Joseph P. Welch

joe :: Oct.17.2009 :: Marijuana, Missouri, St. Louis, Drug Law Reform, Drug Laws, Misc. Ranting :: No Comments »

Detective Bobby Garrett was as crooked as they come, and now he’s getting his. This corrupt police officer put one of my clients in jail for 2 months and almost sent him to prison for 11 years - luckily, though, it only took our jury 25 minutes to find my guy NOT GUILTY.

The St. Louis American reports:

On Friday (August 28), former St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detective Bobby Garrett plead guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, making false statements and theft of government funds, according to Acting United States Attorney Michael W. Reap.

Though Reap described it as an “isolated incident,” the investigation revealed several City undercover detectives under the leadership of then Police Chief Mokwa committing crimes together on multiple occasions while in the line of duty.

Federal investigators describe a network of on-duty police officers stealing money from purported drug dealers and lying in official documents to conceal their crimes.

Federal agents also described false arrests made as part of the cover-up and obstruction of justice when their crimes were investigated.

Garrett, Leo Liston and Vincent Carr were police detectives employed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, assigned to the Crime Suppression Unit.

Their duties included investigations involving auto theft, burglary, illegal narcotics sales and firearms offenses and were usually carried out while working in plain clothes and unmarked cars.

According to statements made in court by Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith at the time of the guilty plea, Garrett aided and abetted other officers acting with him in stealing money from a purported drug courier they stopped on September 18, 2007, and failed to properly report the stop and seizure in order to conceal their actions.

Further, Goldsmith said, in a June 6, 2008 drug raid, Garrett stole money, lied on police reports about the drug raid, and took other actions to conceal the theft, including falsely arresting and charging an individual relative to the drug raid.

Garrett later lied to a representative of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI agents investigating the incident in order to conceal his criminal conduct, Goldsmith said.

In an unrelated June 11, 2008 drug raid, Garrett and other officers working with him seized approximately $12,000 in cash, but only reported approximately $4,000 of the seized cash to the police department. The remaining approximately $8,000 was misapplied by Garrett and the other officers, and a false police report was prepared in order to conceal their criminal conduct, Goldsmith said in connection to the guilty plea.

Garrett, 49, of St. Louis County, plead guilty to one felony count of embezzlement of government property, one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one felony count of wire fraud, two felony counts of making false statements and one felony count of misapplication of government funds.

Read the whole story from the St. Louis American online: Former City detective pleads guilty to multiple crimes committed on duty

joe :: Aug.30.2009 :: Missouri, St. Louis, Criminal Defense, Criminal Law :: No Comments »

Today, Saturday, May 2, 2009 is Worldwide Cannabis Liberation day and our annual March to the Arch to Legalize Marijuana!

However, due to the flooding down at the Arch we have moved the event to the location of the after-party - the whole thing is now going to be at:

Heartbreaker’s on the Landing
700 N. 2nd Street
St. Louis, MO 63102

The event is now 18 and up (not 21 and up) but still runs from 1-7 and then the after party from 7 until whenever.

We’re still going to have all the bands and speakers and it will be a great time.

And don’t forget to see me to sign our petition to decriminalize marijuana in the City of St. Louis!

Visit Greater St. Louis NORML on Facebook for more info on the event: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24335878918 .

See you there!

Joseph Welch, Director
Greater St. Louis NORML

joe :: May.02.2009 :: Marijuana, NORML, Missouri, St. Louis :: No Comments »

Our petition to decriminalize marijuana in the City of St. Louis made the news last night. Michelle Anselmo from Fox 2 came out to the 4/20 event at Fubar and did a story on the local marijuana reform movement. Of course they didn’t get my keynote speech, but you can see me in the background several times, and most importantly, they mentioned our petition.

Local Push To Decriminalize Marijuana Gathers Momentum - Michelle Anselmo, Fox 2 St. Louis

joe :: Apr.21.2009 :: Marijuana, NORML, Missouri, St. Louis, Drug Law Reform, Drug Laws :: No Comments »

Join Greater St. Louis NORML and Legalize St. Louis! on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at the March to the Arch - St. Louis Worldwide Cannabis Liberation Day!

From 1 PM to 7PM on the Arch steps we’ll have national marijuana reform activists and several local bands out in support of our decriminalization initiative petition.

For more info, check out our event on Facebook: March to the Arch - St. Louis Cannabis Liberation Day

Our guests will include:

Ray Hartmann – founder of Riverfront Times, Ray is a regular on KETC Channel 9’s “Donnybrook”.

John Coffman – John is a lobbyist for the ACLU.

George McMahon – one of only four remaining patients who receives medicinal cannabis from the Federal Government. George is a founding member of Patients Out of Time

Jacqueline Patterson – cannabis patient and activist, appeared in Showtime’s “In Pot We Trust”

Mark Pedersen – a cannabis patient & founder of Cannabis Patient Network, Mark has interviewed over 100 medical cannabis patients, their family members, & physicians

Ervin Dargan – cannabis patient & videographer, works closely with Cannabis Patient Network & Patients Out of Time

Mayor Joe Blundell – Mayor of Cliff Village, MO; Joe was instrumental in the passage of Missouri’s 2nd medical cannabis city ordinance

Dan Viets – attorney, state coordinator for Missouri Norml; Dan has been fighting for over 40 years for an end to cannabis prohibition in Missouri.

Kelly Maddy – President, Joplin Norml, is currently working toward a medical cannabis city ordinance for Joplin, is instrumental in Missouri state cannabis reform.

Joseph Welch – criminal defense lawyer, director of Greater St. Louis NORML; is working toward establishing a cannabis city ordinance for St. Louis City.

Denise Lieberman – attorney, teacher, civil rights activist; Denise was formerly the Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Easter Missouri

Terri Zeman - Director, Greater St. Louis NORML; Terri has worked many years educating Missouri regarding the benefits of hemp & bio diesel.

Medical cannabis patients from across Missouri and Illinois are expected to attend and participate.

Our bands will include:

Madahoochi St. Louis, MO http://madahoochi.com/index.html

56 Hope Road Chicago, IL http://www.56hoperd.com/

Frog Eye Jug Band Springfield, MO http://www.myspace.com/frogeyejugband

Vitamen A St. Louis, MO http://www.myspace.com/vitaminamusic

Upright Animals St. Louis, MO http://www.myspace.com/theuprightanimals

Aaron Kamm & the One Drops Edwardsville, IL http://www.myspace.com/theonedrops

For more info, check out our event on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=39209377718

Hope to see all of you there!

Joseph Welch, Director
Greater St. Louis NORML
Legalize St. Louis!

joe :: Apr.05.2009 :: NORML, Missouri, St. Louis, Drug Law Reform, Drug Laws :: No Comments »