Retired Army Colonel Tom Spellissy-scapegoat!

1. Spellissy was the best PEO in SOCOM - a government witness- Dr Uhler wrote it. He always did what is in best interest of the warfighter. He was certainly the right guy in the right job when 911 happened.

2. He retired because he did see eye to eye with Gen Brown. Spellissy was on an extension and Gen Brown canceled it.

3. You don't see SOCOM guys in the war with body armor problems and you don't see SOCOM guys getting blown up by IEDs. Do you think that speaks highly of Spellissy?

4. Spellissy has no foreign bank accounts. The account in Sweden is a client's account. How do you think they are going to pay him? That company was paying him with or without Burke.

5. Burke worked part time, 45 hours mostly over the holidays in NOV and DEC. He is not a public official. Government declared him a public official in September, 2005.

6. A bribery case with no tax evasion charges????

7. Cops lied to get a search warrant.

8. SOCOM IG lied or hid from the cops Spellissy's authorization to work on leave. This was there ploy to keep the ivestigation alive.

9. A competitor- a retired General lodges a complaint to his friend General Brown to start investigation. Talk about a preferential treatment!

10. Spellissy's lawyers get stonewalled when trying to interview witnesses.

11. Burke is not a public official - the government doesn't own him -slavery ended in this country a long time ago.

12. Cops threatened Burke and scared the crap out of him. They cut Burke's income off and then cut him off from his friends and put him in a no win situation. He said he plead because "he couldn't afford to defend himself!"

13. Burke purges himself on the stand. Why would he do this if he wasn't telling the truth? He said he worked for the money and he gave no preferential treatment. A government witness said that "they investigated and found no evidence of any wrong doing." Case should of been dropped on that statement!

14. If the two initial checks Spellissy paid were illegal, how come the third one isn't. Burke said he received 3 payments.

15. Spellissy was the keeper of many of SOCOMs secrets. I believe he is trustworthy. They obviously did!

16. It will be interesting if Spellissy ever speaks or publishes the book he is working on! St Pete Times article said the title was "Behind Friendly Lines."

17. The only thing bad about Tom Spellissy is that he is an obnoxious Irish fan - to some people is criminal. I recommend to the judge that he be banned from watching NBC this fall. That would be devastating to him. Stop this nonsense!
Seriously, something is wrong with our judicial system and we should all ban together and fix this.

18. SOCOM workers aren't allowed to speak out on this issue because they are afraid of reprisal.

Update- Finally, the truth is starting to surface! The only conspiracy in this case is General Hennies and General Brown conspiring to get Spellissy out of business.

Judge Overturns Guilty Verdicts In Socom Case
Posted July 06, 2006 at 12:55 PM

By RICHARD LARDNER
of The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - Seeking to avoid a “serious miscarriage of justice,” a federal judge has overturned bribery verdicts against a former U.S. Special Operations Command official and ordered a new trial on wire fraud charges.

The reversal comes less than two months after a jury found retired Army Col. Thomas F. Spellissy and his defense consulting company, Strategic Defense International, guilty of a bribery scheme.

But U.S. District Judge James Whittemore, responding to a post-trial motion by Spellissy’s defense team, said Thursday the government failed to produce sufficient evidence that would have supported the jury’s conclusion.

“I firmly conclude and find a serious miscarriage of justice may have occurred in this case,” said Whittemore, who added that the government’s case was not very strong from the start.

However, the judge let stand a conspiracy conviction against Spellissy. He will be sentenced Aug. 14.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert O’Neill had no comment on the judge’s order.

Spellissy was pleased but reserved afterwards.

“I feel a little bit better than when I walked in here,” he said.

I agree that this is a plain and simple case of "cronyism"! Because Spellissy did what he apparently is somewhat famous for doing, being creative and on the edge, those who stood to loose financially because they weren't as astute did what they always do. This has "movie" written all over it and the book will probably be the script.

It simply doesn't pay to be anything like a hero. They always end "wadded up and thrown away" in the end. Talk about the ultimate abuse. Our history is full of the shameless treatment of those who gave it all for their country.

