Thread: Still no charges months after armed raid on Gibson Guitars

Gibson Guitar case drags on with no sign of criminal charges

By John Roberts
FoxNews.com
April 12, 2012

It was seven months ago that federal agents with guns drawn raided the Gibson guitar factories in Nashville and Memphis. A half million dollars worth of Indian rosewood and ebony was seized under the premise that it had been imported illegally. The feds also took a number of guitars and computer hard drives. The factory was shut down for the day and employees told to go home.

Yet after all this time, the Department of Justice has shown no sign that it will file criminal charges against Gibson. What's more - it has been almost 3 years since federal agents first raided Gibson (November 2009), seizing a quantity of wood from Madagascar. No decision on criminal charges in that case either.

Meantime, the DOJ has blocked a civil court case in which Gibson was appealing to get its wood back while the criminal investigation proceeds. Or doesn't.

Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz complains that being in legal limbo with the federal government has had a profound effect on his business.

"While we are waiting to even get charges", he told Fox News, "they have taken very aggressive action that has hurt our company significantly. And we have no recourse at this point."
Some former federal prosecutors contacted by Fox News say it's not unusual for a case - particularly an environmental one - to take a while before a charging decision is made.

Read more here: Gibson Guitar case drags on with no sign of criminal charges | Fox News

What exactly is going on here?

2 1/2 years after armed federal agents first raided Gibson in
November 2009 and going on a year since the last raid, Gibson
Guitars remains in legal limbo and is put at a serious disadvantage
among it's competitors

With its fine wood finger boards confiscated, and unable to
purchase more, Gibson Guitars has been forced to continue
manufacturing using less popular alternative materials, while other
manufacturers continue using the desirable ebony and rosewood.

Raided twice, property seized, and still no charges have been filed
against the company. In fact, the agencies that conducted the raids
have 'no comment'.

Video:

Law Enforcement: Corruption & Abuse Still no charges months after armed raid on Gibson Guitars

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Judge Napolitano Slams DOJ Over Gibson Guitar Raid: ‘Unjustifiable, Use Of Force Was Criminal’

May 31, 2013




Judge Andrew Napolitano told Megyn Kelly on America Live that the issue has resurfaced because “this administration has a penchant for seeking vengeance against those who want to speak out, and the owner of Gibson did so verbally by endorsing Republican candidates and financially by endorsing them as well.”
The judge said he’d like to know who in the Department of Justice gave the okay on the military-style raid. “The raid was unjustifiable. The use of force in the raid was criminal.”
After the government seized Gibson’s wood and effectively shut down their business for a month, the company now has $2.5 million in legal fees. Napolitano noted that Gibson still hasn’t received its wood back, nor have they been compensated for it as federal law requires of seized assets.
“It’s not the same as manufacturing methamphetamine,” he said. “If it was improperly imported, that is a civil wrong. It’s not a criminal one.”

http://libertycrier.com/politics/jud...0055-284711521