Yuli Gurriel’s “slant-eye” gesture and racist epithet during the World Series requires immediate suspension. Gurriel, playing for the Houston Astros, directed his hateful racist gesture and epithet towards an opposing player, Yu Darvish, who was pitching for the L.A. Dodgers. The Houston Astros hastily tried to do damage control by making Gurriel available to reporters after the game. The Astros quickly shut Gurriel up when his remarks made it clear that he fully understood the derogatory nature of his actions and epithet. Gurriel referred to the fact that he had played baseball in Japan and knew (his words” “THEY don’t like that” – referring to his use of a racist epithet for Asians. The press access was quickly ended. So what should be done? The answer is easy: suspend him. Now. Take away his ability to play in the World Series. Why? Because what he did cannot be undone. For…
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Two former high-ranking executives at a defense contracting company in Singapore will spend the next few years behind bars for overbilling the U.S. Navy roughly $35 million for servicing ships in Asia. It’s known as the “Fat Leonard” scandal, because the company involved in the fraud is Glenn Marine Group, which is owned by Leonard Glenn “Fat Leonard” Francis. The two executives are Linda Raja and Neil Peterson, both of whom lived in Singapore. Raja was sentenced to 46 months, or almost four years, while Peterson got 70 months, or almost six years. They were arrested in Singapore in October of 2016. The two high-ranking executives pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to defraud the United States via false claims. How did the “Fat Leonard” scam work? Here’s a breakdown of how the mega military contractor defrauded the government: Peterson, Raja and other managers at Glenn Marine Group…
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The recent criminal trial of Bill Cosby made headlines across the world, and many were shocked to see that jurors were “hopelessly deadlocked” and a mistrial was declared. Cosby was charged with drugging and molesting Andrea Constand in 2004, but Constand is only one of more than 60 women who have come forward in recent years and accused Cosby of drugging or assaulting them -- or both. Constand, however, is the only one who is still able to pursue criminal charges because of statutes of limitation, and she said she’s willing to testify again if and when prosecutors bring the Cosby case back to trial. Defense attorneys for Cosby might argue that there’s no point in bringing the case back for a costly and time-consuming trial since there’s likely no new evidence to be presented. But Shan Wu, a former federal prosecutor and highly respected defense attorney in Washington, D.C.,…
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“Is it too late?” All too often, I get this question from a parent whose college student son or daughter has already been suspended or expelled for a Title IX violation, plagiarism accusation, or other student conduct code or academic honor code violation. While it might seem obvious that a lawyer is needed if your son or daughter is accused of campus sexual assault or cheating, the reality is both students and families forego getting college student defense legal advice. Why? Here are some of the reasons parents and students give for failing to seek legal advice for a university discipline hearing: We Thought the School Would Be Fair Fairness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, but consider this: fair “trials,” “legal proceedings,” and “investigations” are conducted by lawyers, judges (who are lawyers) and professional criminal investigators (police and other law enforcement). These professionals have…
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George Bernard Shaw’s play “Man and Superman” contains the famous line: “Remember: those who can, do; those who can’t teach.” The same may be said for Title IX consultants who offer training for colleges and universities in how to conduct Title IX campus sexual assault investigations. Title IX investigations should be conducted by Title IX investigators who have been trained by former sexual assault investigators, not consultants who merely instruct how to “comply” with Title IX law and guidance issued by the Department of Education. Similarly, training for Title IX hearing panels should be conducted by Title IX trainers who are experienced sexual assault investigators. Investigating a sexual assault is not the same as investigating sexual harassment. The skills and experience needed for Title IX campus sexual assault investigations do overlap with the skills and experience needed for criminal sexual assault investigations. But the overlap works this way: …
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First Lady Melania Trump got a pass for plagiarizing former First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech because a staffer took the blame. But college students accused of plagiarism seldom get a pass. Graduate students, college students, high school students, professors and journalists all get accused of plagiarism. Unlike the First Lady they lack any staffers to blame, so they suffer the consequences. The consequences can be severe. At many schools, plagiarism results in sanctions ranging from an “F” on a paper to expulsion. Mid-range sanctions may include failing the course and receiving notations on the student’s transcript. Such notations range from temporary ones to permanent ones and can follow a student when they seek transfer, graduate school admission, security clearances and employment. Even worse, applications of all types often ask if the applicant has ever merely been the subject of or accused of any academic honor code violation. For professional academics…
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On the George Washington University campus, there are several positions that are set up solely to help sexual assault victims. But according to a recent article from the campus newspaper, there is a frequent turnover for these crucial jobs, and victims and experts say the high turnover rate “creates an unstable environment” for the vulnerable people who need support. The paper reports that there have been three victim services coordinators - who provide support for victims during the reporting process - over the past three years, with an interim filling the vital role since the fall. The school says the turnover rate has nothing to do with the job itself, and that it’s normal for institutions of this size to have these kinds of turnover. There’s currently only one full-time staff member in the Title IX office. Shan Wu, a former federal prosecutor who focused on sex crimes for the…
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This is a story about what we have in common. The initial reaction to the beating of David Dao, a 69-year old Asian American
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This week, I was interviewed by Danielle Masterson with WHDT World News about my thoughts on how the Trump Administration should handle cases of sexual assault on campus. Here’s the video and transcription: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BpmEw20rA0 Transcription: Danielle Masterson: Spring practice is just around the corner for football players at Michigan State. But media should not expect much from Coach Mark Dantonio. He’s not scheduled to meet with media, with his team returning to the practice field. It’s a significant departure from previous years and it likely has to do with campus sexual assault. There’s a criminal investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving 3 unidentified MSU football players, and a fourth person from the University. A full title 9 investigation is under weigh. For more on this sensitive topic, we turn to Shan Wu a former federal sex crime prosecutor and current defense attorney for students. Shan, for those who don’t…
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Did colleges and universities overreact to the sexual assault crisis on campuses across the nation? According to student defense attorney Shanlon Wu, a former prosecutor who used to prosecute sexual assault cases, it’s more of an “overcorrection” that eliminates a lot of protections for the accused that they would usually get in a court of law. Wu shared his thoughts in an opinion piece for The Washington Post. “I know firsthand that prosecutors and police both consider sexual assault investigations to be among the most difficult cases to investigate and prosecute," Wu wrote. Wu explained that police and prosecutors are wary when it comes to sexual assault cases involving college students, particularly because there’s often alcohol involved with one or both parties to the case. If alcohol was a factor, the victim could be rendered an ineffective witness, which could significantly weaken the case. When colleges and universities responded to…
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