Re: Mo on TV??? TRIAL POSTPONED AGAIN to Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, 2007
http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_6189137?nclick_check=1
Linda Davis of the Contra Costa Times is doing an excellent job following this case. His trial has been postponed 3 times now. Anyone want to call Linda and give an interivew? He should have to register as a sex offender on the Megan's Law website. M.W. is a low-life child molester!
Went down like a crybaby and that was enough to make me laugh
out loud in an otherwise horrible situation.
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Wolin court date postponed again
By Linda Davis
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Article Launched: 06/20/2007 06:08:22 PM PDT
Once again, the court date for Piedmont oncologist-researcher Maurice Wolin has been postponed.
Wolin, 49, is accused of attempting lewd behavior on a minor. He and 28 other Bay Area men were arrested in a sex-sting operation last August at a Petaluma house. The men are accused of propositioning girls on the Internet, then going to a house to have an intimate "date" with an underage girl.
The "girls" at the house were young-looking actresses; the girls on the Internet were police decoys.
The men were all arrested shortly after they arrived at the house.
Wolin's preliminary hearing set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa is now scheduled for Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, a Sonoma County District Attorney spokeswoman said. Prosecutors on June 13 filed a motion for continuance because a key witness was unavailable, the spokeswoman said.
The hearing is expected to be in Dept. 14. At the hearing, witnesses will provide testimony or evidence in open court. Judge Raima Ballinger will then decide if there is enough evidence to go to trial.
Wolin's court dates have been postponed numerous times, due to the illness of the judge, of the defense attorney and other reasons. Wolin's Southern California attorney Blair Berk, who also represents numerous Hollywood celebrities, had no comments on the case this week.
Wolin and the others' actions were caught on tape on NBC Dateline's "Catch a Predator" show, which has aired several times.
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The sting operation was coordinated by the Petaluma and Santa Rosa police, Sonoma County Sheriff's, and Perverted Justice, a nationwide organization that monitors online chat rooms and Web sites.
Wolin's case has captured worldwide attention on chat rooms and blogs, with comments from India, Belgium, the Netherlands and around the country. Some writers feel no mercy, while others sympathize with the doctor's family. One person writes: "Dr. Wolin helped cure me of leukemia at UCLA Medical Center some 16 years ago. . . .It is indeed sad that such has befallen him. I cannot make excuses for him, but as far as I am concerned, this man is a good man."
As a result of the charges, Wolin was banned from practicing medicine as of Nov. 29 by the state medical board, by court order. He has worked as a cancer researcher and oncologist in Southern California, the Bay Area and elsewhere.
Joan Risse, chief Sonoma County deputy district attorney, said 13 defendant's cases have been settled out of the 29. Those who pled guilty to attempting to commit a lewd and lascivious act upon a child under age 14, a felony, are: Norbert Avalos, Juan Carlos Gutierrez, Henry Guzman, Aminder Singh, Valkunth Soundararajan, Jonathan Stemen, Michael Vestal and Gopichand Pai.
Steven Cartlidge and Wai Kit Cheuk both pled to an attempt to annoy or molest a child, a misdemeanor that can bring up to one year in jail, Risse said. Jaime Mendieta pled to attempted sexual battery, a misdemeanor. The cities of residence of the men were not available.
Mohammed Aksoum of Walnut Creek entered a no-contest plea to the same charges as Wolin, was given formal probation and nine months in jail. Marine Sgt. Yancy Wallace was released to the custody of the U.S. Marines where he will face court-martial proceedings. One suspect, Pulkit Mathur, is at large with a $50,000 warrant outstanding. Those convicted must register as sex offenders.
The other 16 cases are set for jury trials or preliminary hearings. Risse said the cases are assigned by alphabet to various courtrooms where, for a variety of factors, some cases are resolved quicker than others.
Reach Linda Davis at
ldavis@cctimes.com or at 510-748-1686.