Elections June 6

[mcdavictim]

Does anyone visit maderaonline? Does anyone read the Fresno Bee and or the Sierra Star?

Do we citizens of Madera County really want to have the likes of Ernie LiCali in the position of District Attorney for another term? How can we afford to pay for his next "mistake in over stepping his bounds?

[bh90210law]

You just don't get it. I agree witih you wholeheartedly. However, most of us just sit and complain, we are afraid of own own shadows and refuse to take any action. When we have children, we teach them to think for themselves, to challenge and stand up agains wrongdoings and to adhere to doing what is right. When WE grow up we seem to forget about right and wrong and become selfish little children in grown up bodies. Now we just sit back and say that it will never happen to us. Who will be the next victim of Ernie the DA? Maybe, just maybe one of those good itentioned citzens who were so cowardly that they forgot to stand up for right and make a difference. IF you don't vote for the logically correct person, then Madera and everyone else will truly get what they deserve and one can only blame yourself...'nuff said!

[mcdavictim]

MY THOUGHTS COMPLETELY. WE GET WHAT WE DESERVE, IF WE DO NOT STAND UP FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE IN AND VOTE INSTEAD OF JUST COMPLAINING.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by mcdavictim:
MY THOUGHTS COMPLETELY. WE GET WHAT WE DESERVE, IF WE DO NOT STAND UP FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE IN AND VOTE INSTEAD OF JUST COMPLAINING.

Try not to shout. We can hear you just fine without the caps lock key being on. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

[mcdavictim]

sorry for the caps it is a sensitive issue
-notice not a cap one-
but, if we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem...

i would like to ask all of the canidates for district 5 supervisers if they will continue the practice of paying for the district attorneys legal costs like the previous supervisors

[Ironhorse]

I read the Fresno Bee http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/wink3.gif


Attorney denies prostitute talk
Fresno lawyer running for Madera Co. post pulled over, not cited.
By Tim Eberly / The Fresno Bee

(Updated Thursday, May 18, 2006, 5:34 AM)

A Fresno County defense attorney running for the top prosecutor post in Madera County was stopped by a police sergeant Tuesday night after he appeared to be talking with a suspected prostitute from his vehicle, police said.

Franz Criego, 55, who is running against Madera County District Attorney Ernest LiCalsi in the June 6 election, was detained for about seven minutes by a police sergeant but was not arrested or cited.

Police could not find enough evidence to cite Criego for any prostitution-related offense.

When reached by telephone Wednesday night, Criego denied having a conversation with the woman.

"It's absolutely nothing," Criego said of the incident. "It was just ridiculous. All I did was miss a turn."

The incident occurred at 10:18 p.m. in a parking lot at Belmont Avenue and Van Ness Boulevard, north of downtown Fresno.

The sergeant, Danny Edwards, drove up to Criego's Saturn while a woman, identified as Rebecca Santillanez, 50, was leaning toward the open window on the driver's door, the report stated. The Saturn was in the parking lot.

As the sergeant drove closer, both Criego and the woman saw his patrol car, the report stated.

"Santillanez immediately stood straight up and began to walk in a northeast direction toward Van Ness," Edwards wrote.

Criego immediately drove west on Belmont. Edwards followed and pulled him over.

Edwards told Criego he pulled him over because of "possible prostitution activity," and Criego became upset.

"He strongly denied any involvement with the female that was near his car," Edwards wrote. "He denied speaking to her or her to him."

The report says that Criego later told Edwards he and the woman had a brief exchange.

"He said she asked how he was doing and he told her he was not interested and continued to drive past her," Edwards wrote.

Criego said he missed a turn onto Fulton and pulled into the parking lot to make a U-turn.

Criego is defending Khadijah Ghafur, founder and former superintendent of GateWay Academy charter school system, in a high-profile trial on charges that she and two other school officials used public funds to pay off private debts and misled bondholders to secure a loan. In court Wednesday, Criego chose not to make an opening statement.

After Criego drove off, Edwards tracked down the woman on a nearby street corner.

When he asked about the meeting with Criego, Santillanez said they did not speak to each other. But she said she thought that if the sergeant hadn't arrived, Criego was going to ask her for a "date" — street jargon for soliciting a prostitute.

In an interview with The Bee, Criego said the woman was not leaning into his car and said he was not going to solicit her.

"I didn't speak to her," he said.

Criego said he was going to his office to prepare for the GateWay trial, and worked there until 1:30 a.m.

"I did absolutely nothing wrong," Criego said. "There was no reason to stop me. There was no reason to pull me over."

The reporter can be reached at teberly@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6465.

[Ironhorse]

DA candidate has had legal problems

Friday, May 19, 2006

By Pam King - Contributing writer
Fresno County defense attorney Franz Criego, a candidate for Madera County District Attorney, has a history of legal problems, according to court documents.

Criego, who is running against District Attorney Ernie LiCalsi, who has had his own legal problems, has been sued for negligence, for failure to pay outstanding bills, for wrongful termination and was arrested on suspicion of assault. The election is scheduled for June 6.

Tuesday night Criego was stopped by a police officer in Fresno after he appeared to be talking with a woman who police thought might be soliciting prostitution. Neither the woman nor Criego was arrested or charged.

