Chicagoist: A Look At Blago's Lawyer, Ed Genson

carlosrobertoxn

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:37:44 -0600

As juror number 13 on the R Kelly trial, I can tell you that Genson openly uses his disability for pity - and he uses people's lack of understanding against them. During the trial his goal was to confuse the jurors enough that he created a false reasonable doubt. He appeals to the less informed and if you ever catch him on tv, watch the way he stops people from making points by interrupting and creating a joke out of it. He's definitely a good lawyer but a very crooked man.

Scooter Libbby

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:29:49 -0600

Mel Reynolds was a total creep, but the only reason he was convicted on the state charges was that the scumbag of a judge threw the victim into jail over the weekend for contempt as she didn't want to testify against Reynolds. No matter how much of a sleaze Reynolds was & is, victims should never be thrown in jail if they refuse to testify. The case was fixed & the judge was part of that fix.

Albanyparkour

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:46:34 -0600

Garry Meier used to love tossing of the Mel line "Did I win the lotto?" A line he spoke when his 16 year old "girlfriend" told him she could set up a 3-some with a catholic schoolgirl of 15 years. Breath-taking in it's awfulness.

Dave!

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:26:33 -0600

By all acounts, Genson's a pretty damn good defense attorney. Remember, it's not won/loss that makes a good defense attorney... one can only do so much with guilty clients... sentencing is a *huge* factor as well. If you go back and look at all his cases over the years, I'd be willing to bet he's won a few, but more importantly, I'd bet he's shaved a helluva lot of prison time off those he "lost".

Stealth

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:15:41 -0600

And let's not forget about the threesomes with Mel and the girl. Ah, what a time... Then there was Mel's attempt to garner sympathy right before a particular heated election, when he claimed someone shot at him while he was sitting inside his campaign office. He walked about with a band-aid on his forehead for weeks. Believe it or not, he was supposed to be something of an Obama for his day, an Ivy League educated politician with Chicago neighborhod and community activist roots. But then the money and power got too good...

Albanyparkour

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:09:08 -0600

Ah, Mel Reynolds. What a peach. I remember him on WLS when I was a wee kiddie. Head like a peanut, undone by a hard-on. Y'know he ran against JJJ in 2004? Got slaughtered, but the utter temerity of the guy is worth noting. "I was definitely gonna stick my dick in you." That's how you get the girl's hearts.

Albanyparkour

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:07:20 -0600

Chuck Sudo

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:59:36 -0600

@Ingrid: The girl, Beverly Heard, was a 16-year-old campaign volunteer when the affair started in '92 (he was 40 at the time). When the story broke, he denied the charges and said they were racially motivated. Then the transcripts were released. Reynolds was eventually convicted on 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and child pornography. Later he was convicted on another 15 counts of bank fraud and lying to SEC investigators.

jennyblur

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:52:26 -0600

This case is about as good as the case they had against R. Kelly from what I've seen. I give him 40/60 chance of not guilty on the counts put forth in the complaint.

Ingrid

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:49:22 -0600

Whoa! Those phone transcripts! How old was Mel Reynolds when this happened,and how old was the underage girl?

Chuck Sudo

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:41:52 -0600

I completely forgot about Mel Reynolds. Those were some really good phone transcripts. Mel Reynolds Reaches Out to Touch Someone

billymax85

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:38:40 -0600

I do too, Moldyorange. He may have been "depicted" as a formidable opponent for prosecutors, but it doesn't seem like he's all that great a lawyer. I think it's time Chicagoist started the Rod Blagojevich resignation pool. Or perhaps a pool to guess what sort of prison sentence he's going to get.

BlueFairlane

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:38:06 -0600

He's 0-3 in case involving high-profile cases with powerful defendants in government or business. R. Kelly's the only one who walked, and I suspect that had more to do with the client than the case.

moldyorange

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:30:29 -0600

So he's 1-3 in high-profile cases. I like the state's chances.