The only ones who seem to get the most out of it are the ones who can least take advantage of it...because they're dead! Those who benefited wave flags, make parades, give medals and honors to relatives, just to make it look like they really care. The puiblic buys it because it's easier to do that than do something about it.

So much for my sounding off, since I am only one voice in no position or of any influence to help. I'll add my thoughts and voice to any effort to help, but I'm not sure it will be of any use. It's that old thing about picking your fights. Picking on the government is usually a losing proposition. Don't get me started!

This is interesting. Looks like the Feds could be in hot water! Threatening a witness???

Bribery witness charged with perjury
A defense contractor, cooperating with the government, changed his story on the stand.

By CARRIE WEIMAR

Published October 11, 2006

TAMPA - The star witness in the bribery trial of a retired Army colonel was indicted Tuesday on federal charges of lying under oath.
William Burke, 50, a private defense contractor assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, was charged with making a false declaration before a court. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Burke told a federal judge last year he accepted $4,500 from defense consultant Tom Spellissy to give preferential treatment to his clients in the defense industry, according to court records. Spellissy was in charge of helping to arm special operations forces at SOCom before he retired in January 2005.
In exchange for his cooperation with federal officials, Burke was sentenced to probation. He faced up to 15 years in prison.
Spellissy subsequently was charged with five counts, including wire fraud, bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
During Spellissy's trial in May, Burke changed his story, saying they did nothing illegal.
"I don't think we ever had a direct conversation about preferential treatment," Burke testified.
Burke said he felt pressured by federal agents into pleading guilty. At one point, Burke said an agent told him, "We know where you live and we know where your family lives."
Despite Burke's recantation, a jury found Spellissy guilty of two counts each of bribery and wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy.
Two months later, U.S. District Judge James Whittemore threw out most of the jury's verdict, calling it a "serious miscarriage of justice."
He dismissed the bribery charges and ordered a new trial for the wire fraud charges.
Spellissy was sentenced to 15 months in prison on the remaining conspiracy charge.
In a July interview with the St. Petersburg Times after the trial, Burke stood by his testimony. "The things I said in the courtroom were facts," he said. "Obviously, what I said p----- off a lot of people."
Burke's lawyer, Daniel Hernandez, did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
Steve Cole, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said Burke's indictment will not affect his plea agreement on the initial bribery charge.
The indictment did not say which of Burke's statements were believed to be false: his plea agreement or his testimony during Spellissy's trial. "Obviously, he's made contradictory statements, and that's why he was charged," Cole said.
Spellissy's lawyer, Pat Doherty, said he was unsure whether Burke's indictment would affect his client's case. He is appealing the conspiracy charge to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Doherty said it was rare for prosecutors to charge one of their own witnesses.
The only example he could name was Mark Fuhrman, the Los Angeles Police Department detective who denied ever using a racial epithet during the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Fuhrman later pleaded no contest to one count of perjury.

The sad thing is that one Irishman, Burke, ratted out another Irishman, Spellissy. I guess it was every man for himself.

