We met in a conference room at the Federal
Public Defenders Office in Los Angeles. Special Agent John I. Pi, Agent Pi's
assistant, Federal Public Defender Guy Iverson, Attorney Carol Smith (LG),
and my son Tony. They didn't know that I was bringing an attorney. Pi
seemed a bit uneasy -- his comfort level was off balance. While
Pi's assistant was transferring the items from a van parked outside to
the conference room, my attorney Carol Smith questioned him about the return
of the copied data (mirror images). Pi said, in a rapid and unclear
voice, that the data would be destroyed. I had to ask Pi to repeat
himself. I asked Pi if he was referring to the data on the computer hard
drives or the mirror images of the drives. Pi said the hard
drives.
I left the room with my attorney to
discuss the situation. I explained to her that I WANTED THE HARD
DRIVES RETURNED AND TO INFORM SPECIAL AGENT PI THAT HE CANNOT DESTROY THE
DATA. We came back into the room and my attorney informed Pi not
to destroy the hard drives and that we were prepared to file a motion with
the court for the return of the data. When my attorney questioned
Pi as to why he needed to destroy the data, Pi changed his story. Pi
stated that the data was being transferred to the L.A. District Attorney for
review. Pi was unclear about particulars and evasive when
questioned. This is typical FBI nonsense. They never say what they mean and
never mean what they say. They conveniently invent reasons to justify their
unreasonable actions. It's a never ending roller coaster ride. There
were over 10 computers taken from Sherman's room on Jan. 24, 2002. All
computers were transferred to the FBI cyber crime unit where they
were analyzed and held for over two years. The computers were returned
WITHOUT THE HARD DRIVES. NO DATA... BOXES WITH MOTHER BOARDS! Two of the
computers were old 286's and did not belong to Sherman.
State charges were never mentioned by
the prosecutor or Sherman's FPD during the plea
signing. Possible state charges were introduced ONLY when I
requested the return of the data. We are waiting to hear back from the District Attorney about
the data. The process is moving slow and I haven't received an update from
my attorney. It's my opinion that the government will NEVER give
me back the data. And I foolishly thought that this was
over.
I plan on posting an update on
www.freesherman.org next
week.
For those of you who read
the article in CLAMOR Sherman Austin Black anarchist faces patriot act
repression. This case is extremely complex and difficult to navigate and
I appreciate the fine job the staff @ CLAMOR did in reporting the facts.
However, there is one important correction on page 2.
"In Fact,
Austin wasn't even charged with anything until six months after..."
It's important to note that Sherman was NEVER charged with any crime.
The prosecutor THREATENED to indict Sherman if he did not sign the
plea agreement.
Lots of folks aren't aware that
Sherman was never formally indicted -- he was threatened. This tactic is
typical of our so called justice system. Pressuring people to sign a plea
for a crime they didn't commit by threatening a more serious charge if the
case goes to trial -- the 20 year terrorist enhancement. This is
what we are dealing with. A justice system based on lies NOT
truth. What can we do about an unjust system that portrays itself as a
system based on truth and equal representation for all? I don't
have all the answers, but I will continue to share the details of this case
with whomever will listen. Thanks again for helping.