Jamal Lewis indicted on drug conspiracy charges... (1 Viewer)

[rabidfireweasel]

Here's the latest from the Baltimore Sun following today's arraignment. Things actually sound a little better now than they did before.Baltimore Ravens star running back Jamal Lewis entered a not guilty plea and bail was set at $500,000 today in his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.Lewis was freed after posting bond and also was granted permission to travel within the continental United States while awaiting trial -- a condition that would allow him to travel with the Ravens.Additionally, he agreed to have no contact with childhood friend Angelo "Pero" Jackson, who Lewis is accused of trying to help purchase as much as 50 kilograms of cocaine in the summer of 2000 in a deal that turned out to be an FBI sting operation.In court, federal magistrate E. Clayton Scofield III described the charges against Lewis, who was wearing a light gray pinstripe suit, light blue shirt and matching handkerchief.Lewis, 24, is charged with conspiring to possess, with intent to distribute, 5 kilograms of cocaine and using a cell phone in the commission of a drug crime.He was asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Gabay Smith, "Sir, is your name Jamal Lewis?""Yes," Lewis replied.When asked if Lewis understood the charges against him, he also replied, "Yes."Lewis' attorney, Edward T.M. Garland, accompanied him along with three other attorneys.The hearing was in a 17th-floor courtroom of the Richard Russell Federal Building and Courthouse in Atlanta. It had been scheduled for a different courtroom, but was moved to a larger room to accommodate the media."I am innocent, and I thank everyone for their continued support," Lewis said as he stood in the rain after the hearing.Garland added that the same recorded telephone conversation that is being used by federal prosecutors to charge Lewis may instead prove Lewis' innocence. The meaning of the tapes, he said, is open to interpretation.Lewis, the NFL's offensive player of the year, was indicted yesterday on the federal drug charges, which date back nearly four years to his life before pro-football fame -- after the former University of Tennessee player had been drafted by the NFL but before he signed a six-year, $35.3 million contract with the Ravens.No drugs were purchased.But an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta and made public yesterday describes audiotaped conversations about drug weight and price among Lewis, his friend and a confidential FBI source, including a meeting at a restaurant on Atlanta's Peachtree Road, where Lewis arrived driving a black Hummer.Lewis turned himself in to authorities today after traveling from Florida.Garland, the Atlanta defense attorney representing the player, said Lewis did not try to help his childhood friend buy the cocaine. Garland claimed a cocaine buy wasn't discussed during the restaurant conversation among Lewis, Jackson, and the woman who turned out to be a police informant."Jamal Lewis wants everyone to know that he is not guilty, that he has not been involved in drugs," Garland said. "He's extremely disappointed that this is happening."Garland accused the informant of setting up Lewis and "trumping up what happened" in an attempt to get out of jail. He accused authorities of trying to "create a crime where there isn't one."Garland said there would be a trial in the case but it was too early to say whether it could coincide with the NFL season.

How exactly do they sound better now?

 

[The_Man]

How exactly do they sound better now?

Lewis was freed after posting bond and also was granted permission to travel within the continental United States while awaiting trial -- a condition that would allow him to travel with the Ravens. 2004 could be a Pittman situation for Jamal

 

[aaronr28]

Aaron - if you were looking for an "overt act in furtherance" to slam dunk the case - there it is.

I never said I was looking for it In fact, I'd much prefer that none of this ever happened. anyway, if J Lew does end up going away to the Big House, at least he already won me several championships last season. Even the Feds can't take those away from me! :music:

 

[radballs.]

"This time, even in the worst-case situation, a federal drug trial isn't expected to come up on the docket until next year, giving the Ravens time to deal with the potential of losing Lewis. Yes, Lewis would be forced to play in 2004 with a cloud over his head. But it's still fortuitous for the Ravens, who do not have a first-round draft choice this year, having traded it to New England last April in the deal that allowed them to select Cal quarterback Kyle Boller.