Did he rat or did the feds make this up? Did you see this?
Prosecutor:'Truth turned 180 degrees'
By CARRIE WEIMAR
Published January 23, 2007
TAMPA - The case against William Burke is simple, a prosecutor said Monday.
In October 2005, Burke, a former private contractor at U.S. Special Operations Command, pleaded guilty to accepting $4,500 in bribes from retired Army Col. Tom Spellissy. But at Spellissy's trial seven months later, Burke testified he wasn't bribed and denied any wrongdoing.
"Those statements are irreconcilably contradictory, ladies and gentlemen," prosecutor Robert O'Neill said during opening statements to jurors in Burke's trial. "If one is true, the other must be false."
But Burke testified Monday he wasn't lying when he made the contradictory statements. His understanding of the truth changed dramatically after accepting the plea, he said.
"I could not in clear conscience say that a bribery had occurred," Burke said. "I just could not. What I said in the courtroom is the truth."
Burke is charged with making a false declaration before a court. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The prosecution and the defense rested their cases Monday. Closing arguments are scheduled today.
Burke said he never made it a secret that he hoped to work for Spellissy's Clearwater company, Strategic Defense International Inc., after he retired from SOCom. He began moonlighting for the company in November 2004 but stopped two months later when the workload grew too heavy.
Burke said he accepted two payments of $1,500 and $3,000 from Spellissy for his work. In May 2005, Burke was contacted by law enforcement officers who he said told him his involvement with Spellissy's company was illegal. "I was told by the agents it was a bribe," he said. "I never said it was a bribe. They told me."
Burke also said he was threatened by an agent who told him, "We know where you live and we know where your family lives."
Burke said he was confused but went along with law enforcement and signed a plea agreement stating he accepted bribes from Spellissy in exchange for giving his clients in the defense industry preferential treatment. He also agreed to testify at Spellissy's trial for wire fraud, bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Facing 15 years in prison, Burke was sentenced to probation.
But on the witness stand, Burke's story changed. He told jurors the money he received from Spellissy was for his moonlighting work, not a bribe.
"From day one, I said I earned that money," Burke said. "I worked hard for that money."
Despite Burke's recantation, a jury found Spellissy guilty of two counts each of bribery and wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy. Two months later, a federal judge threw out most of the jury's verdict, calling it a "serious miscarriage of justice."
Spellissy was sentenced to 15 months in prison on the remaining conspiracy charge. He has appealed.
During cross-examination, O'Neill asked Burke why he waited until Spellissy's trial to change his story. If his conscience was so troubled, why didn't he tell his lawyer or notify the court?
"I was trying to tell the truth," Burke answered.
"And the truth turned 180 degrees in just a few months?" O'Neill asked.
"I'm sorry, sir," Burke said. "It did. To me, it did."

Burke is telling the truth on the witness stand. Special Agent Calvert lied, why isn't he being charged with perjury? This is a case of a government cover up. Where is the $20 Million General Brown? Where did Ms Kingston go? Here is another article from the trib. Even the press knows that this is BS. The Judge should have thrown out the whole case against Spellissy.

Ex-Socom Contractor Says Agent Threatened Family

By RICHARD LARDNER The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jan 23, 2007

TAMPA - A former defense contractor testified in federal court Monday that he pleaded guilty to a bribery charge after a U.S. law enforcement agent threatened his family and convinced him he had no other legal options.

But a federal prosecutor challenged William E. Burke's version of events, contending he was not coerced into admitting he accepted payments in exchange for preferential treatment.

"You're not a dumb person," Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill said to Burke. "You know what the word 'guilty' means, do you not, sir?"

Burke said he was overwhelmed and confused after a May 2005 meeting with federal authorities, including Robert Calvert, then an agent with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Burke said he did not know the exact purpose of the meeting and did not have an attorney. Calvert quickly became accusatory, said Burke, who also said the agent told him he'd become a pawn in an illegal scheme engineered by retired Army Col. Tom Spellissy.

Burke said at one point Calvert said: "Words to the effect of,'We know where you live, and we know where your family lives.' It was very threatening."

Burke Says He Felt Intimidated
A retired Army lieutenant colonel, Burke said he didn't think he'd committed a crime, but he was intimidated by the pressure applied by Calvert and others.

"Whatever they said to me, it had to be true," he said.

O'Neill asked Burke whether he told anyone about the threat by Calvert. Burke said he told the lawyer he later hired, but no one else.

"So you're life is threatened and you didn't go to anybody?" said O'Neill, who noted there was no transcript or recording of the meeting. "Why didn't you come to me?"

Burke, once assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command, is on trial for making a false statement to the court, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail and $250,000 in fines.

O'Neill said Burke made "irreconcilably contradictory" statements when he pleaded guilty to bribery in October 2005 and then changed his story during the conspiracy trial of Spellissy in May.

Burke's current attorney, Daniel Hernandez, acknowledged the disparity, but said his client made each statement "believing each was true at the time."

Burke received three years of probation for accepting $4,500 in return for steering government contracts to clients of a defense consulting business Spellissy had started.

As part of his plea agreement, Burke agreed to testify against Spellissy. But during the trial Burke said he and Spellissy broke no laws.

Jury Deliberation Could Begin Today
Burke's reversal ultimately undermined the prosecution's case against Spellissy, who ran one of the command's most important acquisition offices before retiring from the military Jan. 1, 2005.

