Coghill Pleads Guilty to Obstruction

[Don Melcher]

I went to the hearing yesterday thinking there would be some interesting legal wrangling, the trial might be postponed a few weeks, but eventually there would be a trial. Justice came swiftly in the form of a plea agreement, reached just prior to the hearing. Junior plead guilty to one count of obstruction, and the perjury charge was dropped. Sentencing is scheduled for November 23rd. I do not know what the "Guidelines" referred to in court call for in the way of prison time, but I suspect that the result will be less harsh than it might have been with a jury trial. We shall see how Judge Moon deals with this in November.

I appreciate all of the efforts of Mr. Hogeboom and others on the Government team for pulling this together and developing such overwhelming evidence.

I am still out half a million dollars, so there is little joy in this latest conviction. I will continue to post information here and track Junior's path through the legal system. If he is incarcerated, I will deal through the Bureau of Prisons to make his case worker aware of his history and use of e-mail and letters in violation of the Judge's orders. When he is free, I will remain vigilant and seek any opportunity to ensure enforcement of his Conditions of Release.