While the Ravens say they would be prepared to go to battle with the tandem of reserves Musa Smith and Chester Taylor at running back, they're not bracing to even face that decision until 2005. The Ravens don't draft this year until the 51st overall selection, near the bottom of the second round, and it'd be surprising if they took a running back. At last week's NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Baltimore didn't even interview a running back prospect.

Secondly, while many of the specifics of the NFL's substance-abuse program and its members are confidential, this much is known: Having been clean for two years, since serving a four-game suspension for a second-strike violation in November 2001, Lewis is no longer enrolled in the league's drug program. He has officially been out of it since the conclusion of this month's Pro Bowl.

So even if Lewis was convicted of the drug charges in 2005, or plea-bargained a lesser sentence of some sort earlier than that, he would not be in line for one-year suspension by the league as a third-strike offender under the NFL's drug policy. He would instead be confidentially re-enrolled in the program as a first-timer, which carries no penalty and requires mandatory treatment and testing.

For Lewis, it would be a cruelly ironic twist if he found himself back in the league's drug program, even after staying clean for two years and having the page turned on that part of his career. All because of a situation dating from the summer of 2000, when he allegedly tried to help a childhood friend purchase cocaine and wound up being involved in an FBI sting operation.

In other words, the NFL's drug policy would have worked for Lewis, who proved that he amended his off-field ways after his 2001 suspension. But four years after the fact, an incident that occurred even before he had signed his first Ravens contract would land him back in the program.

For Lewis, the Ravens and the NFL, there are no winning hands to be dealt from this deck. All that's left to be decided is how much each of them have to lose." Don Banks of SI

Well, looks like he most likely will play in 2004 and interesting that he's back at stage 1 of the NFL's drug program.

 

[JohnnyU]

"This time, even in the worst-case situation, a federal drug trial isn't expected to come up on the docket until next year, giving the Ravens time to deal with the potential of losing Lewis. Yes, Lewis would be forced to play in 2004 with a cloud over his head. But it's still fortuitous for the Ravens, who do not have a first-round draft choice this year, having traded it to New England last April in the deal that allowed them to select Cal quarterback Kyle Boller.

While the Ravens say they would be prepared to go to battle with the tandem of reserves Musa Smith and Chester Taylor at running back, they're not bracing to even face that decision until 2005. The Ravens don't draft this year until the 51st overall selection, near the bottom of the second round, and it'd be surprising if they took a running back. At last week's NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Baltimore didn't even interview a running back prospect.

Secondly, while many of the specifics of the NFL's substance-abuse program and its members are confidential, this much is known: Having been clean for two years, since serving a four-game suspension for a second-strike violation in November 2001, Lewis is no longer enrolled in the league's drug program. He has officially been out of it since the conclusion of this month's Pro Bowl.

So even if Lewis was convicted of the drug charges in 2005, or plea-bargained a lesser sentence of some sort earlier than that, he would not be in line for one-year suspension by the league as a third-strike offender under the NFL's drug policy. He would instead be confidentially re-enrolled in the program as a first-timer, which carries no penalty and requires mandatory treatment and testing.

For Lewis, it would be a cruelly ironic twist if he found himself back in the league's drug program, even after staying clean for two years and having the page turned on that part of his career. All because of a situation dating from the summer of 2000, when he allegedly tried to help a childhood friend purchase cocaine and wound up being involved in an FBI sting operation.

In other words, the NFL's drug policy would have worked for Lewis, who proved that he amended his off-field ways after his 2001 suspension. But four years after the fact, an incident that occurred even before he had signed his first Ravens contract would land him back in the program.

For Lewis, the Ravens and the NFL, there are no winning hands to be dealt from this deck. All that's left to be decided is how much each of them have to lose." Don Banks of SI

Well, looks like he most likely will play in 2004 and interesting that he's back at stage 1 of the NFL's drug program.

No longer a two time offender. That is great news.

 

[beef]

If our federal government actually sentences someone to 20 years in prison for having a meeting to discuss a drug deal ONCE but never going through with it, then our system is clearly fubar.