Burke said he received money from Spellissy but that the payments were for legitimate moonlighting work.

The jury didn't buy his story, finding Spellissy guilty of conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud. But U.S. District Judge James Whittemore overturned the bribery conviction and ordered a new trial on the wire fraud charges.

Whittemore, who said the prosecution's case was weak without Burke's testimony, let the conspiracy conviction stand. In August, he sentenced Spellissy to 15 months in prison and fined him $125,000.

Spellissy has appealed the conspiracy conviction.

Jurors are expected to begin deliberating the false statement charge against Burke today.

The rumor is that the government asked for a 30 day extension to respond to Spellissy's appeal. Does any one have a copy of it? I couldn't find it in court system.

I heard General Brown is finally retiring. It's about time. What a double standard guy he is. I have followed this story and am still in total disbelief at the outcome. I do believe that there is a cover-up in play at SOCOM. My understanding is that Spellissy and Brown didn't see eye to eye on a few things. It's amazing how a retired general can have so much influence to go after his new competitor.

I have personally known Col. Thomas Spellissy for over 25 years and he was my commander at one time. He is the most honorable and decent man I've met. As a Detective in the Police Department in my town, I have first hand knowledge that some people can be coierce into giving a false statement to attempt to convict your target. Col. Spellissy hang in there, Justice will prevail. It never fails!!! Remember A-Btry 94FA always Rocks....

I have never met tom spellissy however,I have followed this case with great intrest. my own father was named thomas spellissy. and his parents were from,the town of ennis in county clare,ireland. the name goes back over 400 hundred years in the town of ennis.I would just like to tell you that we are thinking of you and your family. as a spellissy I would like to thank you for your outstanding service to our country.there is that old saying,what goes around comes around. some dayI hope to meet you, I would love to have a beer with you. who knows maybe in IRELAND. Sincerly Bernie Spellissy

More news!
Ex-Socom Contractor Avoids Jail Over False Statement
By RICHARD LARDNER The Tampa Tribune
Published: Apr 21, 2007
TAMPA - Under normal circumstances, William E. Burke would not have wanted his fate to be in the hands of U.S. District Court Judge James Moody, a jurist who'll tell you no one's tougher on liars.
In fact, Moody did just that in his courtroom Friday.
"I'm harder than anyone in this courthouse on people who don't tell the truth," he informed Burke, a former defense contractor, and Daniel Hernandez, Burke's attorney.
Nonetheless, Moody declined to send Burke to jail after a jury found Burke guilty in January of making a false statement. Federal prosecutors had recommended Burke spend between 33 and 41 months in prison.
Moody called the proposed sentence an "unreasonable punishment" and also questioned the guilty verdict, although he did not overturn it.
Burke, once assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command, received 36 months' probation, six months of which will be spent in house detention.
In addition to sparing Burke more than three years behind bars, Moody became the second judge to critically examine jury verdicts in a local bribery case that ensnared Burke and Tom Spellissy, a retired Army officer who once ran one of Socom's most important acquisition offices.
According to government attorneys, after Spellissy left Socom, he formed a defense consulting business in Clearwater. In late 2004 and early 2005, Spellissy paid $4,500 to Burke, who used his position at the command to favor clients of Spellissy's seeking to do business with Socom, the government said.
In January 2006, Burke was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to bribery. Prosecutors recommended the lighter sentence because Burke agreed to testify against Spellissy.
However, during Spellissy's trial in May 2006 on bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud charges, Burke reversed his story, saying he was not bribed by Spellissy.
Instead, Burke said the $4,500 was for legitimate moonlighting work he did for Spellissy's consulting company.
Burke also testified that he signed the plea agreement because he felt threatened by overzealous federal agents. But after much "soul searching," Burke told the court, he was certain he and Spellissy had done nothing wrong.
While a jury would find Spellissy guilty on all counts, U.S. District Judge James Whittemore later overturned the bribery conviction and ordered a new trial on the wire fraud charges.
Whittemore, who said the prosecution's case suffered because of Burke's altered testimony, let the conspiracy conviction stand. In August, he sentenced Spellissy to 15 months in prison and fined him $125,000.
Spellissy is appealing the conspiracy conviction.
In October, Burke was indicted for making false statements.
During a brief trial held in late January in Moody's courtroom, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill said his plea agreement and trial testimony, both given under oath, were "irreconcilably contradictory." A jury of six men and six women agreed.
Friday, O'Neill and Hernandez returned to well-worn themes.
Hernandez acknowledged the disparity in his client's statements, but argued the shift was the product of incorrect claims made by federal agents investigating the case.
Burke "became more aware of information that led him to a different conclusion," Hernandez told Moody. "He tried to explain himself as best he could."
Before O'Neill responded, Moody said that if Burke's false statement trial had been a nonjury proceeding, he would have found him not guilty.
Moody said he failed to see the "great conspiracy." While Burke's accounts varied, the "underlying facts" in each didn't change, the judge added.
O'Neill said Burke had planned all along to "torpedo" the government's case against Spellissy, whom O'Neill previously had referred to as Burke's "benefactor."
"I was born at night," O'Neill said, "but not last night."

