Attorneys for #Backpage3 defendant Scott Spear have filed a motion saying Spear, who turns 74 in Nov, is being denied various psychiatric medications. He is suffering a mental health crisis, may attempt suicide if the matter is not quickly addressed. 1/
frontpageconfidential.com/backpage3-defe… Those familiar with the case may recall the fate of Jim Larkin, who, driven to despair by a vindictive, unending prosecution, took his own life just days before the second Backpage trial. 2/ #FreetheBackpage3
reason.com/2023/08/02/bac…

#FreetheBackpage3 In a black day for freedom of speech, journalist, muckraker and philanthropist Michael Lacey turned himself in to federal authorities at the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S Courthouse in Phoenix, a little before noon today, to begin serving a 5 yr sentence. 1/ His codefendants, businessmen Jed Brunst and Scott Spear, two of the most honest men I’ve ever met, also turned themselves in today to begin serving sentences of 10 yrs each. Lacey is 76. Spear and Brunst are also in their 70s. 2/

I’m at the federal court in downtown Phoenix today for a hearing before Judge Humetewa regarding retrying veteran journalist Michael Lacey on 34 unconvicted counts from last year’s #Backpage trial. 1/
frontpageconfidential.com/first-amendmen… Lacey is supposed to turn himself into the U.S. Marshal on Wednesday to begin serving a 5 year sentence on the one count of international concealment money laundering he was convicted of in November. Today’s hearing was to pick a start date for a third trial for Lacey alone. 2/

Asset seizure is a corrupt practice. In the Lacey/Larkin case, the feds are using it to bleed the defense dry. "Lacey/Larkin Defense Asks Judge to Release Portion of Illegally-Seized Assets" @ENBrown 1/ frontpageconfidential.com/lacey-larkin-d… In 2018, the feds seized ALL of Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin's assets, including: money made from their 40 years in the newspaper business, assets set aside for their legal defense, assets belonging to their children and their wives. The feds also liened their property. 2/

Court out in the Lacey Larkin Trial just a few minutes ago. After the Young woman left the stand her mother took the stand. And basically just discussed her activism trying to get a law in Washington state passed to require in person ID for any adult online activity 1/ That law, which was passed, actually was found to be unconstitutional and was overturned. Under questioning the mom had to admit that the law would’ve applied to a lot of different websites including google Twitter etc. any website they might have adult content on it 2/

On a break at the Lacey Larkin Trial. Attorney for Jim Larkin, Whitney Bernstein, did a very effective cross examination of the woman who said that she was trafficked and that ads of her appeared on #Backpage, posted either by herself or by her trafficker. 1/ This was during a time where she had run away from home during several months in 2010. Bernstein established that the witness, A tall thin woman with long red hair in a black pantsuit, had never met or communicated with any of the defendants. 2/

LaceyLarkin and Trial just broke for lunch after the tearful testimony of a young woman who was trafficked out in early age she had three pimps during a time where she had run away from home twice 1/ I’m not going to use the woman’s name because she obviously was victimized by somebody when she was age 15 and 16. My caveat would be that she was not victimized by Michael Lacey or Jim Larkin or any of their four codefendants 2/

On a brief break from court at the Lacey and Larkin Trial. Most of this morning has been taken up with the cop from California who basically is reading from what he says are old ads that appeared on #Backpage 1/ The cop explained how he posted an ad for a nonexistent sex worker in The Sacramento Section of Backpage under escorts. And he also posted an ad for a green couch under the furniture section of the Sacramento Backpage 2/

Back to federal court in Phoenix for the #LaceyLarkinTrial. Scuttlebut is codefendant who was feeling unwell yesterday did not test positive 4 Covid, but court has yet to verify this. ICYMI, please watch @morganloewcbs5's recent piece on #Backpage 1/ In it, Loew explains that the federal government admitted Backpage's takedown in 2018 hurt its ability to find and rescue endangered women and minors. Backpage was a goldmine of info for the FBI and other LEAs & responded to subpoenas w/in 24 hrs. Less if need be.2/

Court in the #LaceyLarkinTrial recessed 20 minutes ago. In the Last hour, after the jury had been dismissed for the day, a fight broke out between the prosecution and the defense with defense lawyer Whitney Bernstein who represents Jim Larkin bringing up the infamous DOJ memos 1/ These are DOJ memos from 2012 & 2013 which argued #Backpage should not be prosecuted in large part because Backpage was helpful to law-enforcement the in tracking down trafficked victims. The memos also discussed difficulty of determining the age of a female depicted in the ads2/

On the afternoon break in the Lacey Larkin Trial, attorneys for some of the co-defendants reinforced many of the arguments that Bennett had made at the beginning of the day. 1/#Backpage #FirstAmendment I don’t have much time, but Lacey‘s attorney Paul Cambria ended with a rousing defense of his client. In a booming voice he discussed how Lacey and Larkin were “the real deal “when it came to defending freedom of speech. 2/

On lunch break at the LaceyLarkin trial. Attorney Bruce Feder, who represents one of Lacey and Larkin‘s codefendants, followed up before lunch on some of what Beinert said in his opening. #Backpage #FirstAmendment 1/ He explained content moderation to the jury and told them that in addition to an illegal/legal standard of assessing ads on Backpage, moderators tried to keep content to a “Playboy” standard, though legally they did not have to do any content moderation at all. 2/

On break at the #Backpage trial and attorney for James Larkin, Mr. Thomas Bienert, has Just finished his opening statement for the defense in which he turned the prosecutions opening statement on its head calling the prosecutors “deceptive” 1/ And explaining how all of the ads that the prosecution displayed previously on September 3 involved legal content. 2/

When DOJ took down Backpage in April 2018, then U.S. AG Jeff Sessions crowed, "We have taken a major step toward keeping women and children across America safe.” This was total BS, as the government itself now admits in a new GAO report. (thread)1/ splicetoday.com/politics-and-m… Backpage was “generally responsive to legal requests for information,” the GAO says. But with Backpage gone, and FOSTA/SESTA in place the adult ad market has “fragmented,” with host platforms migrating overseas “to shield themselves from prosecution.”2/

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today issued an order in the case of journalists Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin, ex-owners of Backpage, ordering the gvt to respond to a petition to remove Judge Susan Brnovich as trial judge.
Plz see:
frontpageconfidential.com/judge-brnovich… (Thread) Susan Brnovich is the wife of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, @GeneralBrnovich, who has made disparaging comments about Backpage, stating, wrongly, that the weibsite was guilty of facilitating prostitution and sex trafficking.

"Judge Brnovich Claims Lacey/Larkin Case ‘Not About Backpage,’ Finds Her AG Husband’s Backpage-Bashing Unimportant" (Thread)
frontpageconfidential.com/judge-brnovich… “This case is not about Backpage,” federal Judge Susan Brnovich contended during an hour-and-a-half hearing on Friday in Phoenix.

"Lacey and Larkin Ask Ninth Circuit to Order Judge Brnovich’s Recusal" (thread) @ENBrown frontpageconfidential.com/lacey-and-lark… Filed yesterday, the defense's petition is seeking a writ of mandamus from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, ordering U.S. District Court Judge Susan Brnovich to recuse herself from the case.

Soapbox time. Check the thread. 1/12 "Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego erroneously says morgues out of space on national TV" azcentral.com/story/news/loc… via @azcentral 2/12 Then this, from another outlet:

https://twitter.com/NicoleSGrigg/status/1281713642661003264?s=20