HE TOOK THE CASE TO A HIGHER COURT...
There are many truisms about trials: one is if a lawyer decides to represent himself in court, he has a fool for a client.
This cliché started in the 1800s when a disreputable attorney named, Bubba Goldstein, decided to represent himself against a bribery charge. During the defense part of the proceeding he actually called himself to the stand and “questioned the defendant.” He’d ask himself a question then quickly jump into the witness box to answer it. He kept himself on the stand for one week, jumping back and forth, making everyone in the courtroom totally crazy. At one point, in the trail, he refused to answer his own question citing his 5th Amendment right. The jury came back and instead of sentencing him to a possible two weeks in prison they voted the death penalty and the judge imposed it.
Another truism is that defense attorney’s always clean their clients up for the jury. No matter how violent and disgusting a defendant, his lawyer sees to it that he dresses well and is well-groomed. In the case of a male rapist/murderer they will appear in court wearing a Brooks Brother’s suit, cleanly shaven and hair combed neatly. It is true that one retarded murderer insisted on wearing rubber chicken feet along with his Brooks Brother’s pinstripe but that’s an exception. If the defendant is a woman she will always appear in a Grandma Walton dress and horned rim glasses…her hair in a bun. It seems to work especially in mob trials. I love mob trials. Sometimes, however, the goon decides to ignore his attorney’s advice and dresses how he likes. The goon is usually convicted. Vincent “the Chin” Gigante, head of the Genovese crime family in New York showed up at his trial wearing pajamas, bathrobe and slippers. The Chin, for years, claimed that he was a doddering, old senile man who couldn’t possibly be head of a crime family. When the feds had enough of Gigante’s fake performance – they charged him under the Rico Act and brought him to trial. The Chin should have won an Oscar during the trial: he never shaved, kept “falling asleep”, drooled and muttered to himself. The jury not taken in by his act convicted him and he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in the slammer. The prosecutor’s best evidence to prove that Vincent was faking it – was showing that the Chin subscribed to the Wall Street Journal and was a member of Mensa.
I guess the Genovese family decided on a different strategy this time. Forget clothes this time. A capo in the crime family, facing a five-year jail term in a Brooklyn mob case, disappeared in the middle of his trial. Lawrence Ricci, who generally kept a low public profile, was on trial in a waterfront corruption case. Ricci, who, lists his occupation as a dairy salesman, was charged with two officials of the International Longshoreman’s Association (the same thugs from “On the Waterfront” movie) with extortion and mail and wire fraud in connection with mob domination of the New York waterfront.
The 60-year old defendant allegedly insured that a mob-tied pharmaceutical company received a lucrative union contract. Even if convicted, Lawrence Ricci only faced a five-year sentence. Hell, that’s a day in the park for a mob guy. Why would Ricci suddenly not show up for court? “I do not consider my client‘s absence to be a voluntary one,” said his wise defense attorney. He insisted that it was “entirely out of character” for his client not to show up. “We are looking for him,” said an FBI spokesman. “We still haven’t arrested him, or have him in our sights.”
There could be a logical explanation for his disappearance. Perhaps he had passes to Disneyland and plum forgot about his trail…he could have wanted to sit in the audience of an Oprah show featuring guest Tab Hunter….maybe Ricci decided to get a tattoo and the artist ran out of ink and he decided to wait….your guess is as good as mine. The judge instructed the jury in the case that they should draw no “negative inferences” from Ricci’s disappearance. The judge neglected to mention that there was a puddle of blood in Ricci’s car and his big toe attached to the steering wheel.
There is speculation that the Mafia decided that Ricci’s trial should end with an ice pick in his eye. Rumor has it that when the boys found out he had purchased a ton of bird feed they thought maybe he was going to turn into a canary.
The sad thing about Ricci not showing up is he looked so good for the jury…in his Grandma Walton pinafore.
This cliché started in the 1800s when a disreputable attorney named, Bubba Goldstein, decided to represent himself against a bribery charge. During the defense part of the proceeding he actually called himself to the stand and “questioned the defendant.” He’d ask himself a question then quickly jump into the witness box to answer it. He kept himself on the stand for one week, jumping back and forth, making everyone in the courtroom totally crazy. At one point, in the trail, he refused to answer his own question citing his 5th Amendment right. The jury came back and instead of sentencing him to a possible two weeks in prison they voted the death penalty and the judge imposed it.
Another truism is that defense attorney’s always clean their clients up for the jury. No matter how violent and disgusting a defendant, his lawyer sees to it that he dresses well and is well-groomed. In the case of a male rapist/murderer they will appear in court wearing a Brooks Brother’s suit, cleanly shaven and hair combed neatly. It is true that one retarded murderer insisted on wearing rubber chicken feet along with his Brooks Brother’s pinstripe but that’s an exception. If the defendant is a woman she will always appear in a Grandma Walton dress and horned rim glasses…her hair in a bun. It seems to work especially in mob trials. I love mob trials. Sometimes, however, the goon decides to ignore his attorney’s advice and dresses how he likes. The goon is usually convicted. Vincent “the Chin” Gigante, head of the Genovese crime family in New York showed up at his trial wearing pajamas, bathrobe and slippers. The Chin, for years, claimed that he was a doddering, old senile man who couldn’t possibly be head of a crime family. When the feds had enough of Gigante’s fake performance – they charged him under the Rico Act and brought him to trial. The Chin should have won an Oscar during the trial: he never shaved, kept “falling asleep”, drooled and muttered to himself. The jury not taken in by his act convicted him and he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in the slammer. The prosecutor’s best evidence to prove that Vincent was faking it – was showing that the Chin subscribed to the Wall Street Journal and was a member of Mensa.
I guess the Genovese family decided on a different strategy this time. Forget clothes this time. A capo in the crime family, facing a five-year jail term in a Brooklyn mob case, disappeared in the middle of his trial. Lawrence Ricci, who generally kept a low public profile, was on trial in a waterfront corruption case. Ricci, who, lists his occupation as a dairy salesman, was charged with two officials of the International Longshoreman’s Association (the same thugs from “On the Waterfront” movie) with extortion and mail and wire fraud in connection with mob domination of the New York waterfront.
The 60-year old defendant allegedly insured that a mob-tied pharmaceutical company received a lucrative union contract. Even if convicted, Lawrence Ricci only faced a five-year sentence. Hell, that’s a day in the park for a mob guy. Why would Ricci suddenly not show up for court? “I do not consider my client‘s absence to be a voluntary one,” said his wise defense attorney. He insisted that it was “entirely out of character” for his client not to show up. “We are looking for him,” said an FBI spokesman. “We still haven’t arrested him, or have him in our sights.”
There could be a logical explanation for his disappearance. Perhaps he had passes to Disneyland and plum forgot about his trail…he could have wanted to sit in the audience of an Oprah show featuring guest Tab Hunter….maybe Ricci decided to get a tattoo and the artist ran out of ink and he decided to wait….your guess is as good as mine. The judge instructed the jury in the case that they should draw no “negative inferences” from Ricci’s disappearance. The judge neglected to mention that there was a puddle of blood in Ricci’s car and his big toe attached to the steering wheel.
There is speculation that the Mafia decided that Ricci’s trial should end with an ice pick in his eye. Rumor has it that when the boys found out he had purchased a ton of bird feed they thought maybe he was going to turn into a canary.
The sad thing about Ricci not showing up is he looked so good for the jury…in his Grandma Walton pinafore.
posted by THE RANTING OLD GEEZER at 5:52 PM
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