law and order
Flotsam & Jetsam
How To Not Go To Jail For Weed
7:10AM Hamilton Nolan | Possession of a small amount of weed in New York is only punishable by a ticket and a small fine. So why do cops bring so many people to jails for the same violation? They use tricknology. More »
ATO And IRS Slip An Extra Paul Hogan Tax Pursuit On The Barbie
1:00PM Clem Bastow | You’ve probably heard that the ATO has been chasing Paul Hogan over alleged tax liabilities over the past few months; well, now they’ve gotten the IRS onboard to attempt to back Hoges into a corner and make him lie down by using the Ridgy Didge hand signal waved in front of his face.
If, like me, “tax time” involves crying whilst sitting in the middle of a mountain of scrunched up receipts, most of the jargon will be just that, but all you really need to know is that Hogan plans to fight back. Presumably with a large hunting knife.
Hogan is the most high-profile target of the $300 million Operation Wickenby investigation into tax fraud and evasion, set up three years ago. Details of several offshore trusts and companies holding $40 million in proceeds from films such as Crocodile Dundee were leaked to the media in 2005, but no action has been taken against Hogan, his artistic collaborator John Cornell or their financial adviser, Tony Stewart, all of whom have denied any wrongdoing.
It is not known why the IRS, acting on behalf of the Australian tax office, issued the summonses in May to City National Bank, HSBC and the Union Bank of California demanding 9 1/2 years’ worth of “account opening documents, signature cards, monthly statements, copies of canceled checks (front and back), deposit slips and all other deposit or withdrawal documents for all transactions that exceed $50,000″.
Hogan’s Australian-based lawyer said yesterday his client regarded the actions by the ATO as an unlawful attempt to obtain irrelevant material.
Thus endeth Defamer Australia’s serious journalism portion of the day’s proceedings.
Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way, all things considered, I think now is as good a time as any to enjoy this re-cut version of the Crocodile Dundee trailer: More » US Prosecutor Lays The Smackdown On ‘Celebrity’ Wayne Carey
10:28AM Clem Bastow | Just when you thought you’d heard the last of the Wayne Carey saga, we’re all reminded that – oh yeah! – he’s still in the midst of a legal battle in the States for that alleged assault in Miami, leaving him on felony charges of battery.
And in bad news for the Troubled™ ex-AFL star, the US prosecutor doesn’t look to be in a particularly sympathetic mood when it comes to Carey’s celebrity standing in his home country.
In venting his frustration, the prosecutor, Matthew Baldwin, pointed to the 11 male and female shackled prisoners in bright orange jail issue jumpsuits sitting at the side of the crowded Miami-Dade County Court room and 18 other defendants, facing a mix of heroin, cocaine, assault and domestic abuse charges, waiting in the public gallery for their cases to be dealt with.
Baldwin told Judge Rosa Rodriguez that Carey might be a celebrity in Australia, but he should not receive special treatment.
“He’s facing felony charges,” Baldwin said.
“The fact he is a celebrity somewhere else doesn’t mean he does not have to appear in court like everybody else in the court room.”
Judge Rosa Rodriguez seconded the calls, noting that Carey must be in the court for his trial, which looks set to take place on October 14th, after being pushed back three times. More » 
