8 posts tagged “daniel b. honigman”
John Coté, Matt Bigelow, Daniel B. Honigman, Special to The Chronicle
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Fugitive political fundraiser Norman Hsu was behaving erratically as he fled the Bay Area on Amtrak’s California Zephyr, at one point stripping off his shirt and shoes, before paramedics were called to take him off the train in western Colorado, passengers said Friday.
Hsu, 56, on the run for the second time from a 1992 grand theft conviction in San Mateo County, was arrested Thursday after the paramedics took him to a hospital from the train station in Grand Junction, Colo. A spokesman at St. Mary’s Hospital said Friday night that Hsu was in fair condition but would not say what was wrong with him.
Hsu boarded the train in Emeryville about 7 a.m. Wednesday, Amtrak said, two hours before he was to have appeared in a Redwood City courtroom in connection with his grand theft conviction. He had touched down earlier that morning on a charter jet flight to Oakland, his lawyer told prosecutors. Amtrak said he boarded the Zephyr with a ticket for Denver.
Passengers interviewed Friday when the Zephyr reached its final destination of Chicago said it appeared that something was wrong with Hsu.
Alberto Dee, 21, who boarded the train in Truckee, said Hsu “freaked out” when Amtrak personnel approached, and was roaming a train car “without shoes and no shirt. … I thought he had a suitcase full of crack or meth.”
Another passenger disembarking in Chicago, who declined to give his name, said Hsu appeared disoriented and was having trouble opening a door on the train. Several other passengers said they were told Hsu was behaving oddly but did not witness it themselves.
Hsu’s attorney, Jim Brosnahan, said Friday, “a great many friends of Norman Hsu have expressed concern about his mental health and physical well-being” since he disappeared. Paramedics were called to the Grand Junction station about 10 minutes after the Zephyr pulled in Thursday at 11:05 a.m. with “a request for a backboard to assist someone who had fallen on the train,” said Mike Page, a spokesman for the Grand Junction Fire Department.
Paramedics helped Hsu off the train and took him to St. Mary’s Hospital. “He was assessed on the train but was able to get off the train on his own with assistance,” Page said, adding that the backboard ultimately was not needed.
Dan Roberts, 57, a furniture maker from Grand Junction, said Hsu had been sitting up on a stretcher on the station platform and appeared to be moving.
“We just figured he had a heart attack or something,” said his wife, Cheryl Roberts, 52, a nurse.
Federal agents arrested Hsu at St. Mary’s Hospital about 7 p.m. Thursday. Hospital officials would not say how authorities had been alerted that Hsu was there.
Brosnahan said he was “pleased and relieved” that Hsu was now being cared for at the hospital. “We will be getting him the best medical care available.”
“The strain he has been under during the last week has been enormous and, perhaps, unbearable,” Brosnahan said in a prepared statement.
On Wednesday, after Hsu failed to show up for his court hearing, Brosnahan said he was concerned about his client. But when asked whether Hsu posed a danger to himself, Brosnahan replied, “I have no basis for that speculation.”
Hsu was under armed guard at the hospital on federal charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. California Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office sought federal authorities’ help after Hsu failed to appear at Wednesday’s hearing to surrender his passport.
Hsu had been a fugitive for 15 years since skipping his sentencing on the grand theft conviction, transforming himself during that time into one of the Democratic Party’s more prolific donors.
The federal charges will be dropped once Hsu is returned to California to face sentencing in state court in the grand theft case, FBI spokesman Joseph Schadler said. A timetable for his return to California has not been established.
Hsu was facing up to three years in state prison and restitution payments after pleading no contest to a single count of grand theft in 1992 in what prosecutors described as a $1 million fraud scheme involving the supposed resale of latex gloves.
In fact, prosecutors said, Hsu was running a Ponzi scheme, in which early investors get returns on their money through funds that subsequent investors put in, and the later investors lose their shirts.
After he fled sentencing in San Mateo County, Hsu appears to have spent time in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan, before emerging in recent years as a New Yorker who donated generously to Democratic political campaigns, regularly attended fundraisers and was photographed with party leaders.
Hsu has given an estimated $600,000 to Democratic political campaigns since 2003, money that many candidates are now pledging to donate to charity.
Hsu surrendered to San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies last week after press accounts linked him to the grand theft case. He spent a few hours in county jail before posting $2 million bail and agreeing to relinquish his passport.
After Hsu failed to show up in court Wednesday, a judge issued a no-bail warrant for his arrest.
Chronicle correspondents Matt Bigelow and Daniel B. Honigman reported from Chicago, and staff writer John Coté reported from San Francisco. E-mail John Coté at jcote@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
By Daniel B. Honigman
Rating 2 (out of 5)
Beatnuts founding members Psycho Les and Al Tariq, along with Missin’ Linx member Problemz must enjoy each other’s company. It’s been almost 15 years since "Intoxicated Demons" was released and almost a decade since the three have worked under the same banner. Still, they comprise Big City and they’re embarking on something of a reunion tour.
Thing is – is anyone listening?
