Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
From: [Bert Paul] at [cryo.rain.com] (Bert Paul)
Subject: Woodbridge Violated
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 08:59:51 GMT

Wed, 2 Feb 94 00:58:47 PDT<[19940202 8732 BA 8 16 D 4] at [cryo.rain.com]>
The following was posted to a local Portland, OR BBS on 1/27/94:



Major News Flash:

    Al "Big Al" Woodbridge has been convicted today of 12 counts of
violating Title 18 Section 922(o), illegal possession of a machine
gun.
    Background:  Big Al is a Sumner, WA FFL who has complied with all
applicable Washington and federal statutes.  He has also paid the SOT,
special occupation tax, entitling him to be a Title II firearms
manufacturer, ie., he can make machine guns within the law.
    In 1989 a package was sent to his store by someone from Canada to
be held for the other individual for arrival.  This was not a package
which Big Al had ordered nor did he know that it was coming.  Big Al did
not know the man who sent it to him.  Immediately after the package
was delivered by UPS and signed for by his wife, the Pierce County and
BATF officers raided.  Big Al was at the local range teaching the
local law enforcement officers how to shoot at the time of the raid.
The contents of the package have never been disclosed to Big Al at any
subsequent time.  Over 150+ items were seized from his shop.
    Pierce County brought charges for illegal possession of machine
guns.  At the trial, after the prosecution rested and before any
defense was offered, the defense motion for dismissal was granted.  This
means that the state had no case against Woodbridge at all.
    Feeling that his Rights had been grossly violated, Big Al filed a
federal civil suit against the BATF officers who had been involved
with the raid and set-up.  It had been reported that the federal
prosecutors conspired with the BATF defendants to advise them how to
hide so as not to be able to be served.  It has been reported that
government money was spent to move the BATF defendants around the
country so as to interfere with the process serving in this private
civil matter.
    Before the BATF defendants could be reserved, the Feds brought
charges against Big Al for the same events for which he had been
acquitted in Washington State Court.  Does this sound like double
jeopardy?
    Trial started this last Friday.  After making an outrageous ruling
in not suppressing the original search warrant, the first judge
recused himself.  On Monday the second judge, ordered Woodbridge's
attorneys to disclose their strategy under fear of a contempt
citation.  Then the judge limited the defense to only one witness.  Then
the judge said that the government's witness evidence were without a doubt
true.  Then the judge said that Woodbridge could not even present most
of their evidence for defense, saying that it was only argumentative.
Ie., he forbid any defense.
    After the judge released the jury, he gave a tirade of lies,
innuendos, and accusations to the defense and Big Al, including
statements that Big Al was without a doubt guilty.  The jury deliberated
for two hours and then went home unsequestered for the night. The
judge's lies were broadcast over radio and TV and they were printed in
the papers this morning which the jury members could hear.
    A mistrial was not granted.

Worf, Lcdr., IKN


-- 
[Bert Paul] at [cryo.rain.com]