Illustrated Courtroom: March 2014

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Feds praise conviction of Osama bin Laden's son-in-law - Tulsa World: News

Feds praise conviction of Osama bin Laden's son-in-law - Tulsa World: News

The verdict in the Abu Ghyth trial was rather quick. The verdict was read by the courtroom deputy Andrew Mohan and because it was only 3 counts, was over in a flash. The jury was not polled, the judge thanked them and then excused the jury, it was done.

Abu Ghayth verdict


AUSA John Cronan closing statement

Abu Ghayth is pictured on screen with Osama Bin Ladin, one day after the attacks on 9/11.

All videos shown during the closing statement of Abu Ghayth speaking in support of Al Qaeda and their goal to kill Americans, were broadcast via Al Jazeera.

US Attorney Preet Bharara makes a rare courtroom appearance to see the closing statements, March 24, 2014

click on an image to see it larger.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Madoff Employees found Guilty of all charges

From the Wall Street Journal
Computer programmers Jerome O'Hara, 51 years old, and George Perez, 48, were convicted in federal court in Manhattan of creating phony customer accounts, while portfolio managers Annette Bongiorno, 66, and JoAnn Crupi, 53, were convicted of concocting phony trading records. Daniel Bonventre, 67, a former operations director for Mr. Madoff, helped gin up false books and records, the jury found.

Courtroom deputy Lisa Ng reads verdict while the court stenographer records, as the prosecution team, looks on.
Artwork by Elizabeth Williams


Defendants seated while jury verdict is read by courtroom deputy, Joann Crupi seated left with clasped hands and Annette Bongiorno seated right in tan chair

From Bloomberg story by Erik Larson( Larson covered the trial for 5 months)

U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain, who oversaw the trial, ruled that the ex-employees may remain free on bail until sentencing and must wear electronic monitors. Bongiorno and Bonventre are set to be sentenced on July 28; Crupi and O’Hara on July 29 and Perez on July 30. The defendants face as many as 20 years in prison on the most serious count of securities fraud.

Some of the defendants lowered their heads as the verdict was read. Crupi clasped her hands while Bongiorno wrote on the verdict sheet, nodding as each count was read. The jury was comprised of eight women and three men.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-24/madoff-aides-convicted-in-five-month-fraud-trial.html

Bloomberg juror story by Patty Hurtado and Erik Larson.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-24/madoff-jurors-said-aides-were-bernie-s-willing-soldiers.html

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Iran-Contra Prosecutor Lawrence Walsh Dies At 102 - capradio.org

Iran-Contra Prosecutor Lawrence Walsh Dies At 102 - capradio.org

The Iran Contra case is featured in the upcoming book, The Illustrated Courtroom . Below is a rare depiction of the independent prosecutor Lawrence Walsh in the courtroom during the Iran Contra proceedings. Though Walsh was the special prosecutor pursuing the investigation and prosecution of the case, he rarely made a court appearance. One key issue for Walsh was whether Ronald Reagan would testify at the trials and indeed he did at the John Poindexter trial; a battle Walsh finally won. Images from that trial with Reagan giving his televised testimony are featured in the book
All artwork by Aggie Kenny

Iran Contra story from the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/11/weekinreview/the-nation-iran-contra-pressure-for-a-fuller-accounting.html


Lawrence Walsh and Judge Gerhard Gesell during Iran Contra court proceeding by Aggie Kenny

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Osama bin Laden's son-in-law surprises courtroom with testimony - News - News-Record.com

Photo By Elizabeth Williams/AP

In this courtroom sketch Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, right, testifies at his trial Wednesday, March 19, 2014, in New York, on charges he conspired to kill Americans and aid al-Qaida as a spokesman for the terrorist group. Listening to testimony are Judge Lewis Kaplan, upper left, and clerk Andrew Mohan, center left, as an image of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-professed architect of the Sept. 11 attacks, appears on a video monitor. In his surprise testimony, Abu Ghaith recounted the night of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when bin Laden sent a messenger to drive him into a mountainous area for a meeting inside a cave in Afghanistan

Ex-al-Qaida spokesman recalls 9/11 with bin Laden

In this courtroom sketch, Osama bin Laden's son-in-law Sulaiman Abu
Ghaith, right, testifies at his trial Wednesday, March 19, 2014, in New
York, on charges he conspired to kill Americans and aid al-Qaida as a
spokesman for the terrorist group. Listening to testimony are Judge
Lewis Kaplan, center, and defense attorney Stanley Cohen, at podium. In
his surprise testimony, Abu Ghaith recounted the night of the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks, when the al-Qaida leader sent a messenger to drive him
into a mountainous area for a meeting inside a cave in Afghanistan. "Did
you learn what happened? We are the ones who did it," Abu Ghaith,
recalled bin Laden telling him. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams)

Monday, March 17, 2014

MADOFF EMPLOYEE TRIAL, AFTER 5 MONTHS, GOES TO THE JURY

UPDATE one of the Jurors was excused because of an illness, and now the jury is deliberating
with just 11 jurors.

