95% CONVICTION RATE!!! Its all over...

He may never play again, Lewis is staring at something much worse then 8-9 in the box....He is staring at an inevitable jail cell...I just heard from a legal expert he is facing a minimum of 10 years if convicted, even if he fully cooperates...

But the worst part is this, he is facing federal prosecutor`s who have a conviction rate of 95% in these particular cases...(when I heard that my I got sick to my stomach)

Also , I don`t know if its been mentioned yet but Lewis has known about this for over a year and had retained Ed Garland a year ago as well...there was a rumor around here (Md) about this for a while, what I don`t understand is how the Ravens act as if they knew nothing...

Another strike against Lewis' future, Ed Garland has been trying to cut a deal for months unsuccesfully....It doesn`t look good sports fans...95% conviction rate!

From other Lewis thread:

Thursday, February 26, 2004


ESPN.com news services
ATLANTA -- Ravens running back Jamal Lewis pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal drug charges and was released after posting $100,000 bond.


No trial date has been set for Lewis, who is accused of trying to help a childhood friend buy cocaine in the summer of 2000.


He does not have a passport and is not allowed to obtain one, but he is allowed to travel anywhere in the United States.


Lewis didn't speak during the hearing, other than answering "yes" when asked by the judge and the U.S. attorney if he understood his rights and his plea.


Wearing a gray business suit, Lewis was escorted into the courtroom by U.S. marshals and flanked by four attorneys. He was not handcuffed.


Before the hearing Lewis surrendered and was taken into custody at the FBI office in Atlanta, according to an FBI employee who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Two security guards said Lewis entered the building with his attorneys.


The charges include conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms of cocaine. If convicted, he could face 10 years to life in prison.



We asked for your opinions on the drug charges against Jamal Lewis and you responded.
"Jamal Lewis wants everyone to know that he is not guilty, that he has not been involved in drugs," said Ed Garland, an attorney for Lewis, said before the hearing. "He's extremely disappointed that this is happening."


Prosecutors said Lewis met the childhood friend and a woman, who turned out to be a police informant, at a restaurant to discuss a cocaine buy more than three years ago.


That meeting and a prior cell phone conversation between Lewis and the informant are the focus of the federal indictment against the NFL star. No drugs were ever purchased, according to the indictment.


Lewis' attorneys say nothing about the conversation involved cocaine.


Ravens spokesman Chad Steele said the indictment came as a surprise to the team. "We had no clue," he said.


In a statement, the team said: "We believe in due process, and Jamal will have his day in court. There are two sides to every story. From what we know of the charges, these seem out of character for the Jamal we know."


The NFL declined to comment.


The indictment came out of a drug investigation that has led to 30 convictions and helped dismantle a cocaine-trafficking ring in Atlanta, said U.S. Attorney William S. Duffey. He refused to say whether Lewis was tied to that drug ring.


In an affidavit, FBI special agent Hoyt Mahaley said the informant contacted Lewis on his cell phone on June 23, 2000, to discuss selling cocaine to Lewis' friend. The conversation was recorded, according to the agent.


Hours after the call, Lewis and his friend, Angelo Jackson, met with the informant at an Atlanta restaurant, the affidavit said. There, Lewis and Jackson asked the informant how much cocaine the informant was capable of distributing, the affidavit alleges.


Jackson and the informant met again July 12, 2000, at a gas station in suburban Atlanta, the affidavit said. During the meeting, they discussed drugs, but no purchase was made. Lewis wasn't at the gas station.


Garland accused the informant of setting up Lewis and "trumping up what happened" in an attempt to get out of jail. He accused authorities of trying to "create a crime where there isn't one."


Jackson was also indicted. He faces the same counts and a third for attempt to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.


A college star at Tennessee, Lewis was the fifth pick overall in the 2000 draft, and signed a six-year, $35.3 million contract with the Ravens that July.


He set an NFL record last year by running for 295 yards in a game, and he had the second-highest season rushing total in league history.


Last year, he became the fifth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards. His 2,066 yards fell short of Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105 yards in the final game. He was the AP's Offensive Player of the Year.


In November 2001, he was suspended for four games after violating the NFL's substance and alcohol abuse policy for the second time. The league did not disclose the details of the violation, in keeping with its policy.


Lewis is the second Ravens player to face serious charges in Atlanta. In 2000, star linebacker Ray Lewis -- no relation to Jamal -- was charged with murder along with two other men following a post-Super Bowl party fight.


Ray Lewis later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice. He testified against his two co-defendants, who eventually were acquitted of all charges.

wil.

