A criminal case involving Cleveland law firm Jones Day, Summit County voting machine maker Diebold Inc. and an obscure, part-time Hollywood actor is expected to unfold in a Los Angeles courtroom today.
The actor, Stephen Heller, has been charged with felony theft of confidential records from a Jones Day office where he was temping in 2004.
Heller is alleged to have given the records to an investigative writer who had just published a book saying Diebold had installed uncertified voting systems in California. A copy of the records landed in the hands of an Oakland Tribune reporter who used them to report embarrassing details about Diebold's hasty use of uncertified software with its machines.
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The Los Angeles County district attorney's office says that on five days over a three-week period in early 2004, Heller copied more than 500 pages of Diebold-related documents. Some were stamped "attorney work product, privileged and confidential." One was an estimated Jones Day budget of $535,000 to $925,000 for two months of Diebold work.
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As for Heller, he and his wife have covered his legal bills with personal savings and a second mortgage on their home. He was fired from two jobs when employers learned of his criminal case and is, according to his lawyer, "desperately looking for work."
This poor schmuck is a hero getting throttled by the A-holes who are helping destroy our country. His legal defense fund is here:
http://www.hellerlegaldefensefund.com http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business/1145867701235570.xml&coll=2