Reba McEntire asks judge for leniency in friend's conspiracy case

[BlueJessamine]

Source: The Tennessean

McALESTER, Okla. — Country music superstar Reba McEntire is among dozens of people asking a federal judge to show leniency to a Kiowa, Okla., businessman scheduled to be sentenced this week.

McEntire is one of 46 people who wrote a letter or affidavit to U.S. District Judge Ronald White on behalf of Steve Phipps. Phipps pleaded guilty in 2007 to a federal conspiracy charge and goes to U.S. District Court in Muskogee today for sentencing.

Phipps acknowledged that he paid three legislators kickbacks in return for their efforts to steer state taxpayer money toward his companies.

McEntire, who grew up with Phipps in southeast Oklahoma, wrote that she and Phipps have been close friends since grade school and that his son is completing an internship with her Nashville-based company, Starstruck.


Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090527/BUSINESS01/905270390/Reba+McEntire+asks+judge+for+leniency+in+friend+s+conspiracy+case

---

snip

Federal prosecutors also want leniency for Phipps, who could face up to five years in a federal prison. Last week, U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling credited Phipps with helping to break a "code of silence" in a federal probe into political corruption in southeast Oklahoma.

[sazemisery]

1. Southeast Oklahoma is refered to as "Little Dixie".

Southerners settled SE Oklahoma and they are a clanish bunch. Their politics have been rough and tumble since statehood.

[texastoast]

6. Lots of Choctaw there too

And the whites, many from Tennessee, intermarried. It never behooved anyone to acknowledge how much Indian you were. The more Indian, the worse the treatment. You just didn't talk about it until the last 30-40 years or so. Funny how most of the infrastructure improvements were brought about through efforts of the BIA.

[Kalyke]

16. Hmmm.... I'm Southern and not a bit clanish.

I'm guessing that's some more broad-brushing about the South from bigoted DUers who think it's not OK to stereotype anyone EXCEPT Southerners and UAW members.

:shrug:

I'm not sure what that has to do with the story. Character witnesses are common all over the country and used by judges for mitigating factors.

[mmonk]

2. Who cares what cross eyed Reba thinks?

[Sultana]

4. LOL, I nearly choked on my shredded wheat

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[mmonk]

15. Be sure not to think about it at lunch.

;-)

[BonnieJW]

5. I can't stand her. nt

[skiddlybop]

9. She was a bitch to the Dixie Chicks

as if piling on them was going to make her less over-the-hill.

[dae]

14. I thought she still was!?! nt

[mmonk]

17. That's why I posted what I did.

[onehandle]

10. Word. nt

[ejpoeta]

3. whoever his friends are, if he bribed legislators to get taxpayer dollars

then he should get what he deserves.... jail. did the legislators get in trouble too? obviously they must have accepted those bribes. is she and all these others vouching for the legislators too?

[texastoast]

7. So he ratted out everyone once he was caught?

Good. Too bad he wasn't man enough to do the right thing before. Guess the gravy train won't be stopping for him anymore.

[rocktivity]

8. Phipps acknowledged that he paid three legislators kickbacks

in return for their efforts to steer state taxpayer money toward his companies...
In the immortal words of Dick Cheney--so? He bribed people in charge of looking out for the public interest to meet his own selfish greedy ends. He deserves no mercy.

McEntire, who grew up with Phipps in southeast Oklahoma, wrote that she and Phipps have been close friends since grade school and that his son is completing an internship with her Nashville-based company, Starstruck.
That makes her the least objective judge of his character, not the most!

Federal prosecutors also want leniency for Phipps...U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling credited Phipps with helping to break a "code of silence" in a federal probe into political corruption in southeast Oklahoma.
Those prosecutors got some extra padding in their resumes--that should be reward enough for Phipps.

Throw the book at him!

:mad:
rocktivity

[AllyCat]

11. Oh well, if Reba thinks he should be given a light sentence then so should we

I mean, why should this man suffer for bilking people out of tax money when his son is in her little club?

[Strawman]

12. In that case, fry him

[hatrack]

13. So what?

And no, I wouldn't care if it were Vanessa Redgrave, or Diddy, or Oprah, or Brad Pitt making the same request.

He's a crook, and the fact that Reba spent quality time with him back in fourth grade cuts zero ice.

[lpbk2713]

18. Call in Lee Greenwood to sing while the verdict is being considered.

:sarcasm: