Parish takes step toward getting public legal aidBy Schuyler Kropf (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Post and Courier Al Parish Incarcerated economist Al Parish squandered millions of dollars running what authorities said was a Ponzi scheme of investor money. Now he wants the federal court system to help financially with the appeal of his 24-year prison sentence. Parish has filed a sealed financial affidavit with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a step in requesting court system help with his legal needs. It is not clear what Parish is after, but if a judge or a court finds that he is indigent, officials "would have to order him appointed counsel," said Miller Shealy, a professor at the Charleston School of Law and a former federal prosecutor. The filing most likely means that Parish, held at the federal prison in Butner, N.C., has no money left to mount an adequate appeal of his sentence. It also means his family members are no longer able to support his legal costs, as they did before. Accountants concluded earlier that Parish left no hidden assets. Parish, a former economist at Charleston Southern University, was sentenced in June to spend 24 years in federal prison for an investment scheme in which nearly 600 investors were defrauded of $66 million. Parish's legal team had suggested that the sentence was too extreme, contending that a term in the six-year range was more appropriate. U.S. District Judge David Norton also ordered him to pay $66.8 million in restitution. "Of course, unless defendant wins the Powerball lottery, it will be impossible for him to make restitution in this amount," Norton wrote. Parish's attorney, Andy Savage of Charleston, is in the process of being relieved of representing Parish during his appeal. Reach Schuyler Kropf at 937-5551, or skropf@post andcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 10 comment(s)
Posted by mcautodoc on August 20, 2008 at 5:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let him rot in hell; I'd pay for the Devil's defense before letting this low life get one penny of taxpayer's money.
Posted by oldglory on August 20, 2008 at 8:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Talk about a man who just doesn't understand a thing, nor wants to understand . . .
Ooops, where did my attorney go when the money ran out. Oh, and I've drained my family dry. Well.
Although entitled to a court-appointed attorney, I surely hope the wheels move slowiy. This man has stolen enough from victims in his lifetime. You played the game, Mr. Parish, and lost. Now have the good grace to accept your punishment.
Posted by tc1 on August 20, 2008 at 9:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I know there is no prison space but It is way past time for "white collar" criminals to get as much as life in prison. It is said to be non violent but consider the lives, careers, families, retirements destroyed and in some cases suicides caused. That may not be immeadiately violent but the end result is pretty much the same. This fraud got a lot of publicity here but if he had robbed an armored car of say $50,000 it would have made the national news.
Identity theft and computer viruses cost the world many billions of dollars a year but if caught the penalty is at most a slap on the wrist. The time and dollars wasted on protection and filtering is staggering. The time and talent drained by all of this could be used in useful creative productivity.
Society needs to step back and recognize the real impact of this type of crime. 25 years in a real prison with violent criminals is not enough. BTW I nor anyone I know lost money to Parrish.
Posted by Weeeee on August 20, 2008 at 9:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ugh. Why is anything he does news? I hate his stupid round face.
Posted by ysillyme on August 20, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
To all the heartless posters~
I have the solution: let all the investors he ripped off vote and decide if Al should get help w/ his (or her by now) bills. Makes sense or silly?
Posted by lawrendm on August 20, 2008 at 10:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Now he's somebody's darling in jail (he should be flattered)and he wants out. Too bad all his $100,000 ink pens have been sold - would be nice to have one to shove it where the sun don't shine. Hope you rot in hell Al.
Posted by iceman1978 on August 20, 2008 at 5:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I've never understood why anyone would have put so much faith in this man to begin with. I knew there was something rotten in Denmark long before any of this happened.
Posted by wonderdog on August 20, 2008 at 8:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Do people really think that even another prisoner would want to hit THAT?!!!??
Posted by Marianne0558 on August 21, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
wonderdog,
You'd be amazed at the things prisoners would "hit"
Afterall, a hole is a hole.
Posted by moonpie on August 21, 2008 at 8:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Man he's got some balls...
"Iceman" me too. I never got how people just trusted him blindly. And how about CSU's administration? That's the unbelievable part and ole President Hunter skated right thru this mess.