Judge says "Go After ACORN"

[Twana Blevins]

By Walter F. Roche Jr.
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

A district judge who held another ACORN worker for trial Monday on election law violations urged prosecutors to go after the real culprit, the organization that employed him.

"Somebody has to go after ACORN," Senior District Judge Richard H. Zoller said about the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

"It's happening all over the country. All you have to do is turn on the television," he said, referring to voter registration fraud charges brought recently against ACORN and its workers in Nevada.

"We will," Allegheny County Detective Robert F. Keenan promised as he wrapped up his testimony.

A spokesman for District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said following the hearing that the county's investigation into members of ACORN and their activities during the 2008 campaign "remains open and active."

"(T)here is quite a bit of activity aimed at determining if anyone else should be charged," Zappala's spokesman Mike Manko said.

Eric E. Jordan, 20, of North Braddock became the sixth person ordered to face trial in Allegheny County. He is charged with soliciting a voter registration and interfering with county voter registration officials by submitted applications for himself in order to meet his quota for registrations. A seventh defendant faces a preliminary hearing next month.

Zappala claims the ACORN canvassers engaged in voter registration fraud and a quota system for registrations, which is barred by state law.

Olga Salvatori, Jordan's attorney, told the judge her client did not know a quota system was illegal. She said Jordan was told he had to bring in a set number of registrations each day or he would be fired.

"ACORN should be charged, not my client," Salvatori said.

But, argued Assistant District Attorney Matthew Robinowitz: "By accepting a job with a quota, he violated the law."

Salvatori argued that Jordan didn't "interfere" with anyone because all he did was resubmit his own voter registration three times, changing his address or party affiliation.

ACORN officials repeatedly have denied the organization imposed a quota system on workers, although they have acknowledged they had "standards" canvassers were expected to maintain. They did not respond yesterday to requests for comment.

Salvatori said after the hearing it was unfair that her client and other workers were charged for such technical violations.

"I didn't even know a quota was illegal until I looked it up," she said. "They go into poor neighborhoods and sign these people up. They tell them they have to meet minimum standards. How would (the workers) know what the law is?"

Keenan testified that he questioned Jordan last spring about suspect voter registrations he filed. He said Jordan, who was in custody on unrelated charges, acknowledged during the interview that he had to get 10 to 12 registrations per day or he would be fired.

Jordan attended the hearing but did not testify.

County Elections Division Director Mark Wolosik testified that every time a voter registration application was submitted or resubmitted, county workers had to process the application and generate a voter card and other paperwork.

[Gary Swartz]

"Salvatori argued that Jordan didn't "interfere" with anyone because all he did was resubmit his own voter registration three times, changing his address or party affiliation."
So he could 'Vote' three times.

[Rick Conn]

It looks like to me that ACORN is above the law. Why else would the 'Exaulted One' hire them, give them millions of dollars, and then turn the Census taking over to them??????? If you are saying that the employee is not to blame, you need to go after ACORN, then it looks like to me that ACORN is not to blame either, you need to go after 'The One that walks on water'.
In one of his 'teleprompter' speeches did I not hear 'the one that can tell no lies' say that ..."THE BUCK STOPS HERE".????
Its hard to get someone convicted when the head boss man is one of the most crooked one of all. And he is surrounded by crooks, liars, terrorists, socialists, and tax cheats.

[Wiccanwolf]

Since A.C.O.R.N. is already under investigation on several states, there should be issued a "Cease and desist" order given by the courts until a full investigation can be held. WE all know from past elections that they have deliberately sent in false registrations forms using false names and addresses. This is a crime , not only on a local scale but a national one as well.

The leadership of the organization needs to be arrested for election tampering, also for a number of other charges, the least being fraud. We have been told that the criminal organization will be aiding in the census to be held next year. I would demand they not be allowed to count used condoms in a Cantonese house of ill repute. Their actions have been criminal in nature for many years and they need to be shut down, leadership in prison for a minimum of 30 years and any candidate backed by them to be stripped of office!

[James W. Taylor]

I find it pretty interesting to see that quotas are against the law.
I wonder when the first suit is going to be brought against the Government for enforcing quotas on Fire and Police Agencies along with all the rest of the entities that have had quotas forced on them in their hiring practices, because we all know that quotas have been man-dated for everything from dog-catchers to who gets nominated for certain positions in our Government.

[James Davis (Jim)]

Follow the money and it always is covered by Fraud. This applies to everyone in the Democrat organization that knew BO was not only unqualified but not a National Citizen. This constitutes Treason under the guise of fraud. There is no Federal Court to hear this charge, yet! Game on patriots....