Update in Stephen Heller/Diebold case

[wtmusic]

Stephen Heller, the L.A. man who revealed documents to the press regarding Diebold Corp's intent to use uncertified software in California, needs help. I got an email yesterday with this attachment from Stephen:

"Because I have been fired from my last two jobs and because I am under indictment for 3 felonies, I feel the only chance I have of getting employment is with some company, group or organization that is progressive and knows about my situation and is still willing to hire me. I am willing to take just about any kind of work.

I am an excellent writer and researcher. I am a very fast and accurate typist. I am an expert on Microsoft Word, including the use of styles and auto numbering. I am also an expert on Word Perfect, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. I am a very experienced word processor, having worked for years as such in the fields of law, real estate, banking and finance, and corporate.

I also waited tables for 5 years, a long time ago in Chicago. I was an excellent waiter and I'm sure I could be again. I am a dedicated and punctual employee, and I'm very personable, I get along with all kinds of people. I consider myself to be an excellent potential employee, deserving of a chance to make a living. I am a bit desperate, so I am willing to consider any and all opportunities. If you hear of anything, please let me know."

Anyone with knowledge of opportunities in Los Angeles, especially the San Fernando Valley, please PM me.

For those of you who are not familiar with his case, Heller is alleged to have exposed documents in Jan. & Feb. 2004 which provided smoking gun evidence that Diebold Election Systems, Inc. was using illegal, uncertified software in California voting machines.

The docs also showed that Diebold's California attorneys (the powerful international law firm Jones Day) had told them they were in breach of the law for using uncertified software, but Diebold continued to use the uncertified software anyway.

Heller is alleged to have come across these docs while temping as a word processor at Jones Day, and he is further alleged to have taken the docs and revealed them to the press. Heller had no idea he was under investigation until shortly after dawn on August 13, 2004, when 10 police officers, along with an investigator from the Los Angeles D.A.'s office, showed up at Heller's house with a felony search warrant. They searched his entire house and took his computer, his wife's laptop, his cell phone and charger, their scanner, and various papers and notebooks from Heller's desk. Up until that moment, he had no idea he was under investigation.

Now, after sitting on this for 2 years, the Los Angeles District Attorney, under pressure from Jones Day, is going after this whistleblower with 3 felony charges, penalties for which carry up to a total of 4 years in state prison (although CA settled a civil suit with Diebold, criminal charges against the company were...dropped).

Heller is getting pounded. He's the victim of bullies. A huge, powerful, politically connected corporation and their equally huge and powerful international law firm are grinding him up in legal machinery. He's been fired from his job; he and his wife have had to pay 10s of thousands of dollars to his lawyer, and owe her 10s of thousands more. They are afraid they're going to lose their home.

LA Times story:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-heller18mar18,1,6906584.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Stephen's legal defense fund:
http://www.hellerlegaldefensefund.com/

And of course--let the LA DA's office know that Stephen Heller is a patriot and shouldn't be prosecuted!

[e-mail]

District Attorney's Office
County of Los Angeles
210 West Temple Street, Suite 18000
Los Angeles, CA 90012-3210

Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]
TTY [phone]
(8:30am - 5:00pm M-F)

[acmejack]

1. knr

[mopinko]

2. let's vote this up, folks

we need to help out these heros.

[Benhurst]

3. Recommended NT

[gristy]

4. K &R

Get the message out!

[stellanoir]

5. Somebody pullease hire this

truth teller and seeker. Somebody buy him the best bloody defense money can buy as well. Praying hard for this one.

[rumpel]

6. The charges can be overcome.

excerpt from my post on CA
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=414824

on edit to add Attorney Client Privilege as certain items are exempted as 1102.5 in this case attorney-client

EVIDENCE CODE
SECTION 950-962

956. There is no privilege under this article if the services of
the lawyer were sought or obtained to enable or aid anyone to commit
or plan to commit a crime or a fraud.

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/index.html

[wtmusic]

8. "if the services of the lawyer were sought"

I can see them fishing for an out on that one, but you're right--with a good legal team (and he's amassing a better one every day) he should be able to beat this.

Paying for it is something else.

[rumpel]

13. quite a few pro bono services should be coming forward I hope

[Boredtodeath]

7. Hope he sent a Thank You card to Bev Harris

Since she's the one who burned him as her source.

Another patriot added to the list of people burned by Bev Harris.

[salin]

15. I thought I read passing reference to this before

wish I could respond, "unbelievable!" - but I can't.

[Boredtodeath]

16. Yep, the original article on Heller

stated that he had turned the documents over to Bev Harris and she turned them over to the authorities. And she gave them her source - Stephen Heller.

On top of that, one has to wonder why Ms. Harris hasn't published the 700+ pages of documents Heller gave her.

Let's see.......isn't SHE the one who gets on her high horse about the ACCURATE scientists not making information public for the world to see?

Maybe it's time for a "Put up, or Shut Up" petition to Ms. Harris.

[salin]

18. just read a thread on a related topic (a post indirectly from Mrs. Heller)

in which a related DKos thread was posted. So Bev has now apparently gotten the boot over there, as well. Missed that - sounds like it was a :popcorn: moment.

[Kelvin Mace]

19. Here's the link

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Kelvin%20Mace

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

9. we MUST support the Stephen Hellers of the world

There are so few, and if we don't lift them up on our shoulders,
then there will be fewer and fewer.

Lets send a zillion emails to DA

I sent this letter to the DA office, as per instructions:

District Attorney's Office
County of Los Angeles
210 West Temple Street, Suite 18000
Los Angeles, CA 90012-3210

subject: Stephen Heller is a patriot and shouldn't be prosecuted!

Please prosecute the real criminals, the CEO of Diebold or any other execs involved in
the lying and deception that prevented trustworthy elections.

Stephen Heller had evidence of a serious crime - he didn't sell the information,
he had it turned over to the government to investigate.

We the people will not be fooled, Diebold committed the crime, not
Stephen Heller.

He is a true patriot.


Regards;

[nicknameless]

10. .

K&R

[JimDandy]

11. Punt and extol n/t

[Amaryllis]

12. kick

[lebkuchen]

14. The e-mail address to the DA isn't working for me.

[e-mail]

Got another?

[Ellipsis]

17. kick