JFK Assassination Forum
JFK Assassination Plus General Discussion & Debate => JFK Assassination Plus General Discussion And Debate => Topic started by: Jon Banks on April 27, 2022, 03:20:57 PM
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Kudos to President Biden
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Kudos to President Biden
Bolden took a bribe as a government official and was convicted after being given due process. There is no doubt of his guilt. There are obvious political motivations for his pardon. He played on the racial issue and JFK conspiracy to exonerate him from his criminal actions. In addition, bribery is not frowned upon by the current political establishment who have enriched themselves and their families by similar means.
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Bolden took a bribe as a government official and was convicted after being given due process. There is no doubt of his guilt.
The witnesses against him consisted of two men who were facing felony charges and who received favorable treatment from the prosecutors after testifying against Bolden. Here is an excerpt from the wikipedia article on Bolden:
"The government's case included the testimony of two men, Frank Jones and Joseph Spagnoli, both facing felony charges originating from the same Secret Service office that Bolden was employed and who were facing upcoming trials before the same Chicago court.[citation needed] The cases against Jones and ten of his co-conspirators were dismissed after Bolden's conviction. The copy of the secret government file on the Spagnoli counterfeiting operation that Bolden allegedly put up for sale was never recovered, last being seen in the Chicago offices of the Secret Service, disappearing before charges were brought against Bolden.[citation needed] Bolden was not accused of receiving any illicit funds from the accused felons who testified against him.
On July 6, 1964, Bolden's trial opened in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.[19] Secret Service agent Maurice G. Martineau, the first witness for the prosecution, testified that Spagnoli complained to him in a telephone call that the government was attempting to entrap him.[19] According to Martineau, Spagnoli said he was visited by a stranger who said a Secret Service agent offered to sell him information for $50,000.[19] He said his investigation led him to Frank W. Jones who told him Bolden had sent him to Spagnoli.[19] Martineau testified that he confronted Bolden with the allegations of Spagnoli and Jones, and that Bolden denied them.[19]
The following day on July 7, the prosecution's chief witness, Jones, testified that Bolden attempted to sell him government information for $50,000.[20][21] He said that Bolden had driven him to a park where he showed him parts of a Secret Service file.[21] During his testimony on July 9, Bolden denied all charges against him.[20] He also denied that he had offered Richard Walter, an informant, $500 to kill Jones and said that he had only told Walter to stay away from Jones.[20][21] Bolden's first jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of conviction, at which time presiding judge Joseph Sam Perry issued an Allen charge in which he expressed his belief that Bolden was guilty but that the jury was free to disregard his opinion.[22] The jury remained deadlocked, and Perry declared a mistrial on July 11, 1964.[22] He set August 3 as the date for a new trial.[22]
Bolden was re-tried. On August 12, 1964, the jury found Bolden guilty of the charges and Judge Perry sentenced him to six years in prison.[23] Perry had the option to sentence him to 25 years and $165,000 ($15,000 plus three times the amount of the bribe).[7] Bolden was reported to have responded tearfully to the verdict: "If at the time of my arrest I ever embarrassed any agency of the United States, it was because at the time I thought my statements were true. I did not mean to embarrass anybody. I ask you, please have mercy. In God's name, please have mercy!"[23] Acknowledging Bolden's apology, Hanrahan told the media: "The verdict completely rejects the outrageous charges made by the defendant and confirms the public's belief in the absolute integrity of the U.S. Secret Service."[7]"
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The witnesses against him consisted of two men who were facing felony charges and who received favorable treatment from the prosecutors after testifying against Bolden. Here is an excerpt from the wikipedia article on Bolden:
That is a typical practice and does not cast any doubt as to his guilt in this particular case. He was engaged in criminal conduct with other criminals. He received due process and legal representation above and beyond the legal standard. Bolden has used legitimate issue of racial discrimination and false JFK conspiracy theories to mask his own criminal conduct. Shameful. A perfect "victim" for the modern political climate. There are undoubtedly many actual and more worthy individuals that were victims of the times. Bolden was not one of them.
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That is a typical practice and does not cast any doubt as to his guilt in this particular case. He was engaged in criminal conduct with other criminals.
If you accept the word of the criminals, who had a motive to lie. The evidence corroborating Jones and Spagnoli appears to be non-existent. The alleged file that he allegedly tried to sell was never produced. It is virtually unheard of to base a conviction on such evidence without corroboration such as a wiretap recording.
He received due process and legal representation above and beyond the legal standard. Bolden has used legitimate issue of racial discrimination and false JFK conspiracy theories to mask his own criminal conduct. Shameful. A perfect "victim" for the modern political climate. There are undoubtedly many actual and more worthy individuals that were victims of the times. Bolden was not one of them.
So that means there can be no wrongful convictions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wrongful_convictions_in_the_United_States)simply because accused persons receive due process?
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If you accept the word of the criminals, who had a motive to lie. The evidence corroborating Jones and Spagnoli appears to be non-existent. The alleged file that he allegedly tried to sell was never produced. It is virtually unheard of to base a conviction on such evidence without corroboration such as a wiretap recording.