The more I read this, the more I get a sense that these charges are patently ridiculous, as is the drug war. A phone call to a cell phone owned by Lewis and a supposed meeting, that is it??? No drugs, no money, no prior convictions, no clear evidence of a tie to anyone but his long-time friend...all backed by someone with a motive to talk and even make things up. Please don't tell me this is all it takes to get 10 years in jail. This is extremely scary. I always heard about the government going overboard with their laws to win their losing battles with drugs, the whole confiscating of property without so much as due process is bad enough. Now they can try to make some statement and put away someone famous so they can lie through their teeth and say "we are winning the war on drugs". Yeah whatever, just like terrorism is a couple years away from being ended right?

This is all about money. He will do no time.
Ed Garland clients do not do time. I'd like to know his retainer price. Minimum 100k.

IF it looks like he''s going to go to jail all he has to do is drive over the border to Canada with his millions.....you don't need a passport for that my friend

Canada would quickly find him and return him, there isn't much they don't have an extradition treaty for.

The whole passport thing is silly, if he was really going to try to run and hide, he would get a fake one and assume a new identity. He isn't going to saunter down to Rio and say "hey I am Jamal Lewis".

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Slurpee:
IF it looks like he''s going to go to jail all he has to do is drive over the border to Canada with his millions.....you don't need a passport for that my friend<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is a federal investigation which is much worse..I have been listening to legal experts all afternoon talk about this...it doesn`t look good....And there have been many cases where a guy makes a drug deal, never any money changing hands, no drugs even in the picture yet, and they get 10 years! It doesn`t sound right, but I am learning its all because its a federal situation, its much different..
Also, a real bad sign is that for months Garland has been trying to swing a deal, and no dice...they are saying the federal government doesn`t just do this (go after a rich, well known figure) unless they are certain they have them...this is a freaking nightmare....It sounds almost like you could joke around or be in the presence of others and get 10 years ....I am telling ya, from what they are saying in Baltimore today, its not looking good , there isn`t much chance of him getting out of this without doing time!

Do the Ravens have another potential feature back on the roster or will they have to draft one?
Like a dumbass, I took a future at 25-1 last
week on the Ravens to win SB!

Ravens back-up RB is Chester Taylor.

Chester Taylor

wil.

Before people rush to judgement on what the facts are, I'd like to remind everyone (as I do myself from time to time - lol) that the story just broke and none of us are privy to what actually happened, and whether the feds are going out of their way to publicly lynch an extremely visible and talented NFL player just for the hell of it. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't, but I don't know what the facts are so I simply read the stories and wait to see what happens. And here's a story, the interesting quotes which I've highlighted to show that what they're accusing him of is a lot more serious than some people think (whether he did it or not, I have no clue), and also a section where there might be an ulterior motive for the accusation against Lewis by the informant ...

ATLANTA — Baltimore Ravens (search) star running back Jamal Lewis (search) pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges he tried to help a childhood friend buy cocaine in the summer of 2000.

The 24-year-old National Football League (search) player was released on $500,000 bond after a 15-minute hearing in federal magistrate court. Lewis, who had surrendered earlier in the day, didn't speak during the hearing, other than answering "yes" when asked if he understood his rights and his plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Gabay-Smith refused to comment following the hearing.

No drug transaction was made, according to the federal indictment handed up Wednesday. The investigation focuses on a restaurant meeting more than three years ago between Lewis, a boyhood friend, and a woman who turned out to be a police informant — as well as a cell phone conversation between Lewis and the informant.

Lewis' attorney says nothing about the conversations involved a cocaine buy.

"Jamal Lewis wants everyone to know that he is not guilty, that he has not been involved in drugs," attorney Ed Garland said before the hearing. "He's extremely disappointed that this is happening."

Lewis, who had the second-highest rushing total in NFL history last season, was charged with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms of cocaine and using a cell phone in the commission of the first count, U.S. Attorney William S. Duffey said. If convicted on the conspiracy count, Lewis could face 10 years to life in prison.

In a statement, Lewis' team said: "We believe in due process, and Jamal will have his day in court. There are two sides to every story. From what we know of the charges, these seem out of character for the Jamal we know."

The indictment came out of a drug investigation that has led to 30 convictions and helped dismantle a cocaine-trafficking ring in the city, Duffey said. He would not say whether Lewis was tied to that drug ring.

In an affidavit, FBI special agent Hoyt Mahaley said that an informant contacted Lewis on his cell phone on June 23, 2000, to discuss selling cocaine to Lewis' friend. The conversation was recorded, according to the agent.

