SHOULD THE GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA BE INDICTED AS PART OF A CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY TO RESTRICT VOTING?

Florida Governor Rick Scott?

Just after the Florida election an unusual note made its way to my office. The letter looked at first to be a prank; like a blackmailer's note every word was cut out from magazines and pasted to the page. The envelope bore a Tallahassee postmark yet no return address. 

Who would go to so much trouble of disguise in writing to a Clearwater Criminal Defense Attorney? Was there something sinister afoot in the State of Florida?

Here's the note:

Dear Sir:

 I'm a hard-working entrepreneur, a people person, a man of character and integrity, a reformer as well as a powerful former CEO indirectly involved in a $400 million health care fraud, which was a mere misunderstanding I had nothing to do with, as I was never indicted. Since then I've done my best to lead a law abiding lie, errr... life.  

I was doing fine until the people swept me into office making me the Governor of a desolate, backward Southern State with some 29 electoral votes and no high speed rail. I enjoy being Governor except for the foul tasting seafood  people eat here and the damn elections folks demand every few years.  My god, these people are always wanting to vote instead of just finding jobs!  

Recently some friends in the Government and I made voting more orderly by restricting the number of polling places, reducing the number of voting days and making it possible for some folks to wait up to eight hours to vote - no wonder they don't have jobs!

Now I'm worried about investigations and indictments. Could even a people person's Governor be indicted for being part of a criminal conspiracy to restrict votes? Would it be a better defense to say I didn't know what I was doing, that I knew what I was doing but didn't know it was unlawful or that I'm just incompetent? 

While we all can agree that you're incompetent, it still might be difficult for you to avoid an indictment if criminal conduct was  established at Grand Jury hearings where absolute immunity could be granted for those testifying against you. If the Grand Jury found you were in fact part of a criminal conspiracy with others to restrict voting among minorities, women and those who enjoy Florida seafood, you could face indictment and a lengthy term in prison.

Many Americans are under the impression that the right to vote is one of the cherished rights of a democracy that unites us as Americans and protects us from people like you. 

Clearly, your best defense is that you and other co-conspirators in the Florida Government were making broad political decisions to reduce the vote among minorities rather than conducting a criminal conspiracy. Even more than the restrictions on voting you implemented, criminalizing politics by punishing the losers, folks like you and your friends, with jail terms could undermine democracy. Anyway, to the anonymous letter writer, good luck and if you ever find yourself as an indicted Governor in need of Clearwater Criminal Defense Lawyers feel free to call.