Chancery Judge Wes Teel faces embezzlement charges

Attorney: He's guilty only of being behind on his bills

STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: mccaleb4thdist@aol.com
WEB SITE: WWW.MISSISSIPPIWEBSITE.COM

By GEOFF PENDERand TRACY DASH
THE SUN HERALD

Monday, April 30, 2007

It's Official

Our elected officials have set precedence.

Teel's attorney, Joe Sam Owen, said Thursday that the judge is guilty only of failing to pay bills, primarily because his wife has been extremely ill and racked up medical bills. He said Teel turned himself in to authorities for processing on Thursday and plans to remain on the bench as he fights the charges. He expects Teel will remain free on his own recognizance.

Either Mississippi attorneys, judges, and elected officials are above the law
or, if any Mississippian is behind paying their bills, just don't bother to pay.

And even if you do get caught all you have to do is pay the money back somehow.

Mr. Phil Bryant
State Auditor

I would like to know why judges are above the law of the land.

Why are you allowing one judge to retire and draw a retirement check for the taxpayers when he committed Fraud, Waste, & Abuse of power?

It seem like our Mississippi Government is protecting attorneys, judges and politicians.

Would you please provide me with a list of people in Mississippi, which are above the law and protected against prosecution.

Sun Herald (Biloxi) | Top Stories - Chancery Judge Wes Teel Faces embezzlement
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Sincerely, 
   

Chancery Judges J.N. Randall Jr. and Tom Teel, Wes Teel's brother, have agreed to resign effective Dec. 31 and pay back mileage and meal expense money by 5 p.m. today to avoid prosecution, Attorney General Mike Moore said. He said Wes Teel was offered the same deal, but declined it.

What deal, Fraud, Waste, & Abuse is a crime, not a deal maker

   
STEVEN A. McCALEB

GULFPORT - A Harrison County grand jury on Thursday indicted Coast Chancery Court Judge Wes Teel on four felony and nine misdemeanor counts of embezzlement.

Why have they indicted Judge Wes Teel, nothing will become of his indictment.

When you are an attorney, judge, or elected official everyone assumes you are above the laws of Mississippi.

State and county officials announced the indictment after an eight-month investigation into expenses filed by Coast Chancery Court judges. Teel, from March 1999 through October, allegedly received about $3,700 worth of goods and services for his office and was reimbursed by the state, but failed to pay off the vendors. Teel faces up to 44 years in prison and $13,000 in fines if convicted on all counts.

I am taking bets on whether he will ever see one day behind bars or pay a fine.

One of the judges is being allowed to retire and get a taxpayers retirement check, he will also stay on the beach part time.

If this is not above the law, I don't know what is.

Teel's attorney, Joe Sam Owen, said Thursday that the judge is guilty only of failing to pay bills, primarily because his wife has been extremely ill and racked up medical bills. He said Teel turned himself in to authorities for processing on Thursday and plans to remain on the bench as he fights the charges. He expects Teel will remain free on his own recognizance.

How can you fight charges you have admitted too, and how can a judge stay on the bench after turning yourself in to authorities.

Mississippi makes up its own laws and it goes along.

If you are an attorney, judge, elected official, or state agency employee and you’re caught breaking the law, you can bet you’re in safe hands will Mississippi law. 

“This would be a different situation if he submitted a bill for $500 at Office Depot, then come to find out he didn't purchase any supplies there,” Owen said. “But these are expenses that he personally is liable for, not the state and not the county. This could open up a Pandora's box. If any official, for instance, uses a Texaco gas card, gets reimbursed $200, but only makes the minimum credit card payment, they are saying that's embezzlement.”

I look at along the line of Fraud, Waste, & Abuse of Power.

Isn't it funny that when an attorney, judge, elected official or state agency employee that is caught for wrong doing thing become hypothetical. 

Chancery Judges J.N. Randall Jr. and Tom Teel, Wes Teel's brother, have agreed to resign effective Dec. 31 and pay back mileage and meal expense money by 5 p.m. today to avoid prosecution, Attorney General Mike Moore said. He said Wes Teel was offered the same deal, but declined it.

Letting these judges make there own deals, such as stating they will resign to avoid prosecution is against the law in itself.

“This is one of those very unfortunate situations where you find folks who are supposed to be upholding the law breaking the law,” Moore said. “I guess people could look at it a lot of different ways, that it's only involving expense reports. But these folks are held to a higher standard because they are judges.”

But yet the attorney general will ensure leniency instead of prosecuting these judges to the fullest extent of the law.

