No quick fix for $100 million goof - Justice Department typo

[Kadie]

No quick fix for $100 million goof
By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 52 minutes ago


WASHINGTON - It was a $100 million mistake, and a federal judge said Friday he doesn't have the power to fix it.

The Justice Department goofed last year and cited the wrong law in a binding plea agreement with telecommunication entrepreneur Walter Anderson, the largest tax scofflaw in U.S. history. That mistake made it impossible for the government to recover between $100 million and $175 million, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman said in March.

Prosecutors urged him to reconsider but Friedman reluctantly said Friday that his hands were tied.

"The court is not free to read something into a contract that is not there or to interpret uncertain language in the government's favor," Friedman said.

Though prosecutors described the error as "a typo" and not "something that the court should be getting wrapped up about," Friedman reluctantly said his hands were tied.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070615/ap_on_go_ot/big_mistake_1

[Wickerman]

1. Ah, the smell of incompetency

sure is strong in Washington these days. And funny how it always benefits friends of Bush**

[Phredicles]

3. Yeah, call me cynical, but I can't help wondering if this typo was truly an

accident. Was this one of those laws that was helpfully written by the lobbyists who advocated for it, as often happens these days?

[lpbk2713]

2. The same predicament CBS is in with Katie Couric.

They know they have made a collossal mistake and now they can't afford to fix it.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: