Wrongfully imprisoned man awarded $25 million in damages

Thaddeus Jimenez after his release from prison in 2009

A Chicago man who spent 16 years in prison after being convicted of murder as a teenager has been awarded $25 million in damages after it was determined that he was wrongfully convicted.

Thaddeus Jimenez, 32, had spent nearly half his life in prison before being exonerated and released in May 2009. After being released, Jimenez then sued the city, accusing the police of ignoring evidence in his case, including a confession from another suspect, Juan Carlos Torres.

Nonetheless, Jimenez was tried and convicted twice and sentenced to 45 years in prison. More from the Chicago Tribune:

Years later, lawyers and students from the Northwestern University Bluhm Center on Wrongful Convictions and other attorneys reinvestigated Jimenez's conviction and found that two key witnesses recanted their original claims that he was the gunman. The state's attorney's office then agreed to reopen the case.

If the verdict stands, it will be one of the largest levied against Chicago in the city's history.

"The state's attorney's office … recognized an injustice had occurred and they corrected it," said Jimenez's attorney Jon Loevy. "They deserve a ton of credit for reopening the case … taking an honest look at it and correcting an injustice."

Jimenez is reportedly now working at a restaurant. "He's trying to figure out what to do for the rest of his life," Loevy said. However, last December, Jimenez was convicted on drug possession charges and could be headed back to prison for up to three years. He sentencing is scheduled for February 1, according to CBS News.

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Continue Reading... Labels: awarded, damages, imprisoned, million, Wrongfully

Billionaire gives $5 million to pro-Gingrich group

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A Las Vegas billionaire has contributed $5 million to an independent group backing Newt Gingrich, breathing new life into the former House Speaker's struggling campaign for the GOP presidential nomination and casting renewed attention on the role of such groups in the 2012 contest.

A person familiar with the development said Sheldon Adelson, a casino mogul and longtime donor to Republican candidates, made the contribution Friday to Winning Our Future, a super PAC run by Gingrich allies. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity and was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said Adelson is expected to contribute as much or more to groups backing the Republican nominee, be it Gingrich or one of his rivals.

Rick Tyler, a former top Gingrich strategist and spokesman for Winning Our Future, declined to comment on the donation, which was first reported by The Washington Post. Politico reported last month that Adelson was prepared to spend $20 million to help Gingrich.

A 2010 Supreme Court decision easing restrictions on corporate and individual spending laid the groundwork for these political action committees, or super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections as long as they do not coordinate directly with a candidate's campaign. The identities of those who contributed to super PACs in the second half of 2011 won't be reported until the end of January.

Many donors' names will never be known. Some super PACs have established nonprofit arms that are permitted to shield contributors' identities as long as they spend no more than 50 percent of their money on electoral politics. Crossroads, the giant conservative outfit tied to former George W. Bush political adviser Karl Rove, operates both a super PAC and a nonprofit.

Crossroads and other Republican-leaning super PACs played a significant role in the 2010 midterm elections, helping deliver the House to the GOP and boost the number of Republicans in the Senate. The 2012 contest is the first to test the influence of such groups in presidential politics.

No candidate has seen his fortunes affected by the emergence of super PACs more than Gingrich.

Riding high in polls just a month ago, he became the target of a $3 million advertising barrage sponsored by Restore Our Future, a super PAC supporting Mitt Romney run by several of the former Massachusetts governor's allies. The ads, which pounded Gingrich for his ties to federal housing giant Freddie Mac and his reversal on issues like climate change, sent his political fortunes plunging in Iowa. Gingrich finished fourth in the state's caucuses last week.

Gingrich has vowed to carry on and is hoping to resuscitate his campaign in South Carolina, which holds its primary January 21. Since Romney is heavily favored to win the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, his rivals are looking to slow his momentum when the contest moves south.

Several super PACs have already played a role in the Republican campaign. They include Make Us Great Again, a super PAC backing Texas Gov. Rick Perry; Our Destiny, supporting former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman; and the Red White and Blue Fund, which helped revive Rick Santorum's campaign in Iowa and is running ads in South Carolina.

Priorities USA Action, a super PAC backing President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, has spent modestly during the Republican nominating contest and is expected to step up its role in the general election.

Continue Reading... Labels: Billionaire, gives, group, million, pro-Gingrich

Man leaves a million bucks at Italian restaurant

SYDNEY (AP) — Mamma mia! That's a lot of dough, even for an upscale pizzeria.

Police are looking for the owner of a suitcase "full of money" that was left at the Italian restaurant in Sydney by a mystery customer.

Ten Network television reported the suitcase left at Cafe Marco Tuesday morning contained about 1 million Australian dollars ($1 million) in 50 dollar notes.

But police will only describe the suitcase contents as "a significant amount of cash."

Detective Inspector Ian Pryde told reporters a man around 30-years-old wearing surfing shorts and a singlet carried the suitcase into the cafe. He then "seemed to get spooked" and left without the money.

A cafe staff member contacted by telephone told The Associated Press she was too busy with customers to comment.

Continue Reading... Labels: bucks, Italian, leaves, million, restaurant

Man leaves $1.28 million dollars at Sydney restaurant

sydney

Australian police are looking for a good explanation of why someone would walk into a Sydney eatery, exit in a seeming panic--and leave a suitcase containing more than a million dollars behind.

The seemingly inadvertent money drop occurred at an Italian bistro named Café Marco. On Tuesday morning a causally dressed man entered the establishment, and didn't really settle into the Café Marco experience before heading back out the door--minus the suitcase "full of money."

Investigating officers in Sydney report that the luggage in question contained "a significant amount of cash"--roughly $1.28 million in $50 bills. However, police have not yet arrived at a full estimate of the suitcase's cash content--for the simple reason that they're still counting it.

Detective Inspector Ian Pryde told reporters that witnesses described the man as Asian, and his age around 30. He was wearing surfing shorts and a wrestling singlet when he walked into the café. Witnesses reportedly told the cops that the man appeared "to get spooked" and left without the money.

At first, the two owners of the café thought the suitcase was a bomb and moved it out of the way of customers until the police arrived. Police say they now have in custody a 49-year-old man fitting the general description--and that they're preparing to question him about the case of the abandoned cash.

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Continue Reading... Labels: $1.28, dollars, leaves, million, restaurant, Sydney