Since he has stated that they held to a higher standard of the law, why aren't they held to that standard?

Tom Teel and Randall, Moore said, filed mileage and meal travel expenses “for miles that were not traveled.” Tom Teel has agreed to pay back $8,450 and Randall agreed to pay back $3,635.

I do not feel Tom Teel and Randall should pay back anything, what I do expect is that all three will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, then some.

Owen, who also represents Tom Teel, said he suspects the judges are being treated harshly for minor slip-ups because of their political positions.

And Owen is right, the people which pay the salaries by paying taxes, expects our judges to uphold the law, not break the law.

It's not like they are not getting a good annual salary to live on. 

“They got ahold of a check that (Wes Teel) had cashed at a casino, and they made a big deal of that,” Owen said. “He doesn't even gamble. He went there to eat or watch a show or something.”

It's the "or something" that worries me.

But there has been public outcry this week that the judges have been let off easy, especially Tom Teel and Randall, who have referred to their leaving office as “retirement.” They are unlikely to face suspension or disbarment as lawyers because they will not be prosecuted.

Again he is right, and the people of Mississippi should be outraged of how these judges are not being treated.

It's know wonder that the majority of people in the United States rate attorneys lower than bat crap.

On Thursday, Coast District Attorney Cono Caranna and Moore defended their bargain with Tom Teel and Randall.

If I am not mistaken Cono Caranna is just another attorney.

Like I have stated before, attorneys should not investigate attorneys, and the Mississippi Bar Association should be done away with.

Convicted Wiggins attorney gets reinstated
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"The objective was to get them out of the position of public trust," Caranna said, "and gain repayment."

I just can't bring myself to believe what Caranna is saying.

When these three judges committed Fraud, Waste, & Abuse of taxpayers money they should have been placed behind bars.

Moore said, “That's the same way we've handled many cases across the state.”

But if I request copies of all the cases attorney general Moore has handled I would never see them.

And if that is the case, why is Mike Moore still Mississippi's attorney general.

Randall, who has served as chancery judge since 1991, announced his “retirement” Monday in a news release.

I would like to request the Mississippi State Auditor, Phil Bryant, to investigate Randall beginning in till now.

He will be eligible to collect state retirement pay because he is 60 years old and has served at least four years, said Frank Ready, executive director of the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi.

Does this mean that a chancery judge only has to serve four year to become fully vested for the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi.

Most people must work 20 years or longer for such retirement; I spent my 20 plus in the Naval Seabees.

According to a formula used by the retirement system, Randall could receive a maximum of $18,800 a year, depending on the retirement options he has chosen.

Let's add this up, I spend 20 years in the military, Randall spends four years as a chancery judge, he will receive $18,800 plus a year.

I have too wait until age 62 0r 66 years of age and I may, if I am lucky, get $12,000 a year.

For some reason I seem to be getting a lot less.

And Randall has committed Fraud, Waste, & Abuse of taxpayers dollars, tell me he is not above the laws of Mississippi!!

Tom Teel, who announced his retirement Tuesday after serving since 1994, plans to return to private legal practice, Owen said. Now in his 40s, he will be eligible to collect maximum state retirement benefits of $12,572 a year starting at age 60.

Why doesn't Tom Teel lose his license to practice law in Mississippi?

There are knowing laws for attorneys, judges, elected officials or state employees in Mississippi, that's why.

Caranna said the investigation of the judges began when a merchant contacted him about Wes Teel not paying for computer equipment. He said he contacted the state auditor and attorney general, who then discovered the problems with expenses for Tom Teel and Randall.

Most people that have committed a crime try to hide what they have done.

But when you know that nothing will happen too you, why worry, as these three judges haven't.

Caranna said he withdrew from the investigation early on because his wife, Margaret Alfonso, is a chancery judge, but rejoined it after she was cleared of any wrongdoing.

That's a blessing

Moore said his office also examined expenses for the four local Circuit Court judges, and spot-checked other judges across the state.

That was a good idea, but did the investigation go back to when all of these Judges became Judges?

“We felt like if we were going to take a look at this, we were going to take a look at it,” Moore said. “We checked across the state to see if this was something systemic. These were the only violations of the law we found.”

I just don't know what to say.

REMEMBER: MONEY, POWER, & PERKS + FRAUD, WASTE, & ABUSE = CORRUPTION

Staff writer Geoff Pender can be reached at 896-2329 or glpender@sunherald.com

STEVEN A. McCALEB
COMMENTARY
MY OPINION

December 7, 2001