The successful prosecution of any person accused of any offence in any part of the world is largely dependent on skilful in-depth investigations on the part of the law-enforcement agency.Robert SimelsOne such person who has displayed a tactful approach to the gruelling task of investigation is a United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Special Agent, Cassandra Jackson, who in detailed affidavits to the US Court managed to have a powerful US attorney, Robert Simels, charged for witness-tampering and in large part, due to her extensive detailed investigation, managed to secure several pieces of electronic equipment.On his official website Simels posted that he has handled many high-profile cases with an outstanding success rate across a broad range of issues, and the key to his many acquittals in criminal cases and multimillion-dollar verdicts for clients was preparation and complete participation by clients, resulting in highly effective and compelling cases in the courtroom.The participation of clients, however, is exactly what caused Simels to land in a predicament of having to be criminally charged. One of his clients, Shaheed ‘Roger’ Khan, caused the federal agents to spark an investigation that alleges that Simels was integrally involved in a plot of have a government witness rethink his/her position.According to Jackson, on April 13, 2006 Khan, who is also known as ‘Roger Khan’, ‘Short Man’ and ‘Boss Man’, was indicted on 18 counts in the Eastern District of New York.Among some of the charges levelled against Khan were that he was the principal administrator of a continuing criminal enterprise, and that he conspired to import and distribute cocaine in the US among others.According to Jackson, based on her investigations she was of the view that the government was seeking to establish that Khan was the leader of a violent drug-trafficking organisation (the ‘Khan Organisation’) that was based in Georgetown, Guyana, from at least 2001 until his arrest in June 2006.In June 29, 2006, Khan was arrested and taken to the United States to be prosecuted.In comes Simels…Given that Khan was obviously well resourced, he secured the services of a well-placed attorney to represent him, namely Robert M. Simels.Two years after Khan’s arrest and indictment, investigators managed to infiltrate the so-called ‘Phantom Gang’ which he reportedly headed in Guyana, and managed to forge an alliance with an individual who is now referred to as Confidential Source (CS).According to Jackson, in May 2008 the CS was notified by, among others,NFL Jerseys From China, a member of the Phantom Squad that Khan’s attorney wanted to speak with him.The beginning of the endThis meeting was successful, and could be deemed the beginning of the end, at least in respect to Simels being charged.Acting on the directions of US law enforcement,Air Max Wholesale Ireland, the CS called Simels, who confirmed that he wished to speak to him.The two subsequently met on several occasions and also maintained contact by way of e-mail and telephone.According to Jackson,Asics Kayano 23 Homme, “in the initial recorded conversation in May 2008, Simels asked the CS to assist in locating certain individuals he believed to be cooperating against Khan”.In subsequent conversations between the two, as was documented by Jackson, Simels discussed with the CS what to do when the potential witnesses against Khan or their family members were located.“Simels discussed a range of options, from offering them money to murdering their family members… As captured in the recordings, Simels has been conferring about these options with Khan before discussing them with the CS.Cassandra Jackson pointed out also in her indictment against Simels that her investigation also revealed that Simels is in possession of illegal eavesdropping equipment.“In particular, during the course of his representation of Khan, Simels disclosed various telephone conversations that he intended to introduce at trial… According to the CS, prior to his arrest, Khan used a computer while in Guyana to surreptitiously record telephone conversations of individuals.”Jackson, in her petition to the Court, said that she believed that some conversations disclosed by Simels were captured using Khan’s eavesdropping equipment that was now in Simels’s possession.This, she said, was corroborated by records maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which stated that on or about October 11, 2007, prior to the disclosure of the recorded conversations, equipment identified as a ‘Portable Auto Data Processing Machine’ was shipped from Guyana to Simels at his office.“During a recorded conversation with the CS, Simels confirmed that he is in control of Roger’s (Khan’s) triangulation equipment and that it is in the right hands.”This equipment, according to the CS,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, was the same equipment used by Khan to intercept telephone conversations.“I believe that while he was in Guyana Simels received Khan’s illegal eavesdropping equipment and shipped it to his office and, once there, Simels retrieved intercepted communications from the computer and disclosed them,Jerseys China Wholesale,” Jackson said.Mere possession of the equipment is a criminal offence in the United States of America.Another critical aspect of the investigations conducted by Jackson is in one portion of the conversation when Simels and the CS had the following exchange: “Simels: Now,Soccer Jerseys Outlet, I guess this, the big question really, um, clearly we are not saying, we’ll never say that Roger (Khan) is involved in any drug-dealing; we’re going, he is going to be described to the jury as somebody who builds homes, somebody who got, ah, truck, uh, bus, whatever you want to call it, that feeds homeless children, uh,Wholesale China Jerseys Free Shpping, that he is in the timber business… CS: True….Simels: So, I know earlier you said that, that Roger, you described him as a boss, uh, but we certainly would not want to describe him as a drug dealer…CS: No, we don’t want….Simels: But we certainly don’t want to…CS: True….Simels: Describe him as being the boss…CS: True, true, I understand…Simels: Ok.”It was related also during a meeting between Simels and the CS that they discussed numerous topics, including a plan to locate certain suspected government witnesses and convince them not to testify at Khan’s trial.Simels had told the CS that he wanted John Doe # 1, a star US Government witness, “not to testify” and “We need to know every little detail of his life”.Simels explained that the government’s whole case “falls apart” if John Doe # 1 is “neutralised by us (pause), or neutralised by us on cross-examination”.Simels further explained that they should explain both options.The CS observed that John Doe # 1 might rethink his decision to co-operate once his family was contacted.At one point, the CS observed: “One thing I’ve learnt is that a man, whether he is a criminal, he is a preacher, he always values his mother. Because if you’re not sorted with anyone else to be at your side, your mother very likely would be there; you don’t want anything ever to happen to her.”In further discussing the payment of government witnesses to induce them not to testify, Simels told the CS that “whatever (Khan’s) got to do financially he is going to do to resolve these issues. (pause) There is money that’s available… the only issue I have to know is just (pause) what. And, and that they can let us know.”The CS responded that John Doe # 1 could receive visitors (in jail) and suggested that John Doe # 1 might “suddenly get amnesia”.Simels replied: “That’s a terrible thing, but if it happens, it happens.”In further discussing the plan to “neutralise” John Doe # 1, Simels asked the CS: “What kind of money do you think we are talking about?”Jackson opined that the CS understood this to mean the amount of money necessary to corruptly influence John Doe # 1.In the context of discussing the plan to “eliminate” and “neutralise” witnesses, in particular John Doe # 1, the CS asked Simels about the possibility of “heat “coming back to Khan if a government witness stops cooperating and refuses to testify because someone close to him or her “fall(s) off the face of the earth”.Simels replied: “They’d have to figure out a way to tie it back to Roger (Khan). (pause) but (pause) it seems to me that, that (pause) I’m going to leave it to you to figure out what’s going to best get to him (John Doe # 1).” rior to leaving, the CS informed that he/she would require some money to cover some expenses that the CS would incur in locating and “neutralising” government witnesses, including the cost of acquiring prepaid and unregistered cell phones.Simels has been charged with planning to kill a witness, and he has since been withdrawn from Khan’s legal team. His trial should begin later this year, but for now he is out on US$1 million bond. His associate Arienne Irving has also been charged, and she too is out on bond. |
