Clean Up City of St. Augustine, Florida: Guns-recoil-forward lawyer blasts NY Times, reporter Walt Bogdanich on Michelle O'Connell Case: JEREMY BANKS' Mouthpiece Shows His Inner Angst With Letter to Governor RICK SCOTT (IN HAEC VERBA)

Update: Bill Sheppard called Wednesday, November 25 and shared my incredulity. People are asking: did a lawyer write this letter? Did SHOAR? Did BANKS? What kind of a criminal defense lawyer takes potshots at the best civil rights attorney in Northeast Florida for doing criminal defense work? ROBERT LESTER McLEOD II, a/k/a "MAC." Reckon MAC is one louche lugubrious goober?

ROBERT LESTER McLEOD, II, a/k/a "MAC,"

Counsel for Deputies JEREMY BANKS and SCOTT O'CONNELL: Who's Paying the Piper?

Do guns recoil forward? Do Florida Sheriffs and State's Attorneys coverup crimes by the well-connected?

Former Assistant State's Attorney ROBERT LESTER McLEOD, II, a/k/a "MAC," wrote Governor RICHARD LYNN SCOTT on September 2, 2015 about a New York Times article on the Michelle O'Connell case. The letter attacks The New York Times, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Walt Bogdanich and veteran Florida civil rights lawyer William Sheppard. Contacted by telephone November 21, 2015, reporter Bogdanich stated that he has no respect for the opinions of someone who believes that "guns recoil forward." A message was left for attorney Sheppard and attorney McLEOD.

McLEOD states in his September 2, 2015 letter to Governor SCOTT:

Dear Governor Scott:
I read with interest the recent New York Times article by Walt Bogdanich about Eighth Circuit State's Attorney William Cervone concerning his findings and resolution in the investigation he was assigned by you regarding FDLE agent, Rusty Ray Rodgers.

As you may be aware (sic), Mr. Bogdanich himself has become part (sic) of the story as he has taken a strident (sic) and unsupported (sic) position on the facts, (or rather, his fictionalized (sic) version of the facts), in order to create (sic) a story for The New York Times. One need only reference the first paragraph of the recent article to confirm (sic) how far (sic) astray (sic) Mr. Bogdanich has wandered (sic). Agent Rodgers was not "drawn into" anything as reported. He was asked to investigate the death of Michelle O'Connell by St. Johns County Sheriff, David Shoar, and thereupon engaged in egregious and unprofessional conduct, including false representations to State Attorneys, Medical Examiners and a Judge.

Three separate State Attorneys have determined and confirmed Agent Rodger's (sic) misconduct (sic) and Federal and State Court lawsuits are pending to address these issues on behalf of its (sic) victims (sic), Deputies Jeremy Banks and Scott O'Connell.

Moreover, Mr. Bogdanich's initial representations that Michelle O'Connell was "in the process of breaking up with her boyfriend… when she was killed with the officer's service weapon" are contrary (sic) to the discovered and credible evidence. That said, Mr. Bogdanich and The New York Times are story writers and the truth (sic) was apparently not a compelling story. Three (sic) State Attorneys, four (sic) Medical Examiners and about every law enforcement officer investiging the issue, except Rusty Rodgers, have concluded (sic) the death of this young woman was a suicide. Although tragic enough, to worse this by implying unlawful behavior with false (sic) information and perjured (sic) statements only combines (sic) the tragedy. Such is journalism with Mr. Bogdanich and The New York Times.

Rusty Rodger's (sic) attorney apparently now complains State Attorney Cervone has made "unsupported and false allegations of bias and unethical conduct" concerning his client, Rodgers. I am unsure why Mr. Sheppard is not similarly upset with the State Attorneys in the Fifth, Seventh (sic) and Ninth Circuit who have come to similar (sic) conclusions. Moreover, to claim Mr. Cervone has made "unsuppored and false allegations" is unquestionably, the (vicarious)(sic) pot calling the kettle black.

Mr. Bogdanich goes on in his article to point to "The Times" investigation of the death. A rookie prosecutor looking at the actual evidence in this case cold conclude The New York Times "conclusion" is nonsense (sic). And it wasn't rookie prosecutors that (sic) made these findings but rather, nearly 100 years of combined experience of veteran Florida prosecutors. Thankfully for the falsely (sic) accused in this state, editorially slanted (sic) newspapers and sensationalist (sic) reporters are not given the responsibility attendant to professional investigators.

One should also consider the complainant, William Sheppard is a veteran criminal defense lawyer who has been skillfully representing drug traffickers, child sexual abusers, and murderers for well over 40 years. Perhaps in his defense (sic), his perspective in this instance may be somewhat influenced by representing someone who has not engaged in the most heinous of criminal offenses and may explain his expressed indignation with Mr. Cervone's findings. It is not often he has he chance to represents someone who avoids charges and hence, in comparison, Rusty Rudgers must seem ripe to support with such vigor.

Notwithstanding, reference to the reports and evidence developed by State Attorneys King, Ashton and Cervone make clear (sic) the protests by Mr. Sheppard are baseless; but again, they are great copy for the New York Times' dwindling (sic) readership.

Sincerely,

Robert L. McCleod II, B.C.S.

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Ed's notes:
1. B.C.S. presumably stands for "Board Certified Specialist, although it could stand for Bull Crap Strategist.
2. Who is paying MAC McCLEOD to represent Deputies JEREMY BANKS and SCOTT O'CONNELL in federal court actions?
3. Who would trust or hire MAC McLEOD a lawyer who:
A. refused to comment to The New York Times,
B. refused to comment to PBS Frontline,
D. refused to comment to this blog,
D. does not claim to have written a retraction letter,
E. disgraced himself on the set of Dr. Phil,
F. believes that guns recoil forward,
G. attacks a fellow criminal defense lawyer ad hominem for the identity of his clients,
H. bullies, emotes, can't spell, can't write, can't think and can only ululate,
I. wrote a 580 word letter to the Governor in response to a 892 word article claiming calumnies, without sending a copy to The New York Times.

4. This is one prevaricating, predictable, malicious, malfeasant attorney who:
A. Helped pressure the City of St. Augustine to criminalize art and music on St. George Street on behalf of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce (a/k/a "Chamberpot," the local affiliate of a national organization that has lobbied against all reform legislation since the 1930s);
B. Prevaricated on his website about being a Baptist deacon;
C. Prevaricated on his website about professional organization membership.

5. The form for Florida Bar complaints is here: http://www.floridabar.org/TFB/TFBResources.nsf/0/AB230E7DCCC3B75385256B29004BD6DC/$FILE/Inquiry%20Complaint%20Form.pdf

Here's a link to The New York Times article about which McLEOD caterwauls and cavils:
http://cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com/2015/08/sheriff-shoar-wont-answer-questions.html

Here are links to Mayor Nancy Shaver's letter, written after Mr. Bogdanich's article (before she was Mayor), and to the wealth of journalistic evidence on the Michelle O'Connell shooting:

MORE BACKGROUND:

See now-Mayor Nancy Shaver's December 2013 letter: http://cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com/2015/07/nancy-shavers-eloquent-december-18-2013.html The world is watching us. See, e.g.: