**UPDATED: November 7, 2012 

subject: current Times Picayune news articles praising U. S. Attorney Jim Letten (location: New Orleans)

Even now that it is year 2012, I cannot deny that because U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s office has more than once executed detestable acts against us, my only enablement for not being overmastered by bitterness is prayer. I know that forgiveness is the correct response. But forgiveness is not the issue, and neither is it helping matters. Also, for people who oversimplify others’ injuries, or who are desensitized about others’ ordeal unless the sufferers are they, it’s futile to‘cut to the chase’ and state what occurred. Sadly, even after making situations known, this U.S. attorney's office continues operating in its normal fashion against justice for all.  As such, accountability and remedial action is also among things for which I pray will come to the New Orleans, Poydras Street location of the so-called justice system.

The 500 Poydras Street (for some people, a virtual hell hole) is overseen by Jim Letten --and includes several judges who consistently issue manifestly biased, contrary to law, ruinous edicts either on behalf of crony acquaintances, or obviously  some gratifying payoff incites them to disregard laws that they swore to uphold. [As the witnesses repeatedly testified and explained during the impeachment trial of former federal judge Thomas Porteous (whose conduct Letten also concealed), numerous lawyers testified that it is the "Louisiana way," for lawyers to give "gifts" and "trips" (vacations) to judges --even while the lawyers appear before those judges with their cases]. Since inequity, oppression, destroyed lives and businesses victims are many --and since, unless perpetrators are required to cease their conduct-- I submit that ignoring and simply forgiving egregious harms resultant from 500 Poydras Street is exponentially worse than ignoring all of New Orleans levies if they should break at once!

Considering a need to help the reader understand at least one of the issues about Letten’s office that causes so much rancor, I’ll go ahead interject this: It is common knowledge that the Federal justice department and Federal court systems located at 500 Poydras Street (other than Bankruptcy filers), seldom has to do with lay people and minority litigants; usually it entails corporations.  Since I’m Black, I’ll go ahead and say it.  Black people have little legal business to conduct at 500 Poydras unless they are filing bankruptcy.  After all, Federal Courts are courts of limited jurisdiction.  

So, when “tort” lawsuits that are properly filed in State Court become unlawfully “removed” to Federal Court solely because removing those cases ensures that justice will not prevail, that is appalling. And that is a few of the facts (without going in to the inflictions for non-cooperation with being railroaded) involving Letten’s office and certain New Orleans federal judges on behalf of big corporations. YES, I can prove it! To be even more particular, virtual lynchings –even discreetly, leaves lasting effects.  Yes, those are Civil Rights violations!  But no, not one lawyer represents people whom that kinds of thing happens!!!   By the way, without having personally experienced, or having walked closely by the side of people who endured those dungeons of seeking justice WITHOUT the spotlight of television cameras, and without legal counsel whom judges couldn’t push around, it is impossible to fathom this sketch --of which it would be unwise for me to fully divulge here since there are no remedies at hand. 
 
As time went by, there was a person with enough means (and backbone). Providing graphic details about improprieties within Letten’s office in the court pleading that attorney Jamie Perdigao filed, Perdigao sought recusal of Jim Letten's office from his criminal case.  However,  Perdigao's charges (which, judging from massive amounts of online comments, his fellow lawyers are guilty of worse things, but those lawyers remain unscathed) were only paid attention to, and was within Letten’s headship to deny and brush aside those accusations against his assistance U.S. attorney’s office.  In my opinion, the fox guards the hen house. And his little foxes sometimes acquire "Intelligence" useful for leverage against citizens, for white washing, for covering up certain federal judges and certain lawyers --and for indicting others, and for a host for other deplorably unfair deeds that ensures justice and equity is denied. Consequently, as evident by vice, violence, apathy, cronism, and corruption, injustice is detrimental to New Orleans as well as to cities and states that New Orleans impacts.

Now, landfill company owner, Fred Heebe has filed lawsuits against two of Letten’s assistant U.S. attorneys. "Louisiana Senators’ Comments Suggest Uncertain Future for Letten" http://www.mainjustice.com/2012/11/08/louisiana-senators-comments-suggest-uncertain-future-for-letten/ .  Heebe's first suit caused the resignation of former U.S. attorney Sal Perricone. This second suit targets Letten’s first assistant, U.S. attorney Jan Mann.  Nevertheless, the allegations and offenses described in those lawsuits pale in comparison to decades of what was done to us, and irreparable injuries, sufferings, indignities, and permanent effects.  Yes, I do mean decades since what 500 Poydras Street causes to happen to people began before Letten arrived. However, Letten's office delivered the most direct and crippling impact for people like me --while at one time, I also sang his praises since I was oblivious that he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Hopefully ultimately enough facts and evidence will be exposed to eliminate or reduce the abhorrences that occur against unsuspecting, helpless people who are without power to do anything about lawlessness and injustices to which they are subjected. Mainly because victims don’t have financial means to hire formidable law firms --like the ones who have filed the kinds of lawsuits which shined spotlights on Letten’s appearance of squeaky clean office. 


Now, to what was posted in 2008:

Several articles, including a November 12th article by T/P writer, James Gill praise U.S. Attorney Jim Letten. The articles also reverberate dismay about the loss it would be toward targeting longstanding New Orleans corruption if President-Elect Barack Obama replaced Letten in keeping with his new presidential administration. I disagree.

