The scandal that ripped through the Catholic church is not over. And anyone, regardless of rank, should be held accountable for committing acts or covering them up.

Cardinal Roger Mahoney/ archdiocese photo

By Richard Winton
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — A former Los Angeles priest convicted of molesting boys has been called before a federal grand jury investigating how the L.A. archdiocese and Cardinal Roger Mahony handled priest abuse cases, a source told The Times.

Former priest Michael Stephen Baker informed Mahony two decades ago of his abusive acts but was allowed to remain in the ministry.

His case has become a symbol of how the church transferred priests who abused young boys. He is now in U.S. federal custody, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing.

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Better late than never. New Orleans could have used something like this a long long long time ago.

David Laufman/law office photo

Karen Sloan
National Law Journal
New Orleans has hired two attorneys from New York’s Kelley Drye & Warren to advise it on ethical issues and regarding a myriad of federal investigations targeting the city.

Washington-based partner David Laufman will lead the firm’s efforts with the assistance of associate Andrew Wein, according to the city contract. Laufman, formerly an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, specializes in white collar crime and federal investigations.

“In essence, I will help guide the city with its compliance through the course of this investigative action,” Laufman said. “I have counseled many individuals and companies grappling with investigations, but this is the first time I’ve provided this type of advice to a municipality.”

Laufman’s contract with the city extends from August through the end of October, and it appears there will be no lack of work. Federal authorities are investigating at least three matters involving City Hall, according to reports by The Times-Picayune of New Orleans and other published accounts.

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The bottom line was: the government was lax, and consequently people lost millions. Maybe if there were consequences for those lax people– like a big fat fine — others might not be so lax in the future.

Bernie Madoff

By Greg Farrell and Brooke Masters
The Financial Times

Bernard Madoff’s $65bn Ponzi scheme was able to evade detection for years partly because auditors and regulators failed to double-check the information his firm gave them, court documents filed in the case of Madoff lieutenant Frank DiPascali suggest.

Mr DiPascali, 52, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to 10 criminal charges and is co-operating with prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Based partly on his information, US authorities filed documents alleging how

Mr Madoff repeatedly deceived regulators and auditors with fake documents and false explanations that they apparently never questioned.

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In a state where the economy just plain old sucks, this will help out a little. And besides, these prisoners have to be held somewhere.

By JOHN FLESHER
Associated Press Writer
STANDISH, Mich. — Federal and state officials visited a maximum-security prison in rural Michigan on Thursday to begin assessing its suitability to house Guantanamo Bay detainees.

About a dozen state officials were joined by 18 representatives from the Defense, Justice and Homeland Security departments and the Bureau of Prisons on the tour of the lockup in Standish, said Russ Marlan, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections.

The prison in Standish, 145 miles north of Detroit, and a military penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., are being considered to house the 229 suspected al-Qaida, Taliban and foreign fighters currently at the Guantanamo Bay prison, if it is closed by 2010 as President Barack Obama has ordered.

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Scott Roeder

The FBI has been talking to some Pro-Life folks who happen to be Pro-Death — at least when it comes to abortion doctors.  Were there more people involved in this slaying?

By Judy L. Thomas
McClatchy/Tribune News
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – — The list of those visiting and communicating with the man accused of killing abortion doctor George Tiller includes two convicted clinic bombers and several activists who once signed a declaration that defended the killing of abortion doctors.

And federal agents have now talked to many of them.

As Scott Roeder sits in Kansas’ Sedgwick County Jail awaiting trial on murder charges, a federal investigation is under way to determine whether there was a conspiracy involved in Tiller’s death.

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OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST

• Ohio Cops Say City Lied About Budget to Bust Unions (Courthouse News Service)
• Federal Prison Guard Gets 8 Months for Aiding Escape (Courthouse News Service)
• 1 Killed and 2 Injured in Detroit Police Chase (AP)
• Mexico and Colombia Agree to Cooperate on Security Pact (Bloomberg)
• D.C.’s  Lawyers Face Possible Discipline Over Discovery Issue (National Law Journal)
• Charles County, Md. Judge Who Deflated Tire in Parking Lot Resigns (Washington Post)
• Ga. Fed Prosecutor Faces Ethical Questions (Fulton County Daily Report)