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On some level I want to believe that Alabama’s Executive, Legislative branches and the United States Department of Justice can’t hear. Surely that is why innumerable phone calls have gone unheeded when judicial corruption was reported. Unfortunately in retrospect when I connected the dots, I realized they not only did not want to hear, but that corruption and bribery are the accepted law of the land in Alabama.
Three judges have presided over the court proceedings regarding forgeries and theft of Alabama millionaire, Ted Bauman’s estate and over actions involving Bauman’s elderly blind, incompetent widow, her finances and welfare. Bauman and his widow’s finances were entrusted to Regions Bank (Regions Financial), a NYSE company. Two of the judges recused after financial ties to defendant, Regions Bank were discovered by Kathryn Rubenstein, a daughter of the Baumans’.
Judge Larry Anderson ( R), the first to preside, received numerous loans and releases from Regions totaling approximately $600K during the two year period he presided over the Baumans’ actions. Anderson was bull dogged in protecting Regions by denying motions for discovery and denying interrogatories to be answered by Regions and by causing discovery delays to allow the statute of limitations to run. Recently public financial records were uncovered that show Anderson owned stock in Regions while he presided over the Baumans’ actions.
Second up,Judge Dale Segrest ( R), a retired, (a polite way of saying “voted out of office”) judge who blew through like the hurricane Katrina he followed. Segrest reversed himself on summary judgement involving the forgery of Bauman’s Trust and Will, denying a jury trial he had previously granted. Segrest denied pertinent discovery to protect defendants which included Regions. Segrest recused after it was shown he had a mortgage paid while on the case, even though his official judicial financial statement showed no income during that period.
The dots began to connect with Judge Segrest. While he presided over the Baumans’ cases, Segrest was a board member of Huntingdon College, a Methodist College in Montgomery, AL. Subsequent to Segrest’s recusal he vacated the college’s board.
Judge number three and the current bench warmer, Judge Bernard (Burt) Smithart has dug in his heels and refused to recuse even though his wife, Elizabeth was appointed to the state board of DHR, (Department of Human Resources), DHR is also a defendant. Additionally, Elizabeth Smithart appears to have taken the place of Judge Segrest on the Huntingdon College board.
The three judges have used their position to get even with Rubenstein for uncovering their crooked dealings. Rubenstein has been denied phone calls and visitation with her blind, incompetent 85 year old mother because said judges claim it is not “in the best interest” of her mother and a local DHR employee , who received campaign contributions in her run for local school board position from several defendants’ attorneys.
Judge Judge Smithart apparently has much to hide. In his judicial financial statement submitted to the state of Alabama shows ownership of a Destin, Florida property. When researched, there is no property in Smithart’s name so he must be hiding it in a different name or corporation. Additionally, Smithart has refused to answer in the affirmative or negative if he has owned or owns stock in Regions Financial while he has presided over the Bauman actions. Smithart’s financial statement shows stock holdings over $150K, but the specific companies he owns stock in are not listed.
Numerous calls and meetings have occurred in an attempt to report questionable proceedings involving the three judges. Alabama’s Republican Governor Riley’s office as per Attorney General, Troy King ( R) in a letter to this author, sat on the information for two years before forwarding it to Troy King’s office. In his letter, Republican Troy King chastised this author for filing suit regarding bribery involving the three judges.
The last of the dots to be connected involves, Alabama’s U.S. attorney, Leura Canary. Ms Rubenstein contacted Canary and her office numerous times regarding bribery and corruption allegations of the three Alabama judges. Washington’s Justice Department was contacted repeatedly regarding the corruption in Alabama’s courts, but those calls too went unheeded.
U.S. Attorney, Leura Canary ( R) was recently appointed to the board of Huntingdon College year where she currently serves alongside Elizabeth Smithart, Judge Smithart’s wife. Huntingdon, a private college, has refused to respond regarding donations by Regions Financial who it appears submitted the names of Smithart and Canary to be placed on Huntingdon’s board. The dots on nepotism connect with board appointments, transfers of cash, PAC campaign contributions and stocks, all given to bury truth, deny accountability and protect the deep seated corruption in Alabama and in the Republican party.
