Sunday, March 20, 2016

Federal Sex Offenders (& Have We Learned Something!)


We love learning new things, but we're not so sure about this one. Indeed, sex offenders never come off the registry in the state of Alabama; however, John Pilati was not convicted in a state court, but a federal court. His conviction as a Tier One felon required him to register as a sex offender for 15 years. It would seem that even this short 15 year period can be reduced for an offender who doesn't repeat...and with the right attorney. The former district attorney remained on the registry for approximately five years.

Now the question remains if John Pilati will become the Franklin County School Board's appointee to the Board of Equalization...

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This brings up a question about those convicted of a federal crime. Since convicted sex offenders may come off the list, is there a similar time limit for the removal of political rights? In other words, after a set amount of time, may a convicted federal felon be allowed to vote, run for office, and carry a firearm?

As for any attorney wishing to resume a practice of law, we understand that is totally up to the bar association, at least in Alabama. We can recall one such attorney who was not readmitted after serving a state prison sentence. Others we can recall have been readmitted.

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Since just this past week produced shocking news about a Corinth daycare, now's a good time to remind parents that sexual abusers carry on under various guises. Don't hesitate to question any of your child's relationships...and don't hesitate to report your findings to authorities.



Shoalanda

11 comments:

  1. Once again this article is not factual.

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    1. Mike, if you could just give us a hint... If something isn't factual, we'll be happy to correct it, but we can't correct anything if we don't know what it is.

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    2. Well for one thing his charge was not a felony - not to mention the fact the phrase "tier one felon" is nonsensical. His charges were misdemeanors. So THAT isn't factual.

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    4. You are correct about that terminology. The correct phrase would be Tier One Sex Offender, the lowest of three tiers recognized by the federal government. The state does not have tiered rankings for sex offenders.

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  2. Well here's one thing that isn't factual - his charges weren't felonies - not to mention the phrase "Tier One felon" is nonsensical. His charges were misdemeanors. As it states in the TimesDaily article you linked.

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. You are correct about that terminology. The correct phrase would be Tier One Sex Offender, the lowest of three tiers recognized by the federal government. The state does not have tiered rankings for sex offenders.

      BTW, the official statement from the Department of Justice states that he was convicted on five counts, not four. The article we quoted in our blog, not linked, was from al.com, not the TD.

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  3. You asked what was not factual. Saying he was convicted of a felony isn't factual. The charges were misdemeanors. So there you are.

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    1. And we appreciate your input since the OP did not respond; however, we see that you once worked at the Franklin County Times and wrote an article stating Pilati didn't receive personal gain from what the federal prosecutors called a bribery/extortion scam. Was that totally factual? Or is it simply a matter of semantics? He didn't own the 35K car the bribes paid for, but he drove it?

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