Let's say the FBI talk to a suspected terrorist about exploding a dirty bomb in Washington DC, and they meet with the suspected terrorist and at the meeting the suspect arranges to explode a dirty bomb in Washington DC, would you think that suspected terrorist did nothing wrong?Because the analogy is exactly the same. Jamal Lewis is on tape agreeing to arrange a deal in hard drugs.

Bad analogy. 1)Terrorist do NOT equal Americans dealing drugs..

Speak for yourself. I consider drug dealers terrorists to our children. So in my book american drug dealers are terrorists and I will treat them as such.

 

[smlevin]

even if Lewis was convicted of the drug charges in 2005, or plea-bargained a lesser sentence of some sort earlier than that, he would not be in line for one-year suspension by the league as a third-strike offender under the NFL's drug policy. He would instead be confidentially re-enrolled in the program as a first-timer, which carries no penalty and requires mandatory treatment and testing.

Definitely better news as my main problem with JLew last year was the "one strike an dgone" thing. I also believe there is very little chance JLew will end up in jail - the picture painted for the jury will be that the CI made the story up to include a big name like JLew to get out of jail. Also, it is clear that Jackson is the target, not JLew, and that will be a defense strategy. This is over 3 years old, and JLew's involvement is on a legal techincality unless there is a concrete link between JLew and the attempted drug purchase by Jackson - a link that is significantly more than an in-prison CI's word.I won't downgrade JLew for 2004 redrafts, but I hope others do.

 

[JohnnyU]

If our federal government actually sentences someone to 20 years in prison for having a meeting to discuss a drug deal ONCE but never going through with it, then our system is clearly fubar.

Let's say the FBI talk to a suspected terrorist about exploding a dirty bomb in Washington DC, and they meet with the suspected terrorist and at the meeting the suspect arranges to explode a dirty bomb in Washington DC, would you think that suspected terrorist did nothing wrong?Because the analogy is exactly the same. Jamal Lewis is on tape agreeing to arrange a deal in hard drugs.

Bad analogy. 1)Terrorist do NOT equal Americans dealing drugs..

Speak for yourself. I consider drug dealers terrorists to our children. So in my book american drug dealers are terrorists and I will treat them as such.

I don't give a s**t who he sells drugs to as long as he suits up on Sunday Well, not really

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

"Having been clean for two years, since serving a four-game suspension for a second-strike violation in November 2001, Lewis is no longer enrolled in the league's drug program...<snip>...So even if Lewis was convicted of the drug charges in 2005, or plea-bargained a lesser sentence of some sort earlier than that, he would not be in line for one-year suspension by the league as a third-strike offender under the NFL's drug policy. He would instead be confidentially re-enrolled in the program as a first-timer, which carries no penalty and requires mandatory treatment and testing."

WTF is this garbage? So if you have a 15 year career you can get busted seven different times for drugs and every one of them can count as your first offense? Giant for the idiot who designed this setup.

 

[The_Man]

WTF is this garbage? So if you have a 15 year career you can get busted seven different times for drugs and every one of them can count as your first offense? Giant for the idiot who designed this setup.

So you're saying Brett Favre shouldn't be allowed to have another beer for the remainder of his NFL career?Because that is what you're saying.

 

[aaronr28]

mmmm.....beer

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

No, it isn't. The terms of probation are not the same thing as the act which caused you to be on probation. I'm fine with Farve not being able to drink while he's on probation. Him drinking beer once his probation is done is not illegal or against the NFL rulesSurely you can understand the difference.

 

[smlevin]

If our federal government actually sentences someone to 20 years in prison for having a meeting to discuss a drug deal ONCE but never going through with it, then our system is clearly fubar.

Let's say the FBI talk to a suspected terrorist about exploding a dirty bomb in Washington DC, and they meet with the suspected terrorist and at the meeting the suspect arranges to explode a dirty bomb in Washington DC, would you think that suspected terrorist did nothing wrong?Because the analogy is exactly the same. Jamal Lewis is on tape agreeing to arrange a deal in hard drugs.

Bad analogy. 1)Terrorist do NOT equal Americans dealing drugs..

