UPDATE - January 03, 2009 - It's Official: A new Grand Jury will be empanelled to review the evidence presented by former DA Juan Guerra. It is not clear how much of the original case will be revived. Due to the Judge's order in December taking Guerra off the case, the county now has two prosecutors in the matter against Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Presiding Judge J. Manuel Bañales appointed a lawyer from a neighboring county as DA Pro-Tem, Alfredo Padilla insists he will review the evidence before the new grand jury fairly and without prejudice. Then there is the new DA who came into office on January 1, GEO Group, formerly Wackenhut, and Warden David Forrest, charged with murder and manslaughter in the 2001 beating death of Gregorio De La Rosa Jr. by two inmates in a prison under their control2009- Bernard Wayne Ammerman. He has told several press people its "just too early" for him to know what he is going to do about the indictments and the Grand Jury, if anything.

Hear Jerry's interview with District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra recorded shortly after the indictments and before the December 1st hearing where the Judge was reinstated, who promptly dismissed the indictments.

MP3 Running time: 27 minutes, 55 seconds
Windows Media Version

Related Link: juanangelguerra.com

Guerra celebrated New Year's Eve by filing a civil lawsuit against State Senator Eddie Lucio-D Brownsville, Tx- asking for the property that Lucio allegedly purchases with bribes and payoffs from a private prison corporation that operates state and federal prisons in Texas and other states. Guerra has also taken his complaint against the State Senator to the Texas Ethics Committee. In our discussions with Guerra he has alleged that the prison company, GEO Group, formerly Wackenhut, and Warden David Forrest, charged with murder and manslaughter in the 2001 beating death of Gregorio De La Rosa Jr. by two inmates in a prison under their control. The interview with Guerra recorded right after his removal from the case was ordered by the presiding Judge is available on demand on this page.

UPDATE - December 19, 2008 - Texas State Officials up in arms over the visit to a private prison by District Attorney Guerra shortly after an inmate died in Prison. The illegal alien was pronounced dead by GEO corporation who said it was a suicide or heart attack, Guerra says, "Not So. It is another case of this prison corporation killing prisoners thru neglect in an effort to maximize profits."
CLICK HERE for the story from the Brownsville Herald.

System Stops DA or Did It?
by Jerry Pippin

(9:00 p.m.- 12-10-08) The unusually cold weather has settled in for the night in this small town in South Texas, but the cold weather was nothing to the cold reception Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra got today. He lost another battle Wednesday before state presiding District Judge J. Manuel Bañales who removed him from pursuing further charges against several high-profile public officials on the eve of a grand jury session Friday.

It was another charade, far too many of these dramas worthy of Hollywood script writers have been played out Court Rooms across the country recently as we see the grasp the establishment has on the Judicial system. It should be apparent to everyone by now as it has been apparent to this writer for many years when faced with doing conspiracy programs that reveal bad conduct by sitting public officials who routinely smirk at the idea they have a public trust.

The best smirk of the day leaped out at me from story on this incident from the Brownsville Herald newspaper covering the story today, they reported: Bañales with "deep regret" decided to remove the embattled DA from pursing charges against Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, Vice President Dick Cheney, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the GEO Group and warden David Flores.

The judge made a pre-emptive strike to stop the grand jury that is set to meet on Friday to hear presentations from Guerra as the whether or not to re-indict the public officials including Vice President Cheney and former Attorney General Gonzales. The Judge ordered that the DA, Guerra will not be able to speak to the grand jury without the presence of the pro tem district attorney and Guerra must immediately relinquish all related files to that temporary prosecutor.

Bañales dismissed the Nov. 17 grand jury indictments against the defendants on Dec. 1. The indictments center around several politicians on the state level, some other state judges and Cheney and Gonzales. They involve proof of blocking investigations, fraudulent use of tax payer money and a willful neglect of private prison corporations to attend to prisoner welfare and safety. Guerra has told me n an interview murders and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraud is involved. He compared Cheney to the mafia don and Gonzales as acting as the enforcer to keep all investigators away from the true facts of the case.

Guerra has not yet responded to our question, What next. In an email tonight, we notified Congressman John Conyers, head of the Judiciary Committee in the House of these incidents and urged Guerra whose term expires at the end of the year to take it to the house for further action.

