Was McGee Set Up?

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A federal jury on Tuesday night convicted former Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee of extortion and bribery in repeated shakedowns of inner-city store owners, using his power to demand cash and other goods.

McGee, 38, showed no reaction as the jury found him guilty of nine counts of bribery, extortion, attempted extortion and failing to file a financial form on a wire transfer of $15,000.

Locked up without bail for the past 13 months, McGee was led away by deputy U.S. marshals. He faces up to 30 years in prison at his sentencing Oct. 24, but he is likely to get much less time given sentencing guidelines.

McGee still faces state charges of making threats, vote-buying and other charges.

Over six days of testimony, the prosecution brought up a parade of store owners who testified to paying McGee in an effort to protect their valuable liquor licenses.

The store owners along with officials from City Hall spoke of “aldermanic privilege” — the custom that gives members of the Common Council essentially a veto over the granting and renewal of licenses in their district.

U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic said he’s convinced the practice should be re-examined.

“I think the Common Council and the mayor ought to look at aldermanic privilege as something that definitely needs to be reformed,” he said.

It's interesting that Biskupic is lobbying for Milwaukee to re-examine aldermanic privilege. Biskupic didn't mince words, specifically calling on the Common Council and Mayor Tom Barrett to initiate reform.

Unfortunately, Mayor Tom Barrett didn't want to comment at all on the McGee case. Eventually, he'll need to say something. Biskupic did directly challenge him.

The matter of aldermanic privilege certainly seems to make city officials nervous.

Naturally, McGee supporters have complained about the all-white jury. Never mind that the judge was black.

While Biskupic spoke live during the FOX 6 9:00 PM News, some McGee supporters wanted their voices to heard, too.

...While he spoke in front of the federal courthouse, Biskupic was heckled by McGee supporters, one of whom yelled, “It’s a legal lynching!”

The jury did not include any African-Americans, but McGee’s defense did not raise the issue of the jury’s racial makeup. The jurors declined to comment as they left the courthouse Tuesday night.

Lucille Berrien, a McGee supporter, said she believed McGee was set up by the government.

“I think it’s one of the worst things that has happened to Milwaukee,” she said.

Cynthia Greenwood said she was surprised McGee was found guilty on all nine counts.

“I’m sick to my stomach, trying to keep from tears,” Greenwood said outside the courthouse.

“It’s very heart-wrenching,” she said. “It’s not fair.”

McGee’s attorney, public defender Calvin Malone, said he was disappointed in the verdict and would meet with his client today to assess the next step.

“We went to trial to demonstrate that a lot of these claims were baseless,” Malone said.

Good grief. Did McGee's supporters listen to the wire taps? Did Malone listen to them?

How can they think that the government set up McGee? McGee damned himself.

McGee supporter Lucille Berrien believes, "I think it's one of the worst things that has happened to Milwaukee."

If Berrien meant that McGee's extortion is a dark chapter in Milwaukee's history, I'd agree with her; but that's not what she's talking about. It was a conspiracy.

...In his closing argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wall at times personally addressed McGee, who boasted on one tape that he was the “gatekeeper” for licenses in the district.

“It starts and stops with Mike McGee,” Wall said, his voice rising before the full courtroom. “ ‘The gatekeeper.’ I thought you were a public servant. I thought you were there to serve the public as an alderman.”

...In his closing, Malone conceded that if the jury considered only the evidence presented, “Mr. McGee is guilty of all counts.”

But Malone urged jurors to consider recorded conversations that weren’t played but were alluded to in court. And he asked jurors to scrutinize the testimony of Kheirieh, who was close to McGee and said he became an FBI informant and secretly taped him because McGee was blocking the sale of Kheirieh’s store, Mother’s, at N. 16th and W. Locust streets.

During the trial, Kheirieh, who ran unsuccessfully for McGee’s Common Council seat, was called “Jack Adel,” another name he goes by.

“Any evidence that is linked to Jack Adel is not sufficient to be convicted beyond a reasonable doubt,” Malone said. “There was a plan you see, and the plan was to remove a sitting alderman.”

Thankfully, the jury didn't buy the ridiculous notion that "there was a plan."

Given the strength of the overwhelming evidence, it's completely unreasonable to believe that McGee was set up.

Thug Mike is no victim. He victimized others. Justice was served.