112:
innocence and refused a plea bargain that would have resulted in being sentenced to the time already served in federal prison. LaRouche reportedly told his followers to become martyrs and promised that "honorable deeds shall be legendary in the tales told to future generations." Brian
Gettings, his lawyer (who had previously defended LaRouche associate William Wertz in the 1988 Federal trial involving LaRouche, Wertz, Billington, and four others), told the court that he believed Billington to be incompetent to make decisions on his own, but a court-appointed psychiatrist deemed him competent. The judge requested a second evaluation but Billington refused. Billington tried to have his attorney replaced, and Gettings himself asked to be removed, but the judge refused permission. According to Barbara Boyd, Billington's attorney had not prepared a defense, assuming that Billington would "cop a plea," and the judge refused to permit Billington to substitute a different attorney, despite the fact that one stood ready.
119:, the prosecutor said that Billington was "ruthless" in his fundraising from old people who "look upon him in such a close and trusting fashion that they would do whatever he asked." His mother testified that he "can talk you into or out of just about anything." Billington reportedly offered high interest rates and promised lenders that the money would be safer than in a bank. The jury convicted Billington on all nine counts and recommended a sentence to 77 years. The judge accepted the jury's recommendation because he had warned he would do so if Billington insisted on a jury trial and because Billington showed no remorse. He served eight years of the sentence before being paroled.
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62:. Upon returning to the U.S. he joined the LaRouche movement in 1972, in the early stages of the movement's history. His wife, Gail, and his brother, Joe, and his sister, Margaret Greenspan, were also members of the movement. Billington's book provides an "insider" look at the history of this highly controversial movement.
111:
Billington was charged in
Virginia State court with nine felony counts of "conspiracy to be an unregistered securities broker". Prosecutors charged that Billington solicited 131 loans from 85 people that totaled $ 1.24 million even though he knew the money would not be repaid. Billington asserted his
183:
and became knowledgeable about the history of
Chinese philosophy. He describes his "greatest experience" in prison as being the work he did with co-defendant Paul Gallagher in founding a prisoners' chorus, where prisoners sang classical choral music including the "prisoners' chorus" from the opera
139:(transformed from a misdemeanor to a felony by the addition of a conspiracy charge), protest was raised against the verdict. Billington and his fellow defendants in the Virginia trials attempted, without success, to have the charges dismissed on various grounds, including:
122:
In 1990, his bank accounts, along with those of
Laurence Hecht and two LaRouche enterprises, were seized to fulfill a judgment related to $ 260,000 obtained from an 88-year-old man suffering from dementia under misrepresentations.
170:
activist Evans D. Hopkins, where he is described as "a white guy who, it was said, had gotten railroaded on a political charge, his primary offense being that he had been an associate of the political maverick Lyndon LaRouche."
150:
that the
Virginia State Corporation Counsel did not rule that political loans were "securities" until three months after the defendants were indicted for conspiracy to fail to register as securities brokers.
101:
state court. He served two years of a three-year sentence in the first case, and was then re-tried in the state of
Virginia and sentenced to 77 years, of which he served eight before being paroled.
179:
During his time in prison, he trained himself to sleep during the day, so that he could study at night, undisturbed by the constant noise of prison life. He taught himself to read and write
1037:
131:
Because
Billington was tried in the Virginia court without a cooperating attorney, because of the novelty of the charge (political loans had never before been considered to be
595:
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His book, written in prison, was released in 2000. Billington's brother, Joe
Billington, has also been a supporter of the LaRouche movement as has their sister, Margaret.
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Billington was charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in federal court and was convicted along with six associates. The case was appealed to the
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wrote that "the history of the case of
Billington shows that only his crime was the association with Lyndon LaRouche." Billington is mentioned in the book
78:
319:
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270:"Convicted LaRouche aide won't renounce his leader" THOMAS J. BRAZAITIS, PLAIN DEALER REPORTER. The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio: Jul 5, 1991
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372:"CLOSING ARGUMENTS MADE IN FRAUD CASE." United Press International. Richmond Times - Dispatch. Richmond, Va.: Oct 24, 1989. pg. B-3
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220:, and whether it is a solely indigenous problem, or whether American interests have played a role in creating it.
108:, which let stand the convictions of Billington and his associates. He served two years of a three-year sentence.
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In the latter part of the 1980s, there were numerous criminal trials of LaRouche movement leaders (see
216:'s "Four Corners" program. The topic of the discussion was the insurgency in the southern part of the
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536:, transcript of a conference presentation made by Billington over a telephone hookup while in prison
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Reflections of an
American Political Prisoner: the Repression and Promise of the LaRouche Movement
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Vigdor, Neil (September 3, 2009). "Hitler-like images of Obama create uproar in Cos Cob".
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305:"JURY CONVICTS TOP LAROUCHE FUND-RAISER OF SECURITIES FRAUD" The Associated Press.
