Posted by Anthony on August 05, 2003 at 18:37:50:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Jazz Transcription site (yes! Free!) posted by Joe Baker on August 05, 2003 at 09:07:29:
This ordeal has been a nightmare for me, but I know I am not the only one who was inconvenienced, so I will respectfully honour your request.
I have sold many items on this board, and advertised even more that did not sell. NONE of said items were stolen. One item happened to be the same make and model of an instrument that was reported missing from my university, a very unfortunate coincidence for me- especially considering I was selling the item for a friend to which I had sold the horn a year earlier. My friend still retains posession of said item. Det. Bergson conducted a very aggressive investigation during which a warrant was served on my place of residence, and all musical items were seized- roughly $2500 worth, despite the "$10,000 - $20,000" claim.
Of the items seized from my apartment, some were mine and others were owned by my University. What I confessed to was having university property, and having sold musical instruments over the internet, not to selling stolen goods over the internet(and I was thusly not charged with such). I had no legal counsel at the time I gave my statement, and was unaware of the semantical significance. I am also a non native English speaker, and a foreign citizen. Detective Bergson was only doing his job, and it is not up to me to comment on the manner in which the investigation was conducted. He worked under the assumption that I was a common thief, and did his job the only way he knew how. At the time he posted on this BBS(the day after the raid on my residence), the ownership of the items seized from my apartment had not yet been established. I do not hold a grudge against Mr. Bergson, and wish him the best in his current political campaign.
The legal proceedings that followed were a nightmare for me, as I have never had so much as a speeding ticket in my life, and I was raised a Baha'i, so my integrity and reputation are two things that I take VERY seriously. I was charged with misdermeanor theft of one item from my University, a sousaphone for which I had not filed the appropriate paperwork to bring home. I entered a plea of no contest in cooperation with an arrangement made with the D.A., and accepted full responsibility for my actions.
The items seized from my apartment still have not been returned to me, despite the fact that the D.A. has closed the book on this case. Fortunately for me, my tubas(piggy, an eefer, and my 20j "electric" tuba) were not in my residence at the time this took place, but my bass(which is my primary instrument), my laptop, and a couple of items which I had sold and already received payment for are still locked in a warehouse in Superior, WI(my current residence is in New York). I have been assured of their eventual return.
This will be my only public post on this subject, and I would appreciate that it would receive no public replies. If anyone wishes to discuss it further, I have left my email address on all of my BBS postings, and my telephone number can be found below. I am willing to privately provide the telephone number of both my attourney and the Superior District Attorney who handled my case, to anyone who feels it necessary.
Again, I would very much appreciate that there be no public replies to this message, either critical or supportive. I thank those who have offered me their support and criticism in the past, and even moreso those who, like me, are willing to leave it there.
Sincerely,
Anthony Labelle
(315)451-2171
e-mail.