Thane Ritchie Wants to Start a New Political Party

And the Strib says former Senator Dean Barkely is co-chair of the committee.

The Strib:

The face of the movement is Thane Ritchie, a Chicago area investor/hedge fund manager who has sued imprisoned Minneosta Ponzi scheme operator Tom Petters for what Ritchie said were $150 million in losses that Petters' bamboozled from him.

"Ordinary, practical Americans deserve another option, a different path to address 'real solutions to the real issues' they face at their kitchen tables each night," said Ritchie. "So [Tuesday] I am announcing the formation of an ad hoc committee to explore the possibility of establishing a new political party here in Illinois and ultimately nationally."

The press release.

UPDATE: MinnPost's David Brauer is not happy about the news:

Displaying a paranoia Ross Perot could appreciate, and a conspiracy theory Ventura would applaud, Barkley and Ritchie have tried to subpoena U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and ex-Sen. Norm Coleman among other "powerful interests" to see if they influenced the Strib's decision to cancel a 16-part Foundation's ad series. The ads ripped the courts and politicians for not letting Ritchie recoup more of the money he lost on Petters, who has since been convicted on 20 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy and money-laundering.

You can read those ads at the Stop the Petters Scam website.

Good Article About Attorney Fees for Petters, Hecker

Beth Hawkins at MinnPost:

The popular perception of a complex white-collar criminal case is of a bottomless font of billable hours for the attorneys involved. But the reality is often far different: The massive swindles and Ponzi schemes that have dominated local and national headlines for the last year have revealed just how hard it can be for the lawyers handling them to get paid.

Read the whole thing.

Is Tom Petters' Medical Prognosis Grim?

Likely not says Dr. Craig Bowron at MinnPost.com:

From the statement given by his defense attorneys, Petters appears to have an incidentaloma: a stable tumor that isn't growing and doesn't require medical therapy or surgery.

So is his appeal for leniency on that basis just another fraud? From this distance it sure looks like the latter, but U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle will be the one to pass judgment on that. One thing can be said for certain: Petters' brain carries pathological features.

Read the whole thing.

Sentencing Briefs on the MN DOJ Website

PDF's on the MN DOJ Petters Info Website:

Sentencing for Thomas Petters has been rescheduled by U.S. District Court Judge Richard H. Kyle for 9 a.m. Thursday, April 8, at the U.S. Courthouse in St. Paul. A restitution hearing will be scheduled 60 days after sentencing. See the restitution order.

Click here to read the government's sentencing position brief

Click here to read the defense's sentencing position brief

Click here to read the scheduling order on the related defendant cases.

Paul Engh's florid brief, quoting Walt Whitman and Albert Camus is a must read.

Prosecutors Want Life Sentence for Petters /Petters has Tumor

Here and Here:

They say the 52-year-old Petters "has earned for himself a life sentence." But since federal law requires a sentence in years, they're formally asking for the maximum on all 20 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. That adds up to 335 years in prison.

In a separate filing...

Defense attorneys are asking for mercy at the sentencing for Minnesota businessman Tom Petters, saying he's suffering from a tumor on his pituitary gland.

Petters Defender Bradlee Dean's Videos - "Confronting Homosexuality in Minnesota"

Tattooed, right-wing-Xtian rocker Bradlee Dean and his sidekick Jake apparently crashed a DFL meet & greet in Cokato a couple weeks ago and "confronted" gubernatorial candidate John Marty on his support for marriage equality.





Dean on his AM 1250 The Patriot Sons of Libery radio show also called President Obama a "domestic enemy"

Bradlee Dean is a stalwart supporter of Tom Petters and has compared Tom Petters to Jesus.

Bradlee Dean has also called a recent U.S. Marshal appointment illegal because she is a lesbian.

More at the Dump Bachmann blog

Vennes Property for Sale - 3515 2nd Avenue South

Document 941. Filed 02/17/10. United States of America, Plaintiff vs. Frank E. Vennes, Jr., et al., Defendants. (PDF):

ORDER APPROVING AND CONFIRMING THE SALE OF CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 3515 SECOND AVENUE SOUTH, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA AND DIRECTING DELIVERY OF DEED

Upon consideration of THE STIPULATION, together with its Exhibits, by and between Plaintiff United States of America, Defendant Frank E. Vennes, Jr., (“Defendant Vennes”), and Receiver Gary Hansen (the “Receiver”) [Docket No. 932], who stipulate to the approval of the sale of the property located at 3515 2nd Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota (the “Property”), the Court finds:

1. The Property is currently owned by 3515 2nd Avenue South, LLC(“Seller”). Seller is an entity formed by Defendant Vennes to hold title to the Property.

2. The Property is located at 3515 2nd Avenue South in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

3. The Property is a rectangular shaped lot consisting of a total land area of 8,123.22 square feet. The Property contains a 2.5 story boarding house constructed in 1923. The Property is in need of a substantial rehabilitation and is currently vacant. The City of Minneapolis conducted a Code Compliance Inspection of the Property and noted several deficiencies that must be corrected before the Property may be deemed code compliant and habitable.