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472:"Schiller Institute- Interview with Mike Billington- American political prisoner"
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47:
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517:"LaRouche Movement vs. The London School of Economics on the Philippine Crisis"
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494:"EIR Releases Autobiography of American Political Prisoner Michael Billington"
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135:) and because of the 77-year sentence for what is normally considered a minor
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97:. Billington was tried and convicted twice, first in Federal court, then in
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EIR Releases Autobiography of American Political Prisoner Michael Billington
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506:"Lebanon County" The Patriot - News. Harrisburg, Pa.: Dec 7, 2000. pg. B.01
343:"START ORDERED IN TRIAL OF AIDE OF LAROUCHE" United Press International.
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that they had already been tried on the same charges in federal court (
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93:) that were alleged by LaRouche supporters to be political
194:. After being paroled, he resumed his political activity.
429:, Commission to Investigate Human Rights Violations, 1989
358:"The Human Rights Issues in the Virginia LaRouche Cases,"
446:, August 12, 1999, translated into English by the author
407:
The Human Rights Issues in the Virginia LaRouche Cases
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Commonwealth of Virginia vs. Rochelle Ascher, et al.,
392:"Elderly Seek Refunds From LaRouche"; Alison Howard.
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Our Campaigns - Candidate - Michael O'Mara Billington
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1038:New York (state) politicians convicted of crimes
458:Life after Life: A Story of Rage and Redemption
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231:Reflections of an American Political Prisoner
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212:television, as part of the English-language
601:Lyndon LaRouche U.S. presidential campaigns
440:Political prisoners in the "democratic" USA
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396:. Washington, D.C.: May 23, 1990. pg. d.01
309:. Newport News, Va.: Oct 25, 1989. pg. B.5
1033:American politicians convicted of fraud
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79:New York's 24th congressional district
347:. Richmond, Va.: Sep 27, 1989. pg. 22
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1023:Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni
704:Party for the Commonwealth of Canada
200:In January 2008, Billington debated
663:National Caucus of Labor Committees
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673:Worldwide LaRouche Youth Movement
540:Interview with Michael Billington
534:Confucianism and "Imago Viva Dei"
641:Bürgerrechtsbewegung Solidarität
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606:California Proposition 64 (1986)
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652:Executive Intelligence Review
542:, deals with his imprisonment
235:Executive Intelligence Review
25:Executive Intelligence Review
1028:U.S. Labor Party politicians
115:At the state trial, held in
75:Westchester County, New York
42:in 1967. He then joined the
699:North American Labour Party
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202:London School of Economics
34:Billington graduated from
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636:Australian Citizens Party
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476:www.schillerinstitute.org
345:Richmond Times - Dispatch
127:Commentary on the verdict
694:Fusion Energy Foundation
611:LaRouche criminal trials
596:Views of Lyndon LaRouche
229:Billington, Michael O.,
91:LaRouche criminal trials
894:Daniel Patrick Moynihan
745:Amelia Boynton Robinson
646:European Workers Party
65:Billington ran on the
23:, Asia editor for the
19:is an activist in the
965:Friedwardt Winterberg
839:Members who separated
689:Curtin Labor Alliance
682:Defunct organizations
40:Hartford, Connecticut
17:Michael O. Billington
629:Active organizations
940:Zbigniew Jaworowski
830:Helga Zepp-LaRouche
795:Stanislav Menshikov
394:The Washington Post
284:. Bridgeport, Conn.
168:Black Panther Party
858:F. William Engdahl
848:Nicholas F. Benton
740:Michael Billington
668:Schiller Institute
137:white-collar crime
106:U.S. Supreme Court
46:, where he taught
1013:LaRouche movement
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991:Wikimedia Commons
950:Karen Kwiatkowski
945:Gordon M. Johnson
935:Victor Gunnarsson
841:from the movement
815:Nataliya Vitrenko
805:Robert James Moon
760:Jacques Cheminade
658:LaRouche movement
577:LaRouche movement
438:Lipocky, Martin,
77:in 1977, and for
21:LaRouche Movement
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889:Chip Berlet
780:Janice Hart
765:Billy Davis
735:James Bevel
307:Daily Press
218:Philippines
95:show trials
54:, first in
48:Mathematics
44:Peace Corps
1007:Categories
785:Hulan Jack
461:, page 211
330:2010-07-04
249:References
166:by jailed
133:securities
58:, then in
984:Wikiquote
899:John Rees
427:Railroad!
192:Beethoven
81:in 1978.
237:, 2000,
214:Press TV
99:Virginia
60:Thailand
882:Critics
718:Members
584:History
363:website
210:Iranian
187:Fidelio
181:Chinese
158:weekly
117:Roanoke
241:
156:Slovak
85:Trials
56:Guyana
444:Zmena
224:Books
160:Zmena
147:) and
52:Music
239:ISBN
154:The
50:and
208:on
190:by
73:of
38:in
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