"The cooperating source told Lewis that he/she was willing to sell the narcotics to Lewis' associates for a price that Lewis can tax," meaning the price could be marked up for a profit, Mahaley said in the affidavit.

"Lewis responded, 'Yeah,"' the agent said.

Hours after the call, Lewis and the friend, Angelo Jackson, met with the informant at an Atlanta restaurant, the affidavit said. There, Lewis and Jackson asked the informant how much cocaine the informant was capable of distributing, the affidavit alleges.

Jackson and the informant met again on July 12, 2000, at a gas station in suburban Atlanta, the affidavit said. During the meeting, they discussed drugs, but no purchase was made.

Lewis wasn't at the gas station. His attorney, however, said Lewis was at the restaurant, but not for the reason alleged in the indictment.

Garland accused the informant of setting up Lewis and "trumping up what happened" in an attempt to get out of jail and accused authorities of trying to "create a crime where there isn't one."

Jackson also was indicted and arrested Wednesday. He faces the same counts and a third for attempt to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.

Last year, Lewis became the fifth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards. His 2,066 yards fell short of Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105 yards in the final game.

Actually the back of the future would be Musa Smith (pronounced Moo-sha) out of Georgia, he has the most upside, but he is an unknown and has been hampered by injury...

They`re done without Jamal...He is a big part of the defenses succes even, ball control and clock are what make the Ravens so effective as a defense (staying fresh), it was the formula that carried them in the SuperBowl run as well, and as we saw the following year with the same defense (without Lewis who got hurt) they are not the same without him...

I guess Brian Billick will finally be forced to breakout his old Minnesota offensive game plan, the problem no Moss, Carter, Smith, Jake Reed, and Randle C ...

If it was marijuana he would of been all good, but the white stuff coke, is a different story..

wake up, this stuff goes on everyday, and often times the prosecutors have even less to base a case on.

mandantory minimums has tied even the judges hands these days.

welcome to amerikkka.

JMan-

Why do you care? You seem overly concerned with Lewis being sent up the river.

One of my favorite athletes of all time is Mark Bavaro. If he was caught and found guilty of a crime and I believed it, I wouldn't care if he went to jail. Jeter, Arod, Bernie...if they were in a similar spot, give them a fair trial but if found guilty fit them for a different set of penstripes....I don't care.

Then again, I don't have a record so if these idiots can't keep themselves out of REAL trouble I have no sympathy for them.

I forget who it was but the guy who got caught for solicitation in New Orleans the night before the Superbowl was a jackass but what he did was fairly innocuous. Getting caught with drugs, involved with dealers or involved with murderers is just plain stupid.

swami: here's a link and an excerpt below for the Falcons cornerback that you're thinking of ... I've forgotten whether he was even found guilty ...

Robinson opens cookie jar, gets caught

Robinson apologizes to family, organization

February 1, 1999

MIAMI -- After a Super Bowl that went terribly wrong, Eugene Robinson lingered in the Atlanta Falcons' training room, receiving treatment for a broken finger.

His once-sterling reputation will take a lot longer to heal.

A night after being arrested and charged with soliciting an undercover police officer for oral sex, Robinson faced a horde of media Sunday night following Atlanta's 34-19 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Declaring his innocence and saying he couldn't comment on the details of the case on advice of his lawyer, Robinson also apologized to his family and to the entire Atlanta Falcons organization "for this very, very low point."

"I'm just trying to be extremely real," he said. "This is something I thought about; I had a lot of time to think about it. I got no sleep."

Despite the arrest, coach Dan Reeves allowed Robinson to start the first NFL championship game in Atlanta's 33-year history.

Robinson was burned on the game's biggest play -- an 80-yard touchdown pass to Rod Smith.

boys this is Atlanta. High profile black athletes (Lewis is from here) do not get time. Ray Lewis probably committed murder here a few years ago at the Super Bowl and walked on obstruction of justice charges I believe. This Duffey AUSA is tough but I bet he has never beat Ed Garland either. Lewis will have an 80-90% black jury and he will walk if the charges aren't dropped first.

So what we have hear is a snitch, not an undercover agent. On the basis of this woman's testimony Lewis will go to jail. No money exhanged hands, no drugs were transferred from one person or another. Was the woman wearing a wire while in the restaurant. Was the cell conversation recorded. Why not wait till Lewis gives money to his friend to buy the cocaine.

Lewis will not do any time. He will never be convicted. No drugs, no money, just BS talk.