www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/08/27/spain.bombing.lawyer.ap/index.html

Wrongly accused man plans to sue FBI
Detained in connection with Madrid bombing

Friday, August 27, 2004 Posted: 10:25 AM EDT (1425 GMT)

Brandon Mayfield


PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- An American lawyer who was falsely accused by the FBI of involvement in March's Madrid train bombings has hired celebrity attorney Gerry Spence to represent him in a planned lawsuit against the U.S. government.

Spence said Thursday that he intends to file a federal lawsuit on Brandon Mayfield's behalf on charges he did not disclose. Mayfield received a rare apology from the FBI after his release following two weeks of detention.

"We will be representing Brandon. But we don't want to say any more because we don't want to be in a position where we are criticized for trying our case in the media," Spence said in a telephone interview from his office in Jackson, Wyoming.

Spence is a frequent TV commentator known as much for his buckskin jackets as for his courtroom successes, which include victories for former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos, white supremacist Randy Weaver and plutonium factory worker Karen Silkwood.

Mayfield's hiring of Spence marks the beginning of the Portland man's legal fight against the FBI.

Mayfield was taken away from his Portland law office by FBI agents on May 6 after his fingerprint was incorrectly matched to ones found on a bag of detonators near a Madrid train station. The March 11 train bombings in Spain killed 191 people and injured about 2,000.

FBI agents seized Mayfield's computers, modem, safe deposit key, assorted papers, as well as copies of the Quran and "Spanish documents" -- later determined to be his son's Spanish homework.

"It was humiliating," Mayfield said soon after his release. "This whole process has been a harrowing ordeal. It shouldn't happen to anybody."

While Mayfield was being detained, U.S. officials insisted the fingerprints on the bag matched Mayfield's -- even though Spanish officials disagreed. Finally, the FBI conceded it had made a mistake and apologized to Mayfield.

FBI officials have promised an independent investigation into the misidentification.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.

My old shinn bone tells me that this guy is invloved in some way....

HOWEVER - The FBI fucked it away.
If the guys claims are not too stupid then just pay him and move on.
(Of course - FOLLOW THE MONEY!)

On one hand, I think the guy's a schmuck. He's defended some real winners in the past, most notably some of the "Portland Seven" that were convicted of conspiring to wage war against the US.

On the other hand, I think the FBI screwed the pooch on a global scale, and needs to be taken to task over it. The next fingerprint they "find" on something shady could be yours or mine.

Quoted: On one hand, I think the guy's a schmuck. He's defended some real winners in the past, most notably some of the "Portland Seven" that were convicted of conspiring to wage war against the US. On the other hand, I think the FBI screwed the pooch on a global scale, and needs to be taken to task over it. The next fingerprint they "find" on something shady could be yours or mine.

Defending these "schmucks" IS his job, whether they're innocent or guilty, or their notoriety is irrevelent, those folks need legal council.

What scarces me $hitless, is that they got the wrong guy; BUT what happens if the FBI let the real terrorist thru?

Not sure about him, But if the fbi nabed my ass then let me go and said sorry wrong guy. Oh I would sue the shit out of them.

Quoted: Not sure about him, But if the fbi nabed my ass then let me go and said sorry wrong guy. Oh I would sue the shit out of them.

+1.  The govt needs to be held accountable for their actions just like the private sector.  

I read Gerry Spence's book How To Argue And Win Every Time and it was really well written. It was full of humor and heart, and you could tell he's a good guy at heart. (Who can't be with a guy that openly says he hates bankers because of his farming childhood?) The book isn't about browbeating people into accepting your point, rather, it focuses on listening to people and then not pushing any of their buttons that will close them off to the rest of what you have to say. I thought it was cool.

I don't know JACK about this particular case, but if Spence is taking it, whether the guy was involved at all or not (and if the FBI issued an official apology, I doubt he is - I don't think they even did that for Richard Jewell, the "supposed" olympic bomber of Georgia) the guy probably has a good case.

Quoted: Quoted: Not sure about him, But if the fbi nabed my ass then let me go and said sorry wrong guy. Oh I would sue the shit out of them. +1.  The govt needs to be held accountable for their actions just like the private sector.

The govt should fire the commandant in charge, someone had to give the order to keep him detained. Those people are on a very short leash. But unfortunately, that won't happen, they'll be just given a promotion and raise and that will end end of that.

Quoted: Quoted: Not sure about him, But if the fbi nabed my ass then let me go and said sorry wrong guy. Oh I would sue the shit out of them. +1.  The govt needs to be held accountable for their actions just like the private sector.

+2

Quoted: Quoted: Not sure about him, But if the fbi nabed my ass then let me go and said sorry wrong guy. Oh I would sue the shit out of them. +1.  The govt needs to be held accountable for their actions just like the private sector.

+2.  If they can't guarantee they have the right guy, maybe that should warrant more looking into the case.  

I see a disturbing trend lately of kicking down doors and hauling people off to jail before doing a thorough investigation first.  Your freedoms and mine are being stripped away with time, this is just another step in that descent into being a subject instead of a citizen.

Hold them accountable, and do it the only way the govt seems to notice, by taking millions off of them.

In his place as the victim, I would settle for having the head guy sit in jail (general poipulation max security) for  a year too.  That should send a message loud and clear.

Anyone else notice how they threw white supremisist in fornt of randy weavers name......

Quoted: Anyone else notice how they threw white supremisist in fornt of randy weavers name......

Yep.  Pissed me off.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Quoted: Quoted: Anyone else notice how they threw white supremisist in fornt of randy weavers name...... Weaver is one, oh sorry he's a "white separatist" Anyway the Feebs will have a tough time explaining the part about the spanish police telling them the prints were not a match. I have that same Gerry Spence book, by the way, pretty good as I remember it.

Aimless, it was his refusal to join the local white supremacist group after the BATF tried strongarming him that got him in trouble.  Hell, I'm not even white and I understand the difference between a white supremacist and a white seperatist.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Randy Weaver was a white seperatist.  The difference between white supremecists and white seperatists is one of degree not kind.  That does not mean the government has a right to entrap him and kill his family members.

Gerry Spence may be an anti-2nd person (don't know for sure), but he's a thoughtful writer.  His book is a good read.

Good luck suing the FBI.  The FBI is allowed to do just about anything without sanction, including kill you negligently and recklessly, so long as they are carrying out their Federal duty.

Quoted: The govt needs to be held accountable for their actions just like the private sector.

I could not agree more!!!!