One article even referred to Letten as "attorney general." However, the Attorney General, nominated by the President heads one of the 15 Cabinets of the U.S. Government, namely the Department of Justice. Although the head of each cabinet is called "Secretary," only the DOJ Cabinet has that title. Letten’s employment with the Justice Department appears to encompass the Louisiana region, although he is involved with other States –like a Texas case wherein a judge’s Opinion included details of aberrant actions by Letten. But, there are more than enough glaringly questionable things Letten does in New Orleans. (See the Opinion starting from pages 29 through 41 at http://www.txs.uscourts.gov/notablecases/498cr18/98cr18_opin.pdf. )

Ostensibly, Letten covered up former federal Judge Thomas Porteous’ acts pertaining to the “Operation Wrinkled Robe” scandal of which Porteous’ 2 fellow judges, sheriffs and various other people went to jail. Moreover, I don’t doubt that the Intelligence on Porteous’ function with wrinkled robes was ‘doctored’ prior to being turned over to Washington, and thus hindered Porteous’ indictment. The social harm in retaining Porteous on the bench since all those years is that Porteous’ behavior never improved. He took gifts (bribes) from people over whose cases he presided; innumerable people likely have been denied justice because Porteous held a gavel in one hand and gifts in the other. Also, although the impeachment trial of the former federal judge exposed the fact that lawyers gave bribes to Porteous, some of the lawyers’ identities were concealed and disciplinary actions were not taken against them. Currently, if Congress agrees, Porteous will make national history by being the first federal judge to be impeached in almost 2 decades. Similarly, Letten perhaps has the devotion (and whatever else) of U.S. Senator David Vitter and ‘Johns’ named in the Canal Street Brothel book after the raid, because of never being exposed nor subject to local or federal prosecution.

There is no delight in spotlighting someone’s faults, as all humans are fallible. But it is another matter when public harm looms. Comparatively, there was public outrage and demand for the resignation of Letten’s former boss, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales! It infuriates me if Mr. Letten, (Mr. Vitter –and ANY other cloaked public official) receives accolades while clandestinely involved in deception –in like manner as guzzling, well respected Wall Street tycoons. (I know all too well how covert officials can be misleading; I once supported Letten as well as Porteous. Further, the facts and evidence prove that of all the acts of public corruption, nothing is more far-reaching and socially lethal as judicial corruption and abuse of power.)

Letten’s tactics and potency against the average citizen easily could be as constricted, invasive, subjugating, and baseless as that time when the door of Jacques Morial, brother of Marc Morial (of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans), was busted open; and the Feds maintained control of that man’s life and privacy for 3 years, but criminal charges were never lodged against Jacques. What else other than some witch hunt ‘investigation’ was that?! Letten (or his kind) could pretextly do the same to any other citizen, as Gonzales’ method of illegal wiretaps is likely also Letten’s method, but Intelligence postulated as derived from snitches for use as leverage over people to get them to say / do what benefits rich and powerful corrupt Louisianians. Thus, I am mildly concerned that New Orleans could become a city under siege if Jim Letten becomes able to obtain and manage information collected by New Orleans’ Inspector General Robert Cerasoli.
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**Here are LINKS to those 3 Times Picayune Articles:

"U.S. Attorney General Jim Letten: Society’s gain is newshound's loss"
http://blog.nola.com/jamesgill/2008/11/us_attorney_general_jim_letten.html
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"Jim Letten: A proven public servant"
http://blog.nola.com/editorials/2008/11/jim_letten_a_proven_public_ser.html
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"Mary Landrieu declares 'support' for U.S. Attorney Jim Letten"
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/landrieu_declares_support_for.html
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*My user account at nola.com and most of the comments I posted there are no longer available. However, there are numerous other sites containing information regarding the above discussed people and topics; here are few links:

"Amazing “Grace” leads us home to “Porteous, his secretary and various New Orleans judicial miscreant activities”
http://slabbed.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/amazing-grace-leads-us-home-to-porteous-his-secretary-and-various-new-orleans-judicial-miscreant-activities/

"Judge Thomas Porteous and the Judicial 'Devil's Den' from Whence He Came"
http://newsblaze.com/story/20100922041842lawg.nb/topstory.html

"Response to: "Louisiana Courts' Low Ranking Based on Flawed Data"
http://newsblaze.com/story/20100327052856lawg.nb/topstory.html

"New Orleans Police Shot 6 Unarmed Katrina People, FBI-DOJ Probe, Corruption"
http://newsblaze.com/story/20100306185232lawg.nb/topstory.html

"Indicted Attorney Alleges Misconduct at U.S. Attorney’s Office in Louisiana"
http://patterico.com/2008/04/27/indicted-attorney-alleges-misconduct-at-us-attorneys-office-in-louisiana/  


**2012 developments at U.S. Atty. Jim Letten’s office: 

"In alluding to secret investigation, former federal prosecutor Sal Perricone may have violated a cardinal rule"

 http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/04/in_alluding_to_a_secret_invest.html


"First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jan Mann demoted after admitting online commentary" 
 http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/11/first_assistant_us_attorney_ja.html
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Barbara Ann Jackson