Minor denied request to attend wife's funeral By HOLBROOK MOHR - Associated Press Writer
<http://www.sunherald.com/218/story/1277679.html>http://www.sunherald.com/218/story/1277679.html JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Paul Minor, one of Mississippi's most successful attorneys before going to prison on corruption charges, wasn't allowed to attend his wife's funeral in New Orleans on Friday. The denial capped weeks of legal maneuvering through the courts, prison system and U.S. Justice Department for Minor to get out of prison to be with his wife in her last days. After her death from brain cancer Monday, Minor sought a pass to attend the funeral. The Federal Bureau of Prisons denied the request apparently because Minor had already been allowed a brief visit in February, but Minor's attorney wrote an urgent letter Thursday to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to intervene. Holder replied in an e-mail to attorney Hiram Eastland Jr. late Thursday that Minor wouldn't be allowed to go. "I do not in any way fault the attorney general or the Justice Department for this denial," Eastland said. He said Holder and the agency brought "this entire bizarre issue front and center with the Bureau of Prisons." "The Bureau of Prisons, however, would not budge and based their denial on an antiquated, Draconian, anti-family policy of forcing a prisoner to choose between being with their wife while they are dying or after they have already passed away," he said. Minor had asked for an unsupervised furlough, but was given an armed escort to visit his wife in February. Traci Billingsley, a spokeswoman with the Bureau of Prisons, said Friday she couldn't comment on Minor's case due to privacy concerns, but in general she said wardens "make determinations regarding inmate trips based on established policies and procedures applicable to the entire inmate population." Minor, 63, built a small law firm on the Mississippi Gulf Coast into one with a national reputation for successfully suing tobacco, asbestos and other companies. But he was convicted in 2007 of bribing two judges in coastal Harrison County. He's serving an 11-year sentence. Eastland said he was deeply saddened for Minor's family and his client who spent Thursday in writing a eulogy in hopes he would be able to read it at the funeral. He was married to Sylvia Minor, 62, for 41 years. In his appeal to Holder, Eastland wrote, Minor "is a decorated war veteran that loyally served his country in Vietnam. It is also indisputable that Paul Minor has done a huge amount of good in his life and neither he nor his family deserves this cold-hearted, Draconian treatment." The Justice Department has declined to comment on the matter. Minor believes his 2007 conviction for bribing the Harrison County judges will be overturned, Eastland wrote in his letter. His appeal is pending before the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 5th Circuit denied his motion for bond pending appeal. He then asked Holder last week to support a temporary release through the prison system. Paul Minor was convicted of orchestrating a scheme in which he guaranteed loans for the judges, then used cash and third parties to conceal the fact that he paid off the loans. The judges were convicted of giving Minor's clients favorable rulings in exchange for the money. He claims he was selectively targeted for prosecution by Republicans in the Justice Department because of his deep pockets and support of Democrats. Prosecutors have called the allegation "wild speculation and innuendo" and point out that he was convicted by a jury of his peers. But Minor's attorneys say the jury should have been required to find explicit proof that the loans were in exchange for specific acts, known in legal terms as a "quid pro quo." Sylvia Minor stood by her husband during his legal troubles and was often in court during his two trials. She had degrees from Louisiana State University and Tulane University, and was the office manager for Paul Minor's law firm in the early days. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. <http://www.sunherald.com/218/story/1277679.html>http://www.sunherald.com/218/story/1277679.html --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's "News From Underground" newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [email protected] OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the "Unsubscribe or change membership" link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the "Unsubscribe" button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
