Why Casey Pleaded Guilty to Fraud

I remember growing up in the distant past when tobacco companies were allowed to ply their goods in magazine ads and on television commercials. Men sometimes dressed as doctors and wore those funny looking reflector things on their heads. They preached about how much more healthful, flavorful and wholesome “their” brand was over all the others. Of course, in real life, they were not doctors at all. They were models and actors waiting for their big break into show biz. Three years before Magnum, P.I. debuted in 1980, Tom Selleck showed his pearly whites on Close·Up toothpaste commercials and billboards, but did he really use the stuff? I doubt it.

Just like those people, I am not a real attorney, and I’m not paid to act like one, either. All I can offer you is information - and my opinion - on why Casey Anthony pleaded guilty to all 13 third-degree felony fraud charges on January 25 of this year.

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Without any legal razzle-dazzle or plea bargaining mumbo-jumbo, let’s face the music. Casey was guilty as charged - guilty of all charges, to boot - and I couldn’t see Judge Strickland tossing any of them because, technically, each one was separate and he explained why, by law, he couldn’t have really dropped them anyway. I guess one way to explain why is like this: Suppose I went into a store and shot someone, left, came back later in the day and shot someone else. That’s two crimes and I would be charged so. In the end, the judge accepted her guilty pleas on six of them and withheld adjudication on seven. She threw herself at the mercy of the court and she came out a convicted felon, but ultimately, she was given no more time behind bars.

Why did she plead this way?

I have information I will share with you, but first, let’s take a look at what she was up against before being brought into the courthouse. The most important thing to keep in mind is what got her to the Orange County Jail to begin with - first-degree murder, along with other charges. When faced with something of that size, what’s a few felonies under her belt? Personally, I think the defense risked it all and I think it was the right call. Aside from any appeals, which she would lose had she gone a different route, she took her chances with a well-respected judge; one with a very fair track record. The Honorable Stan Strickland is not a hanging judge and odds were, he was going to mete out some fair medicine, certainly after she swallowed all 13 bitter pills. And you know what? She was right. Here is what I wrote on my The Wisdom of Solomon post:

Judge Strickland gave the defense an opportunity to challenge the charges. We can discuss the lack of brevity or the levity of the arguments, but let’s cut to the chase – it came down to the judge. First, it should be noted that Casey had no prior convictions and she did make full restitution and  Baez did bring up “equal justice” for his client. He asked for one year of probation and credit for time served, rather than the five years of incarceration the State sought. In the end, His Honor sentenced the 23-year-old Casey to (jail) time served – 412 days – plus $5,517.75 in investigative costs and $348 for court. The amount may be discussed and negotiated at a later motion hearing because the defense found the investigative charge too high and not justifiable. He also adjudicated Casey guilty on six of the fraud counts and withheld adjudication on seven, plus he tacked on a year of supervised probation, which could be problematic and complex later on, given that she still faces a huge mountain of charges ahead. He said that he had given this a lot of thought prior to sentencing.

Suppose Casey had fought the fraud charges tooth and nail? The State would have fought back, too, and with a vengeance. In the end, Casey would have been found guilty of most, if not all, charges, and the judge would not have been as lenient. Conceivably, he could have sentenced her to 65 years behind bars. Granted, I doubt if he would have been that harsh, but it would have been a lot more than time spent. So what, you may ask, since she’s facing death or life without parole. I fervently believe the defense is going for the gusto. They are betting all the marbles at once and the grand prize is freedom. Consequently, the defense is not planning on working out any sort of plea agreement with the State of Florida, so you might as well give up on that fantasy. Besides, the State has no intention of offering one.

Please understand I am not implying that Casey is innocent of anything when I say this, but the defense strategy is quite simple. Baez & Co. firmly believe Casey will be acquitted of murder and she will walk out of jail a free woman. If not, what difference does a fraud conviction make? She’d be stuck in prison anyway. Shocking? Yes, but this explains the guilty pleas last month - time served and a year of probation. So what she’s a convicted felon if she beats the murder rap? Does anyone really believe for a second that it would hinder her in the future if she’s released? What future? Who would hire the tot mom? The bar down the road with dancing poles? Personally, I’d take a half-dozen fraud convictions over murder any day of the week, but in her case, she’s forever damaged goods regardless of the outcome.