Tom Spellissy is one of the best guys I have ever met. He is a role model for our children. No one in Clearwater has a bad thing to say about him. He gives so much of his time to the youth in our community. I don't believe any of this. Why is this happening to an honorable man? Because of a few dishonest and selfish Generals. Shame on them.

I also fail to see the "great conspiracy." I clearly see a bunch of greedy generals trying to knock Spellissy out of business. The truth is on the table and hopefully the Appellate Court will recognize this. Spellissy is a fighter and I am sure they will really regret going after him when he is acquitted. By the way aren't these the same generals who lied about Tillman, lied to get a search warrant to get into Spellissy's house, left guys on a mountain in Afghanistan to die and are under investigation for abuses of power for rigging contracts.

I actually saw Spellissy yesterday, he didn't say much about the appeal. I did learn that his appeal hearing is set for September 11, 2007 in Jacksonville, FL. How ironic, 9/11! It surely will be a "fire fight" in Jacksonville. His appeal very strong, after all it should be because there was no crime. I can't believe how the Feds can get away without telling the truth.

I have been following this case since the beginning. Every couple of weeks I look for any new news. I served with Tom in the mid 80's. He is a true American. I pray that the wheels of justice are true and Tom is found not guilty.

I've known Spellissy personally for quite a long time and he is one of the reasons I joined the military. I've been in the Coast Guard for 3 years, 11 months and 5 days. I spent 13 months in the middle east, and have been a spokesman and public affairs specialist in Miami for the Coast Guard's Seventh District for almost two years now.
Col. Tom is a hero, and I'd be willing to put all of my credibility on the line for him. He exeplifies every attribute of Honor, Respect, Trustworthiness and Devotion to Duty. It is a shame someone is out to use him as a scapegoat, and it makes me sick to my stomach to know something like this can happen to such an honorable person who spent so much time dedicating his life to this country.
Col. Tom,
If you need anything, including someone to handle PR for you, let me know. It would be an honor, and I'd be willing to help out in any way possible.
Your Gator Friend,
James P. Judge Jr.

The issue in this case is obvious, Tom Spellissy stood up to a four star general while properly executing his duties as the PEO for Special Programs. Spellissy chose to retire, which is the right thing to do if you continually disagree with your boss. A retired Major General-2 star, friend of the four star general who ran USSOCOM goes after Spellissy after he wins a contract in the private sector. Why didn't this 2 star general go after Spellissy when he was on active duty. The reason he didn't was because Spellissy ran his office so well that nobody could challenge him - just ask anyone in Industry or at USSOCOM. If anything were needed in the field; Spellissy would get it there, expeditiously and legally. How does this retired 2 star general get to use the Department of Defense assests to after him? Because he is personal friends with the 4 star. Isn't this a case of abuse of power. Hopefully, they will see this in Atlanta. Spellissy (even as a civilian) sitting on the side lines for the last two years is a dis-service to our soldiers serving in combat. The best thing that could of happened to Picatinny Arsenal was to hire Spellissy. He surely would of made a difference.

Corporate mentality, the "last guy fired or quits gets the blame".

Go to this website for good information on this subject.
http://www.netring.com/forum/forum_posts.asp...