Speak for yourself. I consider drug dealers terrorists to our children. So in my book american drug dealers are terrorists and I will treat them as such.

How do you feel about sexual predators, pedophiles and child pornographers?They'll be back on the street before the guy down the street who sold his buddy a bag of weed.

 

[Holy Schneikes]

I never said I was looking for it In fact, I'd much prefer that none of this ever happened.

anyway, if J Lew does end up going away to the Big House, at least he already won me several championships last season. Even the Feds can't take those away from me! :music:

Dunno, did you file the winnings on your federal income tax?You'd be surprised what the feds can take from you.

 

[The Houston Stallions]

mmmm.....beer

I think I'll have one now."Pop a top again"

 

[beef]

If our federal government actually sentences someone to 20 years in prison for having a meeting to discuss a drug deal ONCE but never going through with it, then our system is clearly fubar.

Let's say the FBI talk to a suspected terrorist about exploding a dirty bomb in Washington DC, and they meet with the suspected terrorist and at the meeting the suspect arranges to explode a dirty bomb in Washington DC, would you think that suspected terrorist did nothing wrong?Because the analogy is exactly the same. Jamal Lewis is on tape agreeing to arrange a deal in hard drugs.

Bad analogy. 1)Terrorist do NOT equal Americans dealing drugs..

Speak for yourself. I consider drug dealers terrorists to our children. So in my book american drug dealers are terrorists and I will treat them as such.

How do you feel about sexual predators, pedophiles and child pornographers?They'll be back on the street before the guy down the street who sold his buddy a bag of weed.

they're terrorists too

 

[smlevin]

Well the point is, terrorists or not, they are back on the street before the nonviolent offendors b/c of the way our FUBAR system is set up - in fact, I stamd by my statement: drug dealers are NOT terrorists - they are treated far worse by our criminal justice system.

 

[Football Jones]

The fact he's supposedly back to no strikes is probably of little consequence in this matter. If he's found guilty (even of the lesser charge), it's almost a lock he'll be serving some kind of time from what I understand. That would take care of the suspension. And I doubt he pleads to the lesser charge for that very reason (serving time). But man...that's got to be scary. I believe the sentencing is up to the judge & I'm sure the maximum for even the lesser charge is pretty steep. It's a shame, too. Lewis is in a profession where you only get a few years to make your mark. Even a minimal sentence would be catastrophic.

 

[smlevin]

I believe the sentencing is up to the judge, & I'm sure the maximum for even the lesser charge is pretty steep.

True, but the main complaint from judges doing drug cases is that the MINIMUM they are required to assess is way too harsh for the conviction made.It is a real issue that is generally ignored b/c it is sentencing of convicted drug dealers, so who cares if theior rights are trampled, correct?

 

[Football Jones]

True, but the main complaint from judges doing drug cases is that the MINIMUM they are required to assess is way too harsh for the conviction made.It is a real issue that is generally ignored b/c it is sentencing of convicted drug dealers, so who cares if theior rights are trampled, correct?

I didn't think about a minimum, so I can see where you're coming from. If they're required to give a minimum that's unreasonable, then I agree with you. I'd be interested to see what the min/max is & everything, but we'll probably get all that info at some point.

 

[smlevin]

True, but the main complaint from judges doing drug cases is that the MINIMUM they are required to assess is way too harsh for the conviction made.It is a real issue that is generally ignored b/c it is sentencing of convicted drug dealers, so who cares if theior rights are trampled, correct?

I didn't think about a minimum, so I can see where you're coming from. If they're required to give a minimum that's unreasonable, then I agree with you. I'd be interested to see what the min/max is & everything, but we'll probably get all that info at some point.

I could dig up the correct numbers right now if I wanted, but off of memory, drug trafficking conspiracy, combined with "use of a cell phone" - an aggravating factor because it is use of the federally controlled airwaves for a criminal enterprise - probably carries a minimum of ~10 years. Given the fact that 50 kilos of coke was involved, maybe more.

 

[Iceman03]

O/U on this thread is at 7. Keep it coming guys.