Now we come down to precisely why she did what she did in that courtroom. Yes, surveillance cameras caught her, but there’s something more. What the public is not aware of is that Casey gave a written confession long before she pleaded guilty. The state had that confession months and months ago and it would have been downright impossible to defend against, even if Johnnie Cochran came back from the dead to represent her, no disrespect intended.

The Nitty Gritty

I don’t know if the name William Casterline means anything to you, but OCSO was aware of him when I contacted one of the investigators about one month ago. By being aware, I do not mean that in a bad way at all. He’s not suspected of any wrongdoing, so don’t bother working up an angle like that. Casterline is from Ohio, the same state as Casey, but how they got to know each other is anyone’s guess. According to his MySpace page, he’s got just over 19,000 friends. My notion is he’s got to be one busy and popular dude. And he and Casey knew each other well enough to communicate, as you will see.

Will is also a member of the Let Casey Out Of Jail - She Is Innocent fan club on Facebook, of which there are only 16 members. Look, everyone has a right to their opinion and in the eyes of the law, Casey is still innocent. Please don’t take this as any sort of license to bash the guy. The focus is not on him. He’s in Ohio and they may be old friends. The curious thing is, Toledo, where he lives, is over 150 miles away from Warren, where Casey’s from. In any event, his goal, according to his MySpace page, is “to become a legalized defender of the public.” This is written in BLURBS: About Me:, just above his FRIEND SPACE.

Also written there are these possibly telling words: “im [I’m] not on here much do [due] to the fact of putting up with drama for a year and a half…” Whether this refers to Casey or not is anyone’s guess, but it’s interesting to note that he had his old Myspace page removed and signed up for this one on December 28, 2009, almost a year-and-a-half after Casey was arrested.

Here is where it gets very interesting, folks. I received information from a very reliable source that contained text messages Casey purportedly sent to Will Casterline via MySpace and phone. Can I verify this? No, but once again, I stand behind my source and I have credible information that backs this up, including Casterline’s personal e-mail address. Following are some of the messages Casey sent. Please note, these are her messages, except for one from him. The last one is the telling one, the one prosecutors had with them when they went to court January 25th. No wonder Casey pleaded guilty to all charges.

By the way, if you click on “CASEY” just below this image, it will take you to her official MySpace page, last signed in on October 13, 2008. Her mood on that day was focused . When October 13 turned to midnight, it became the 14th, but she was already signed in…

CASEY

Oct 14, 2008 12:00 AM

hey will haha your song is quite awesome. how’s everything? tomorrow is the day? i go in front of the grand jury. wish me luck and i’ll be keeping my head up.
if it wasnt for you guys having this positive outcome for me i would of been worse off than i’am.

Oct 11, 2008 6:09 PM

HEY WILL, WHATS UP HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? NOTHING MUCH HERE. YOUR DEFAULT IS ROCKIN AND I WAS WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU….
WELLHOPE YOUR DOING GOOD.

I LET YOU KNOW ON WHATS GOING ON

Sep 30, 2008 1:05 AM

i will definatley let you know.
have a great night and thanks for thinking about me.

just wanna tell you that your such a great friend through all of this. your the one that truley understands what im going through. you will be my friend til the end. who cares about what those pathetic people that admires me. were gonna keep are heads up and were gonna bring caylee home. everybody out for the worst and i cant wait to prove them wrong.
love ya will your the best!!!!!!1

————————- Original Message ————————-
From: will casterline
Date: Oct 8, 2008 10:36 PM

i always will casey and if you do go to prison i swear i wont stop until i somehow clear your name

————————- Original Message ————————-
From: CASEY
Date: Oct 9, 2008 1:33 AM

i know….
i stole but that was a mistake that i could say im guilty of…
whe you said on my page that i was your best friend and to back off. that was pretty much awesome for you to say that. somebody cares enough to back me up is quite a charm. thanks

In the end, I believe the reason we, the public, didn’t see any of this in discovery is because the defense never requested it.