The National Law Journal reports that former Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, wife of House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., has been declared indigent by a federal judge. That means she gets a public defender in her attempt to appeal her three-year prison sentence on a bribery charge to which she pleaded guilty.Heh. Good luck with that...
[Conyers] says she can't afford a lawyer...despite the fact that her husband — who is the second-longest serving current member of the U.S. House of Representatives — makes $174,000 a year....The court said that Monica Conyers provided information that established her inability to pay for a lawyer, including "a detailed description of her financial resources in the presentence investigation report and [the information] that Mrs. Conyers was on her own — so to speak — as to such resources." Therefore, the court said, "Further inquiry was not appropriate and would have intruded on private matters."
Hmmmmmmmm. Doesn't sound like he's gonna wait for ya, baby...
The article notes that according to federal guidelines, a family member's wealth cannot be considered when determining a defendant's ability to pay, "unless the family indicates willingness and financial ability to retain counsel promptly."
Yeah, baby. Why should I pay when the guvmint will?
| Bingo. |