One of my new heroes in Law enforcement is Juan Angel Guerra, a South Texas DA, who is passionate about what is happening to the nation's prison system. It is not news that the Bush Administration has been using torture, but it is news when a DA holds a grand jury investigation and finds that the Vice President, the Attorney General at the time and a number of local officials all were making huge sums out of the Federal Prison system unethically and illegally. Guerra was recently quoted in the Brownsville Herald as saying " He wanted to cut off the head of the snake and kill it. "He was referring to Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. He says they have used Mafia tactics to keep investigators away from the truth of what is really happening and what really is happening is that this past eight years has seen more graft and corruption than anytime in the history of the US, but since they control the investigation and prosecutions, nothing really has happened as far as accountability.

Guerra himself told me recently that murder, torture, and danger looms as a possible situation for every prisoner in the Federal System. Take Time to listen to the Guerra interview on this page and check back for future developments. Perhaps with the beginning of a new administration in Washington, there will be more Johnny Guerra's to rise up and begin to right the wrongs that have been done. We can only hope.

Jerry Pippin

6:00 p.m. Sunday, December 7, 2008

Click Here for background to the quote in article above, attributed to Guerra
from The Brownsville Herald newspaper.

TEXAS LAW, LIKE NO OTHER PLACE IN THE WORLD?
by Jerry Pippin

(12-07-08) The same Judge that dismissed Grand Jury Proceedings against Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will hear oral argument on December 10th in an effort for the defense of State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr., to derail Guerra from re presenting the evidence against at least some of the defendants again when the Grand Jury meets on December 13th. It will happen at 10:a.m. in a Raymondville courtroom. This city of about 10,000 people has been the center of attention for this reporter (Jerry Pippin) since November and it is not likely to lose interest in the next week or so.

If Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra wins any motions at all under this Judge it will be a major sea change in Texas Justice. District Judge J. Manuel Bañales has rarely ruled any motion in favor of Guerra and has been blatant about how he dismisses the District Attorney routinely. For instance on that December 1, 2008 hearing no attorney's showed up to argue for Cheney or Gonzales but that did not stop the Judge from dismissing the charges faster than a blink of the eye, gavel sound and dismissed mumbled each time on each charge.

It left this reporter wondering who had told the attorneys they didn't have to bother to drive down to the Court House from Houston?

DA Says he financed Grand Jury Investigation Personally

(12-03-08) "I wanted to stop the killing in those Prisons" District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra told the Brownsville Herald when asked why the mortgage company was foreclosing on his home. Guerra said it was the only way to pay for the two year investigation was out of his own pocket. CLICK HERE for the complete story from the Herald:

"I am not interested in those five" District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra told the Brownsville Herald on Tuesday. He was referring to Judges and a Court Clerk who were named in indictments with a grand jury on November 17. Speculation abounds that Guerra will try for more indictments against a State Senator and Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales. The Judge who kicked Guerra off the case and dismissed the charges will hear arguments against Guerra in Raymondville, Texas on December 10th in a pre-emptive strike by defense attorneys.

Jerry talks with District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra about how the indictments came about and in this interview the inner workings of the fraud and murder in Private Prisons are discussed in detail. Guerra tells why the Vice President and the Attorney General are guilty of Mafia-like tactics in the Prison System, being part of a huge conspiracy for countless murders and millions of dollars of corruption.

Indictments Against Cheney, Gonzales Dismissed -

December 1, 2008 - 8:33 PM RAYMONDVILLE - A judge has dismissed the indictments brought by a South Texas prosecutor against Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The Judge ruled that five of the indictments against two district judges, two special prosecutors and the district clerk connected to an investigation of Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra were unlawful because Guerra was the alleged victim and the person presenting the cases.

Administrative Judge Manuel Banales ruled Monday that eight indictments, including those involving Cheney and Gonzales, were improperly returned by a Willacy County grand jury last month. The indictments against Cheney and Gonzales centered on the alleged abuse of inmates at private prisons in the county. Banales earlier survived a recusal motion brought by Guerra. Banales then dismissed an indictment against state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. that accused the Brownsville Democrat of corruption.

Guerra earlier in the day told a Brownsville Herald that he would be taking the case to the 13th Court of Appeals over the authority of the Judge to remove him and appoint a special prosecutor. It is not clear what the Prosecutor will do next. He leaves office at the end of the year.