"The City Never Sleeps" (Nature Sounds), is Big City’s first album together. If you already like the ‘Nuts, you may be happy with this latest offering. Then again, it may just make you sad. If you’re not a fan, maybe you should check out Intoxicated Demons or "Street Level" first. Don’t get me wrong; the Beatnuts’ old swagger is still there. Les’ production skills are there, in theory. But it’s clear there’s some old dust they need to shake off, cause it is basically a shell of their former sound.
The album has a couple of redeeming joints, though. Stickem Up is an energetic track featuring an equally strong hook from the always reliable Greg Nice. In D.J. Famalam, Problemz’ lyrics catch fire in what is one of the nicest verses I’ve heard in a minute; “Act like you know the name/Caught a flat on the road to fame/Now back hitting switches/Made a detour to get some digits/On the road to the riches.” One of the album’s high points, this track is in stark contrast to the next song, Milf, which is about…well, you know. “You know I can’t wife ya/but I really like ya/and I want to pipe ya”. (‘Nuff said.)
Big horns and cowbells give Chedda a bouncy feel, making it a fairly decent club track. But there are a few missteps on this album. On Boy and Running Around, Les uses two flute loops that, instead of giving the songs momentum, make them sound stagnant. Lick Balls features a Houston-influenced, screwed-up beat. (Why they bothered with this, I have no idea.)
Junkyard JuJu was an integral part of the group’s original sound. Sorry, folks, but to leave him off "The City Never Sleeps" should make you wonder what Big City wants to accomplish – other than releasing mediocre hip-hop albums.
Personally, I would have released "The City Never Sleeps EP", cutting the tracklist in half, saving everyone half of their money – or half of their download time. Part of me likes this album, don’t get me wrong. Maybe I like the fact that the original ‘Nuts are still at it, nice to have Les and Fashion rocking together again.
You may like the album after giving it a few listens. But after a good dozen or so spins, don’t be surprised if you find yourself reaching for the “Eject” button.
(This review originally appeared on HipHopDX.com)
Not to be an alarmist, but a ABC7Chicago.com released a story detailing the millions of people who have been displaced over the last several decades. Why? Because the Olympics came to their town.
Kudos to reporter Ben Bradley for bringing this story to light. He doesn’t pull any punches, either. He begins:
“As Chicago looks to host the 2016 Olympic Games, a new study finds that over the last 20 years more than 2 million people have been displaced as a direct result of the Olympics. Many were low-income renters who were forced out when rents soared soon after a city was awarded the Olympics.
If Chicago’s [sic] bid for the 2016 Summer Games is successful, the Olympic stadium and village would be built on the city’s South Side, where some residents wonder how the games would affect their property values and the quality of life.”
Bradley reports that in its preparations for hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing has displaced 1.2 million of its residents. (China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, denies this.) Seoul evicted over 720,000 people to make room for the 1988 Summer Olympics.
“Chicago 2016 will take a balanced approach — working with the community and city and ensuring anywhere the Olympics touch, it will benefit that community,” said Patrick Sandusky, Chicago 2016 spokesman.
We’ll see if the Olympics are coming here in 2009. Until then, we can only wait.
(Originally posted on DanielHonigman.com)
For all of you Apple geeks, your iPhone finally has a release date: June 29.
Hmm, my Motorola Razr v3xx has been freezing lately. Good thing I have a warranty for it. (It's also a good thing I'm on an AT&T plan...)
Check out Kristen Nicole's Mashable.com piece on it here.
I was just checking out some of the sites that have been sending some traffic my way when I saw an interesting addition: The Wall Street Journal.
Listed in my new Google Analytics, I saw that a piece on my site from last week, “IOC says logo fiasco won’t hurt Chicago 2016 bid,” was referenced in the “Related Articles” section after the story. The widget was powered by Sphere, a news blog aggregator.
This helps solidify DanielHonigman.com as the Google #1-ranked blog about the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid and the #4 site overall.
Thanks a lot, Wall Street Journal!
(Originally posted on DanielHonigman.com)
How about this nugget? According to a story in today’s San Jose Mercury News, YouTube will co-sponsor the first of six Democratic Party-sanctioned debates.
Presumably, this will be somehow tied into YouTube’s YouChoose campaign, in which presidential candidates post videos and speak directly to viewers. (Well, maybe an intern or something.)
Word is, says Pete Cashmore in a blog on Mashable.com, that YouTube will also look to sponsor a Republican-sanctioned debate, to keep balance.
If anything, it’ll be interesting to see the community boards on YouTube light up after this debate.
(originally posted on DanielHonigman.com)
Hey guys. I'll still be posting here, but check out my new Web site at danielhonigman.com
I'm going to trademark this term, I think. So-called "green" corporations think of two bottom lines: profits (duh) and its net impact on the environment.
This is also a test of viral blogging. I want to see if this term spreads through the blogosphere. Is it something that gets picked up?
I also want to coin "corporate greenscaping," for companies that eschew existing business models with more eco-savvy models.
Look for these term in your favorite newspapers and magazines VERY soon. (Help me out, people!)
