinges on jurors believing his account of what happened the night of Trayvon Martin’s death, experts say

SANFORD, Fla. — The credibility of Trayvon Martin’s shooter could be an issue at trial after a judge said that George Zimmerman and his wife lied to the court about their finances to obtain a bond, legal experts say.

That’s because the case hinges on jurors believing his account of what happened the night the 19-year-old was killed.

The questioning of Zimmerman’s truthfulness by the judge on Friday could undermine the defendant’s credibility if it is brought up at trial. It also may complicate how his defense presents him as a witness, said Orlando-area attorney Randy McCLean, who is a former prosecutor.

“The other key witness, unfortunately is deceased,” McClean said. “Basically, Zimmerman is going to be asking the jury to believe his version of the facts … As the case stands now, his credibility is absolutely critical to the case.”

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder for the February shooting. The neighborhood watch volunteer says he shot Martin in self-defense because the unarmed 17-year-old was beating him up after confronting Zimmerman about following him in a gated community outside Orlando.

Witness accounts of the rainy night Martin was shot are spotty. There is no video of the fight, though photos prosecutors have released showed Zimmerman with wounds to his face and the back of his head.

Zimmerman’s credibility with the judge would be important if O’Mara tries to get a judge without the jury to dismiss the charges based on the law, said Orlando defense attorney David Hill.

“If he was in on something that was not truthfully revealed to the judge, when there is a ‘stand your ground’ hearing, of course you’re going to second-guess him,” Hill said.

Both McClean and Hill said O’Mara would be able to challenge the admissibility of the bond revocation at trial by questioning its relevance.

Zimmerman was arrested 44 days after the killing, and during a bond hearing in April, his wife, Shellie, testified that the couple had limited funds available. The hearing also was notable because Zimmerman took the stand and apologized to Martin’s parents.

Prosecutors pointed out in their motion that Zimmerman had $135,000 available then. It had been raised from donations through a website he set up and they suggested more has been collected since and deposited in a bank account.

Shellie Zimmerman was asked about the website at the hearing, but she said she didn’t know how much money had been raised. Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester set bail at $150,000. The 28-year-old was freed a few days later after posting $15,000 in cash — which is typical — and has since been in hiding.

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