Former head of OSC Scott Bloch gets off scott-free
By Julia Davis, LA Homeland Security Examiner
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Hundreds of whistleblowers betrayed by the disgraced former head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), Scott Bloch, were conflicted about his recently imposed 30-day prison sentence. It was too light of a punishment, but it seemed better than nothing. However, aided and abetted by government prosecutors and a federal judge, Bloch managed to avoid serving any part of that sentence. On August 3, 2011, Chief U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth allowed Bloch to withdraw his guilty plea.

Bloch tried this tactic before, but his motion was denied by U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson. Determined not to serve a day in prison, Bloch appealed and got his wish. Getting away with crimes is easy when your victims are whistleblowers. The system is mainly indifferent to the plight of truth-tellers, whose lives and careers were wrecked because of Bloch’s actions as the former head of the OSC.

Shafting justice is easy when prosecutors are on your side. Throughout this case, U.S. Attorneys were playing for the wrong team. They’ve colluded with Bloch’s counsel and supported his motions. To make sure he got away scott-free, prosecutors have failed to properly charge him. Bloch was prosecuted only for one count of criminal contempt of Congress - a misdemeanor. He should have been charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence. DOJ prosecutors have labored together with Bloch’s defense attorneys to ensure that he gets no prison time. They’ve also supported Bloch’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea.

To accomplish his goal, Bloch claimed that he “didn’t understand” that his guilty plea carried a minimum prison sentence. Needless to say, Bloch is an attorney. He knew or should have researched the legal consequences of his plea.

The same reasoning didn’t work for award-winning film director John McTiernan. When he wanted to withdraw his guilty plea, prosecutors vehemently opposed his motion. The Judge ruled, “McTiernan seeks to withdraw his plea because the government has asked for a custodial sentence…[t]his is unquestionably not valid grounds to grant permission to withdraw a plea.”

Apparently, the same set of rules doesn’t apply to Scott Bloch. A totally different approach to his case makes perfect sense. Since whistleblowers are considered enemies of the establishment, their antagonists are coddled, encouraged and protected. Their mock prosecutions, financed by American taxpayers, serve to appease the gullible crowds. Initial publicity generated by the filing of the charges creates an impression that the wrongdoers are being held accountable. The interest of public and media gradually fades, extinguished by the flood of postponements and the distraction of newer scandals.

Not much is surprising about the way this case is going. Whistleblowers got what they usually get in courts: dashed hopes, lack of accountability for the perpetrators and pretentious legal wrangling that, in the end, amounts to absolutely nothing.

Julia Davis -- Red County Contributor

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