Today after 5 months, the jury in the trial of Bernard Madoff's secretary, his director of operations, an account manager and two computer programmers, began deliberating. Over 40 witnesses testified in a trial of remarkable size and scope. Several unusual aspects to the trial:

· 2 defendants testified in their own defense

· the trial took place in the same courtroom where Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison

· The judge in the case, kept a very collegial atmosphere, and lawyers conferred upon objections, working out their differences far away from the eyes and ears of the jury in the giant ceremonial courtroom, only on occasion did the judge need to rule.

· one of the defendants was given a special chair to make it easier to sit through out the long drawn out case

· Star witness Frank DiPascali testified on the stand for 14 days, which spanned from 2013 into 2014.

Reuters story about jury deliberations

Five months later, jurors face tough task in Madoff aides' trial: Reuters

Below are some select images from the trial that touch upon some key moments during the 5 month trial

AUSA Matthew Schwartz gives opening statement October 16, 2013

USA Today story link about opening statements

Defense table, defendants with attorneys in ceremonial courtroom Manhattan Federal Court


Defense Attorney Larry Krantz cross examines Frank DiPascali USA Today story link about DiPascali testimony

AUSA Randall Jackson cross examines defendant Daniel Bonventre

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-12/madoff-ex-aide-s-son-slept-under-desk-jury-is-told.html

Defense attorney Roland Riopelle questions his client and defendant Annette Bongiorno

Daniel Bonventre seated far left with defense team, conferring, before trial.

AUSA Randall Jackson gives closing statement ( far right) with defense table left
prosecution table, right.

Judge Laura Taylor Swain

All Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

Sunday, March 9, 2014

CNN's DEATH ROW STORIES with ARTWORK BY AGGIE KENNY

Tonight (Sunday) at 9pm EST,

CNN will air the first in a series of ground breaking documentaries

produced by Robert Redford and Alex Gibney, narrated by Susan Sarandon titled

Death Row Stories.

The show includes images by Aggie Kenny as they were created.

Here are her recollections and insights in to the process of working on the show.

I was given the task of recreating scenes from the 1982 and 1995 trials of Edward Elmore as well as the 4^th Circuit Appellate hearing before a 3 judge panel. Starting with blank, white watercolor paper, cameras were trained on my drawing and painting process for many hours. Although I was given photo reference, this experience was very different from that in thecourtroom, my normal venue. Although subjects are in constant motion in the courtroom, I find drawing from life much easier. Points of reference, gesture, color, clothes, etc. are thereto draw, whereas recreations require more imagination and research. AK

Edward Elmore on the stand, recreated by Aggie Kenny

For more information on the show,
CNN link
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/07/us/gallery/death-row-stories-elmore-evidence/index.html

Sunday, March 2, 2014

RICHARD TOMLINSON: AWARD WINNING ILLUSTRATOR AND ARTIST

RICHARD TOMLINSON

The late Richard Tomlinson’s award winning work has been exhibited at The Museum of Television and Radio, The Society of Illustrators, The Art Directors Club, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, Syracuse University, and at Rutgers University Law Library where it is on loan for permanent exhibition. Tomlinson’s extensive trial credits include the Black Panther 21, David ‘Son of Sam’ Berkowitz, and the trials of Robert Chambers, Abscam, Jack Henry Abbott, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Jean Harris, Bernhard Goetz, and John Gotti He was featured in Art In America, New York Newsday, and Illustrators in America. His entire collection of courtroom art has been acquired by the John Jay School of Criminal Justice.

Author note: On top of covering major historic NYC cases and trials, Richard Tomlinson was always drawing in court, whether it was for the news or not. He was inspired by many things, a typewriter, a stenographer, a generic court scene,
in one case he used a court stamp to add interest

to his drawing. Below are drawings that have never been published before, scenes that Richard found compelling.