There's something about Martha (Sassone)...
There's something about Judge Martha Sassone, who sits on the bench in Louisiana's 24th Judicial District (Jefferson Parish), that's always bugged me. It's not the fact that she's well and truly an obnoxious person, who was suspended for 60 days without pay by the Louisiana State Supreme Court (PDF) for acting out against defendants from the bench. In handing down the suspension, the Supremes all but called Sassone a liar for her explanations of her behavior.
No, it's not all of that that bugs me. It's her role in Operation Wrinkled Robe, the federal criminal probe into the alleged relationships between judges in the 24th and bail bondsmen who wrote most of the bonds for that court's defendants. The feds did bag two judges, Alan Green for campaign financial irregularities, and Ronald Bodenheimer for all sorts of stupidity. In both cases, however, the convictions didn't directly stem from the reasons for the initial investigation. The evidence against both of these men did come out of wiretaps placed in the Gretna courthouse building.
That's where Martha comes in. She's standing for re-election to the 24th this fall, and makes a big deal out of her participation in Operation Wrinkled Robe. According to Sassone, she cooperated with the feds from the get-go.
Now, think for a moment about the normal flow of a federal criminal investigation. It's all about working up the food chain. Arrest a low-level criminal, get them to roll on their middle-management boss, and so on up the line. Sure, the occasional crusading citizen gets involved, but most corruption cases are built on the testimony from the bottom up. I remember when the FBI came to my house in Metairie, asking if they could establish a listening post in our driveway so they could monitor Carlos Marcello, who owned a big house at the end of the block. My mom sent them packing so fast it wasn't funny.
This is why I wonder about Martha. Why would a sitting state judge allow the FBI to wiretap her chambers? Out of the goodness of her heart? Or did they have some leverage against her, and her full cooperation was a ticket out of whatever trouble she was in. Her judicial record is not that of a very smart person, so I can't help but wonder...
I
No, it's not all of that that bugs me. It's her role in Operation Wrinkled Robe, the federal criminal probe into the alleged relationships between judges in the 24th and bail bondsmen who wrote most of the bonds for that court's defendants. The feds did bag two judges, Alan Green for campaign financial irregularities, and Ronald Bodenheimer for all sorts of stupidity. In both cases, however, the convictions didn't directly stem from the reasons for the initial investigation. The evidence against both of these men did come out of wiretaps placed in the Gretna courthouse building.
That's where Martha comes in. She's standing for re-election to the 24th this fall, and makes a big deal out of her participation in Operation Wrinkled Robe. According to Sassone, she cooperated with the feds from the get-go.
Now, think for a moment about the normal flow of a federal criminal investigation. It's all about working up the food chain. Arrest a low-level criminal, get them to roll on their middle-management boss, and so on up the line. Sure, the occasional crusading citizen gets involved, but most corruption cases are built on the testimony from the bottom up. I remember when the FBI came to my house in Metairie, asking if they could establish a listening post in our driveway so they could monitor Carlos Marcello, who owned a big house at the end of the block. My mom sent them packing so fast it wasn't funny.
This is why I wonder about Martha. Why would a sitting state judge allow the FBI to wiretap her chambers? Out of the goodness of her heart? Or did they have some leverage against her, and her full cooperation was a ticket out of whatever trouble she was in. Her judicial record is not that of a very smart person, so I can't help but wonder...
I
i have been a victim of sassone for 8 years in my attempts to get visitation to my daughter. Due to the fact that my ex is married to a jefferson parish policeman who, as my ex tells me is good friends with sassone. i have spent over 80,000.00 with no success. Every time the court date arrives sassone is either out sick, they have lost my docket and needed to reschedule, always excuses as to why the court precedings are being postponed. Every attorney I have hired is astounded by her actions. I hate to imagine how many children's lives have been destroyed by this woman. My daughter is now being abused by her mother and sassone has still yet to allow my court case to be heard. I hope she loses this upcoming election so my daughter could have true justice served.