So that means there can be no wrongful convictions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wrongful_convictions_in_the_United_States)simply because accused persons receive due process?
Do you believe his claims that he was framed by the government due to his intention to inform on the secret service agents who he claimed were drinking? Or his outlandish JFK conspiracy theories about Chicago assassination teams including the arrest of two members? For which this is no supporting evidence. That is far out stuff. He fits a sympathetic political narrative. That is the sole reason he received the pardon. It has nothing to do with the merits of his case.
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If you accept the word of the criminals, who had a motive to lie. The evidence corroborating Jones and Spagnoli appears to be non-existent. The alleged file that he allegedly tried to sell was never produced. It is virtually unheard of to base a conviction on such evidence without corroboration such as a wiretap recording.
Richard seems surprised that a Black man didn’t get a fair trial in the 1960s.
What’s surprising about how Bolden was treated?
I’m glad that Biden corrected the record. Next he needs to declassify the JFK files…
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Richard seems surprised that a Black man didn’t get a fair trial in the 1960s.
What’s surprising about how Bolden was treated?
I’m glad that Biden corrected the record. Next he needs to declassify the JFK files…
Didn't you also suggest that Sirhan should be released? Bolden lied about an assassination team in Chicago. There is no supporting evidence for that outlandish claim. He loses all credibility when making such a claim. Bolden had several trials. He was convicted on the evidence after being given due process and legal representation. He is not a victim. Save your pity for an actual victim of the era for which there are many. Bolden is a convicted criminal who played on racial bias and conspiracy theories to falsely suggest doubt as to his guilt. He certainly would not be receiving a pardon based on the facts which have not changed since his conviction.
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Blacks are sacred objects to the Left, so this should surprise no one. Of course, Trump did the same thing in a vain attempt to ingratiate himself with black voters, so idiocy is nonpartisan.
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Do you believe his claims that he was framed by the government due to his intention to inform on the secret service agents who he claimed were drinking? Or his outlandish JFK conspiracy theories about Chicago assassination teams including the arrest of two members? For which this is no supporting evidence. That is far out stuff. He fits a sympathetic political narrative. That is the sole reason he received the pardon. It has nothing to do with the merits of his case.
No outlandish JFK conspiracy.
A more likely scenario is that Jones and Spagnoli wanted to get a break on their counterfeiting charges. Bolden's duties with the Secret Service included rotations guarding the President and rotations on other Secret Service matters such as working with the anti-counterfeit section hunting down counterfeit rings. According to Wikipedia: "He [Bolden] was also reported to have "won two commendations for cracking counterfeiting rings".[4] According to Jet magazine: "In 1962 he ranked second in the nation in solving" counterfeit and check forging cases.[5]"
It is not beyond the realm of reasonable possibility that two big-time counterfeiters facing counterfeit felony charges might want to obtain some bargaining chips. They may have figured that they could allege that Bolden asked for a bribe, possibly because they did not like Bolden or possibly because they thought that Bolden was the easiest agent to pin a bribe allegation on, Bolden being black, counting on other agents not backing him up. Being a star witness against a "dirty agent" would be a pretty big bargaining chip.
Bolden may have thought that because he had voiced some criticism of other agents privately that agents had set him up for this, but it would seem to me to be more likely that Jones and Spagnoli set him up. It does seem rather far-fetched to think that a Secret Service Agent would try to sell a Secret Service file for $50,000 let alone to approach a leader of a counterfeit ring and just ask for it like that. $50k was a huge sum - about 10 years salary. There was no evidence that Bolden was in financial trouble and needed that kind of money.
But the really difficult thing to understand here is why anyone would think that a Secret Service investigation file would be worth anything to these counterfeiters. All it would do is give them some information about what was going on in the anti-counterfeit section of the Secret Service. Having the file would not guarantee that it was not copied and, in any event, that it would stop an investigation.
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Blacks are sacred objects to the Left, so this should surprise no one. Of course, Trump did the same thing in a vain attempt to ingratiate himself with black voters, so idiocy is nonpartisan.
I think you forgot the 👌 emoji.
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No outlandish JFK conspiracy.
No outlandish JFK conspiracy? Bolden claimed there was a four-team assassination team in Chicago waiting for JFK and that two of them were arrested. For which there is not a scintilla of evidence. Do you think the secret service covered up the arrest of members of an assassination team in Chicago just weeks before the assassination? Bolden was a con and liar. He used his race as a means to garner sympathy for his crimes. It worked.
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No outlandish JFK conspiracy? Bolden claimed there was a four-team assassination team in Chicago waiting for JFK and that two of them were arrested. For which there is not a scintilla of evidence. Do you think the secret service covered up the arrest of members of an assassination team in Chicago just weeks before the assassination? Bolden was a con and liar. He used his race as a means to garner sympathy for his crimes. It worked.
"Do you think the secret service covered up the arrest of members of an assassination team in Chicago just weeks before the assassination?"
YES!!
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"Do you think the secret service covered up the arrest of members of an assassination team in Chicago just weeks before the assassination?"
YES!!
Why am I not surprised coming from the same guy who believes the red rings on the TSBD for decades were a signal to LBJ. And your evidence?
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Why am I not surprised coming from the same guy who believes the red rings on the TSBD for decades were a signal to LBJ. And your evidence?
I've read THE ECHO FROM DEALEY PLAZA........
Abe Bolden was treated just like Richard Case Naggell......They both were a threat to J. Edgar Hoover, and he had them both committed to mental institutions. Once that stigma is on a man's record..... He's a nut, and cannot believed.
That's how Hoover operated....
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No outlandish JFK conspiracy? Bolden claimed there was a four-team assassination team in Chicago waiting for JFK and that two of them were arrested. For which there is not a scintilla of evidence. Do you think the secret service covered up the arrest of members of an assassination team in Chicago just weeks before the assassination? Bolden was a con and liar. He used his race as a means to garner sympathy for his crimes. It worked.
No one alleged that an assassination team was arrested in Chicago. The Thomas Vallee incident was well documented (see: Final Report of the HSCA at p. 231). We do know that JFK cancelled his Nov. 2/63 trip to Chicago and that appears to be security related. Bolden was referring to an FBI telex that he said he read.
The problem with the Bolden case was the lack of independent corroboration for the evidence of Jones and Spagnoli. It would be the equivalent of charging Oswald with the murder of JFK solely on the basis of two people who were charged with murder saying that Oswald told them that he was going to try to assassinate JFK (with none of the other evidence against Oswald and Oswald having no connection to the TSBD).
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No one alleged that an assassination team was arrested in Chicago. The Thomas Vallee incident was well documented (see: Final Report of the HSCA at p. 231). We do know that JFK cancelled his Nov. 2/63 trip to Chicago and that appears to be security related. Bolden was referring to an FBI telex that he said he read.
The problem with the Bolden case was the lack of independent corroboration for the evidence of Jones and Spagnoli. It would be the equivalent of charging Oswald with the murder of JFK solely on the basis of two people who were charged with murder saying that Oswald told them that he was going to try to assassinate JFK (with none of the other evidence against Oswald and Oswald having no connection to the TSBD).
The way Abe Bolden was treated was a disgraceful outrage..... And he was treated as a criminal because Hoover knew that Bolden presented a threat to him..
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No one alleged that an assassination team was arrested in Chicago. The Thomas Vallee incident was well documented (see: Final Report of the HSCA at p. 231). We do know that JFK cancelled his Nov. 2/63 trip to Chicago and that appears to be security related. Bolden was referring to an FBI telex that he said he read.
The problem with the Bolden case was the lack of independent corroboration for the evidence of Jones and Spagnoli. It would be the equivalent of charging Oswald with the murder of JFK solely on the basis of two people who were charged with murder saying that Oswald told them that he was going to try to assassinate JFK (with none of the other evidence against Oswald and Oswald having no connection to the TSBD).
Huh? Per the HSCA:
In addition [to the threat by Thomas Arthur Vallee], the committee obtained the testimony of a former Secret Service agent, Abraham Bolden, who had been assigned to the Chicago office in 1963. He alleged that shortly before November 2, the FBI sent a teletype message to the Chicago Secret Service office stating that an attempt to assassinate the President would be made on November 2 by a four-man team using high-powered rifles, and that at least one member of the team had a Spanish-sounding name. Bolden claimed that while he did not personally participate in surveillance of the subjects, he learned about a surveillance of the four by monitoring Secret Service radio channels in his automobile and by observing one of the subjects being detained in his Chicago office.
According to Bolden's account, the Secret Service succeeded in locating and surveillance two of the threat subjects who, when they discovered they were being watched, were arrested and detained on the evening of November 1 in the Chicago Secret Service office.
The committee was unable to document the existence of the alleged assassination team. Specifically, no agent who had been assigned to Chicago confirmed any aspect of Bolden's version. One agent did state there had been a threat in Chicago during that period, but he was unable to recall details. Bolden did not link Vallee to the supposed four-man assassination team, although he claimed to remember Vallee's name in connection with a 1963 Chicago case. He did not recognize Vallee's photograph when shown it by the committee.
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No one alleged that an assassination team was arrested in Chicago. The Thomas Vallee incident was well documented (see: Final Report of the HSCA at p. 231). We do know that JFK cancelled his Nov. 2/63 trip to Chicago and that appears to be security related. Bolden was referring to an FBI telex that he said he read.
The problem with the Bolden case was the lack of independent corroboration for the evidence of Jones and Spagnoli. It would be the equivalent of charging Oswald with the murder of JFK solely on the basis of two people who were charged with murder saying that Oswald told them that he was going to try to assassinate JFK (with none of the other evidence against Oswald and Oswald having no connection to the TSBD).
We do know that JFK cancelled his Nov. 2/63 trip to Chicago and that appears to be security related.
Hi Andrew.
The Chicago trip was canceled because of the death of Diem, which occurred the same day Kennedy was supposed to leave for Chicago.
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The pardon of Mr. Bolden was looooong overdue. May the Good Lord's blessings & grace be upon him.
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The pardon of Mr. Bolden was looooong overdue. May the Good Lord's blessings & grace be upon him.
Amen!.... Even if President Biden's pardon was nothing but politics ...... The pardon was long overdue.