Most of Criego's legal problems have stemmed from civil disputes.

Fresno County Court documents show that in 1990 Criego was sued for $25 million in a complaint brought against him by a former client, John Kennedy.

The case was dismissed when Kennedy failed to appear in court.

In 1997 at least one person who worked on a Chowchilla-area horse ranch owned by Criego filed suit with the Fresno County Labor Commissioner's Office, which oversees cases for Madera County, for failure to pay wages. The employee, Mark Deblois, won the case and was granted a judgment against Criego, who did business under the name Aysha Farms, according to Madera County court documents. The judgment was for $5,638.06.

Madera County court records show that from 1993 to 2001, Criego had to fend off several notices of foreclosure on property he owned in Madera County. Feb. 15, 1993, he was threatened with foreclosure because he owed $3,476.18 in back payments. Aug. 23, 1995, Criego owed $7,248.74, and Feb. 5, 1997, he owed $5,756.97. He received more notices Nov. 4, 1997, for $4,910.51, March 24, 2000, for $4,933.10, Nov. 28, 2000, for $3,479.08 and another June 5, 2001, for $4,718.89. All of the disputed amounts were paid.

A lawsuit was filed against Criego during his three-month stint as Superintendent of the West Fresno School District, over which the state later assumed control. Criego was one of five interim superintendents in the financially troubled district.

Criego was listed as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Dawn Ricciboni for wrongful termination from her position as Director of Business Services for the school district. She said Criego terminated her employment in retaliation for refusing to disclose confidential payroll information to board member Darryl Nelum, a long time friend of Criego.

Criego was fired as Superintendent and subsequently dropped as a defendant in the wrongful termination case. He then filed suit against the school district in his own wrongful termination case, suing the district for more than $2 million.

After years of being in and out of courts, both cases were settled in mediation and dismissed.

Ricciboni said she cannot discuss the details of her civil suit, but said she found Criego difficult to work with.

When Criego was working as a Fresno County Public Defender, he was arrested in Merced on suspicion of assault. According to a Fresno Bee article of Sept. 17, 2000, Criego allegedly appeared at the home of his estranged wife with a baseball bat, entered her home without permission and assaulted her male friend with the bat. Officers responding to a 911 call arrested Criego.

Criego was booked on charges of assault with the intent to commit great bodily injury and burglary, Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin said. The charges were later dropped.

Criego was employed with the Merced County Public Defenders office for a period of six years that ended when he resigned from the position and filed a discrimination case against the county alleging that he was denied promotions on six occasions because he is black, The Bee said.

Criego ran for Judge in Fresno County in 2002 and placed last in the race. Asked why Criego was not returning phone calls, Paul Hinkley, a supervisor at the Fresno County Public Defenders office said, "He's at trial."

[bh90210law]

Ok so we know that Pam King and the Tribune are Supporters of Mr. LiCalsi. Does that mean that we are going to allow the newspaper to THINK for us also?

let's do something that's real. Try to do our own research online! Why? Well you will be able to see both fact and fictioin.

Fact: Criego was sued while during his tenure at West Fresno School District. Fact: Criego countersued his attackers. Fact the Board for teh School District was stealing money form the kids and Criego turned them in to the Grand Jury! Criego received a monetary award and then gave away to other colleges so that kids could attend. This makes him a bad man.

Fact: Criego was sued by an inmate for 5 million dollars. So was the judge, the district attorney and anyone else who was involved in the CONVICTED crimimal's case. No award was recovered in this case. This makes him a bad man.

Fact: a FORMER employee of Criego's disappeared for more than one year, returned and demanded back wages. (See the court's records) Criego refused and was sued. Due to a failure to timely reply to the lawsuit Criego was held liable and PAID (not the taxpayers) a judgement. This makes him a bac man?

Fact: Criego was arrested for assault on his x-wifes boyfriend. After his arrest the case was investigated by the Military, the Merced County DA, the Merced City Police and NO CHARGES WERE EVER FILED! Criego thereafter sued his ex-wife and obtained a restraining order against her, a judgement for his wrongful arrest...This sounds like a real bad man.

Fact: Criego was questioned by the police for purported sollicitation. Criego was on a one-way street and within 13 blocks from his office. The lady of the night and Criego deny speaking. The police officer--did I say that right? THE POLICE OFFICER broke the law by reporting this incident for purely political purposes. Let me see--There was NO crime, and no conversation, but who are you going to believe. EVERYONE who knows Criego, knows that he routinely returns to work at night when he is in trial. EVERYONE knows he is in trial because the BEE reported that he was one of the Attorneys in the Gateway case and IF you watch the news so far they have entered at least 400 exhibits in the trial. I gues he makes those up in his sleep. The cowardly police officer who reported the events as an anonymous citizen or the hooker who says there was no conversation. Heck, where's the crim--THIS makes Criego a bad person?

Fact: Criego worked for oMerced County x5 years and was promoted at the end of each year prior to coming to Fresno. There is NO court record that Criego ever sued Merced County. Just like there is no record of Criego ever being passed over.

Now who are you going to believe. Try GOOGLE or MSN...then let me know!