 

[smlevin]

O/U on this thread is at 7. Keep it coming guys.

I'll take the over - and I'll help out with some post padding.

 

[Football Jones]

True, but the main complaint from judges doing drug cases is that the MINIMUM they are required to assess is way too harsh for the conviction made.It is a real issue that is generally ignored b/c it is sentencing of convicted drug dealers, so who cares if theior rights are trampled, correct?

I didn't think about a minimum, so I can see where you're coming from. If they're required to give a minimum that's unreasonable, then I agree with you. I'd be interested to see what the min/max is & everything, but we'll probably get all that info at some point.

I could dig up the correct numbers right now if I wanted, but off of memory, drug trafficking conspiracy, combined with "use of a cell phone" - an aggravating factor because it is use of the federally controlled airwaves for a criminal enterprise - probably carries a minimum of ~10 years. Given the fact that 50 kilos of coke was involved, maybe more.

I hear ya...that's a long time.

 

[bigness4life]

If our federal government actually sentences someone to 20 years in prison for having a meeting to discuss a drug deal ONCE but never going through with it, then our system is clearly fubar.

Let's say the FBI talk to a suspected terrorist about exploding a dirty bomb in Washington DC, and they meet with the suspected terrorist and at the meeting the suspect arranges to explode a dirty bomb in Washington DC, would you think that suspected terrorist did nothing wrong?Because the analogy is exactly the same. Jamal Lewis is on tape agreeing to arrange a deal in hard drugs.

Bad analogy. 1)Terrorist do NOT equal Americans dealing drugs..

Speak for yourself. I consider drug dealers terrorists to our children. So in my book american drug dealers are terrorists and I will treat them as such.

How do you feel about sexual predators, pedophiles and child pornographers?They'll be back on the street before the guy down the street who sold his buddy a bag of weed.

they're terrorists too

Settle down, Francis.... :wacko:

 

[The_Man]

Here’s the thing about Jamal and the NFL’s drug policy. He really seems to have benefited greatly from it, and that’s great. Isn’t the whole idea to get players off of drugs, rather than mete out harsh punishment? Check out the timeline:2000April: Jamal drafted #5June: Alleged involvement in drug conspiracyJuly: Signs NFL contractOct: Takes over starting job from Priest HolmesJan: First rookie since Timmy Smith to rush for 100 yards and score a Super Bowl TDSometime: Picks up strike one under the NFL drug policy, maybe even in testing at the combine. Nobody knows when or for what.2001July: Tears ACL and is sidelined for seasonSometime before November: Picks up strike two. Or maybe picks up both strikes one and two. Again nobody knows. To me, it’s quite possible he failed a couple of drug tests during this time, figuring (incorrectly) it was no big deal if he picked up the bong since he was out for the season and on crutches.2002All season: Stays clean, getting tested up to 10 times per month under the NFL’s Phase Two drug policy, and becomes one of a handful of NFL RBs to rush for 1000 yards before and after blowing an ACL.2003All season: Stays clean, getting tested up to 10 times per month under the NFL’s Phase Two drug policy, and turns in one of the great seasons by an RB in NFL history.2004Indicted for offense that occurred before he signed an NFL contract.Now people can take shots and call him a thug. Maybe he was a few years back. But since getting his second strike, it’s pretty clear he’s led a squeaky-clean lifestyle. And, in fact, he worked like a madman before 2003 to get in the shape that let him rush for 2,000 yards. I hope he is found innocent of the charges, not only because I’m a Ravens fan, but also because he seems like a guy who has seen the error of his ways and is now clearly on the right path.

 

[Loomba]

"This time, even in the worst-case situation, a federal drug trial isn't expected to come up on the docket until next year, giving the Ravens time to deal with the potential of losing Lewis. Yes, Lewis would be forced to play in 2004 with a cloud over his head. But it's still fortuitous for the Ravens, who do not have a first-round draft choice this year, having traded it to New England last April in the deal that allowed them to select Cal quarterback Kyle Boller.

While the Ravens say they would be prepared to go to battle with the tandem of reserves Musa Smith and Chester Taylor at running back, they're not bracing to even face that decision until 2005. The Ravens don't draft this year until the 51st overall selection, near the bottom of the second round, and it'd be surprising if they took a running back. At last week's NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Baltimore didn't even interview a running back prospect.

Secondly, while many of the specifics of the NFL's substance-abuse program and its members are confidential, this much is known: Having been clean for two years, since serving a four-game suspension for a second-strike violation in November 2001, Lewis is no longer enrolled in the league's drug program. He has officially been out of it since the conclusion of this month's Pro Bowl.

So even if Lewis was convicted of the drug charges in 2005, or plea-bargained a lesser sentence of some sort earlier than that, he would not be in line for one-year suspension by the league as a third-strike offender under the NFL's drug policy. He would instead be confidentially re-enrolled in the program as a first-timer, which carries no penalty and requires mandatory treatment and testing.

For Lewis, it would be a cruelly ironic twist if he found himself back in the league's drug program, even after staying clean for two years and having the page turned on that part of his career. All because of a situation dating from the summer of 2000, when he allegedly tried to help a childhood friend purchase cocaine and wound up being involved in an FBI sting operation.

In other words, the NFL's drug policy would have worked for Lewis, who proved that he amended his off-field ways after his 2001 suspension. But four years after the fact, an incident that occurred even before he had signed his first Ravens contract would land him back in the program.

For Lewis, the Ravens and the NFL, there are no winning hands to be dealt from this deck. All that's left to be decided is how much each of them have to lose." Don Banks of SI

Well, looks like he most likely will play in 2004 and interesting that he's back at stage 1 of the NFL's drug program.

Excellent post radballs. Thanks for the info. Here is another interesting read on the situation:http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F...EMPLATE=DEFAULT

 

[The Houston Stallions]

Maybe they knew the charges wouldn't stick for the full punishment and they waited so long to charge him to make sure that he was indeed off the program so it wouldn't be strike three. I'm sure a lawsuit from Lewis would follow if he actually beat the case but was still suspended by the NFL or even by the Ravens for that matter.

 

[Irish]

An AP story, sorry no links, that states that the Gov't is gonna have a tough time getting a conviction if this goes to trial because the feds took 4 years to file charges and the jury is gonna have alot of doubt why it took so long if the feds had these alleged tapes and sat on them for 4 years. I say it never goes to trial or if it does there is no way all 12 jurors will find him guilty. Some of them will find reasonable doubt about the fed's case and one of them or a friend is bound to have Jamal on their fantasy roster.

 

[smlevin]

Maybe they knew the charges wouldn't stick for the full punishment and they waited so long to charge him to make sure that he was indeed off the program so it wouldn't be strike three. I'm sure a lawsuit from Lewis would follow if he actually beat the case but was still suspended by the NFL or even by the Ravens for that matter.

My understanding of the league's policy is that a charge from years ago that does not indicate current usage wouldn't trigger action, esp. with an acquittal on those charges. Seems the NFLPA would be able to protect JLew from a third strike after being acquitted.That said, you give fed'l prosecutors WAY too much credit for thinking of: (1) the civil charges and (2) that they would not be protected by sovereign immunity. Your conspiracy theory is unsound.Unless he can prove malicious prosecution (and the return of an indictment by the grand jury almost ALWAYS defeats that claims b/c it means there is probable cause to proceed with the prosecution - thus essentially defeating the "malicious" part of the civil charge), he would have no viable claim against the feds.I'll be surprised if anything besides a bunch of decent jokes about Jamal Lewis and the Ravens comes of this.

 

[smlevin]

Well, jokes - and the ability to get him at a cheap price in redraft leagues as you talk on draft day about how the team will suspend him for doing drugs.

 

[Halfthedistance]

I'll be surprised if anything besides a bunch of decent jokes about Jamal Lewis and the Ravens comes of this.

I thought this was a pretty good joke.Lewis crime ring includes Jamal, Ray, Jerry, Emmanuel, Huey