Home

                   My Story    Part One - Introduction

My name is Ted Bechtold. I am an attorney that has been
fighting against racketeer lawyers in New York for three years.
The time has come to share My Story with the American
people. My activities in various forums have created a record
which establishes beyond any reasonable doubt that New York
State Courts and Federal Courts in the Southern District of New
York are subject to the improper influence and control of a
certain group of lawyers. My Story is a must read for any
American citizen concerned about the direction of this great
nation. The continued control of Courts of Law by this criminal
element imperils the very foundation of our freedoms. These
dangerous men and women are hiding in plain sight in New
York City. They are a cancer that has taken hold inside of New
York Courts which must be removed with all due speed.

These lawyers have been able to maintain control of the legal
system in New York even after the serendipitous California
based prosecution of the four founding fathers of their criminal
racket. The lack of public awareness and outrage about this
abomination of justice shows just how far off course our country
is. The complete lack of any public reaction from lawyers and
judges around the country is a damning indictment of the legal
profession. The lack of media coverage for such an important
story is incomprehensible. Even the most respected
investigative journalists are unwilling to step on certain
sensitive toes for fear of negative consequences. These lawyers
consider themselves untouchable for good reason. They have
had everything under control for many years in New York.
Perhaps I should say almost everything.

All that is required to see the complete picture in New York is
to connect the dots. After considering the many ramifications
of this totally corrupted segment of the American legal system
you may come to share my belief that foreign terrorists and
dependence on uncertain overseas oil supplies are not the only
grave threats to the future of this great nation. The American
homeland can never be secure while criminal lawyers control
the administration of justice. That is the current state of affairs
in New York today.

My first experience with Milberg Weiss business practices was
conducting arbitrations against Prudential Insurance. I knew
almost immediately that the interests of clients were not being
protected by the lawyers. I was troubled by my inability to help
widows and orphans that were robbed by their insurance
company and deserted by their lawyers. As a result of working
on the Prudential arbitrations I always considered the possible
upside to staying behind the curtain of Mel Weiss' warped world
for as long as I could. I believed the insider insight gained by
direct participation in this legal charade could be useful for
something more than getting a paycheck. I watched, listened
and learned how things really worked. Working with Jules
Brody and his family was a unique challenge but topping off my
real world legal education with extended up close access to
Milberg Weiss and their now exposed business model was well
worth it.

After a few years I gave up on the false hope that Jules Brody
would share more than 5% of the $410 per hour he billed the
public for my valuable legal services. I buried myself away
working on several major Milberg Weiss cases for the Brody
firm including Computer Associates, Sunbeam and the still
unresolved case against Xerox. I also did my own outside
research and asked a lot of questions. I was able to learn
exactly how the cesspool of legal thievery created by Mel Weiss
and his many imitators actually operates. My worst suspicions
were confirmed time and again. After several requests Jules
Brody agreed to assign me to the largest class action case in
history.

My story centers around my three year battle over the conduct
of the historic IPO Securities Litigation. I witnessed the
systematic failure to properly prosecute these 309 consolidated
cases and the relentless effort to give away half of the case for
nothing in pursuit of legal fees and expenses. It was like
finishing school for the study of Milberg Weiss improper self
interested litigation "strategy". The names of the law firms
responsible for the misconduct of these 309 cases are Milberg
Weiss Bershad Schulman Bernstein Liebhard Lifshitz Wolf
Haldenstein Adler Freeman Herz Sirota Schiffrin Barroway and
Brody. The Judges involved in that case and three related
proceedings are named Scheindlin (in the 309 IPO cases),
Wolfermann (New York Department of Labor), Diamond (New
York Supreme Court) and Scheindlin again (in the consolidated
New York Attorney grievance cases).

When a great nation’s legal system is hijacked its citizens are
entitled to know who the hijackers are and where they come
from. American Courts have been defiled by this self described
"nest of snakes" and their associates for far too long. The
importance of removing those responsible for this situation
requires that everything be put on the table. If some are
offended by my brutal candor and frank analysis that is just too
bad. For the first time in history the American people will learn
the whole truth about how the lawyer business in New York
really works. These revelations will come from a lawyer that
was fired from the biggest case in history for informing the
Court of Mel Weiss' failure to pursue his clients' interest.

Mel Weiss opened the door to a no holds barred examination of
this entire matter through the shameless use of every "card" in
his deck before his sentencing hearing. He felt entitled to
maximize the quality retirement time he will enjoy with his
family and his fortune. Use of such "cards" proves that the
regret and remorse expressed for the Court was just the last
element of the fraud he perpetrated on the American public for
30 years. Mel Weiss is only sorry he got caught and put in jail
while the other crooked lawyers get to continue business as
usual. The official investigation is all wrapped up and once
again the hard working investor is played for a fool. In the final
analysis America's national interest in the fair and true
administration of justice must trump sensitivity and political
correctness. The time has come for a decisive confrontation
with all of the nation's enemies, both foreign and domestic.
These crooked lawyers clearly qualify.

Only a fool would minimize the enormous contribution of Mel
Weiss to the American legal community's pursuit of financial
compensation for slave laborers and other victims. Such work
is highly relevant to a sentencing judge and worthy of serious
consideration, regardless of the motivation behind the work or
the continued denial of the defendant about the consequences of
his crimes. On the other hand what possible relevance could
the story of Joseph Mengele at Auschwitz be? Is it at all
appropriate for an admitted felon to roll out this most
frightening Nazi monster as part of his hugely successful effort
to avoid accountability? Mel Weiss may as well have walked
into Court with a star pinned to his lapel. Nobody even
questioned his use of such a powerful representation of abject
evil in this manner. Considering both the ongoing state of
affairs he left behind for his associates to exploit in the New
York Courts and his 30 month sentence for 30 years of felony
fraud these questions are both reasonable and appropriate.

These lawyers have demonstrated an ability to influence and
control the administration of justice in Courts in New York
State and the Southern District in a dangerous and improper
manner. They have obtained permanent immunity from the
scrutiny of a broken New York Attorney Grievance system.
They orchestrated the improper delay and ultimate dismissal of
a legitimate unemployment claim. They directed a civil case
filed against the group to the most notoriously crooked judge
currently operating in New York State Courts. How this woman
remains an active jurist after so many serious charges have
been made against her, substantiated and then magically
disappeared defies legitimate explanation.

Those pulling the strings even arranged for Shira A. Scheindlin
to be assigned to the historic consolidated New York Attorney
Grievance cases.   The official response to my first attorney
grievance filed in New York against Mel Weiss demonstrates
the futility of litigating in Courts controlled by crooked
lawyers. The response suggested I go back to Judge Scheindlin
for a determination on Mel Weiss' improper activities. They
had to know I had already tried that course of action from their
"investigation" of my first letter. Contacting Judge Scheindlin
is why I was fired. The response to my second letter ignored
many additional allegations against many additional parties.
Those responding to my letters appear to take it all as a big
joke. Given their failure to address such serious allegations I
am inclined to agree.

The American people have a right to know who is doing what to
whom in American Courts of Law. I refuse to allow this group
to continue to disgrace our country's legal system without a
very public fight. These Courts combine to form the most
important commercial and business litigation nexus in the
nation. The existence of extralegal power exercised by these
unelected and untouchable legal racketeers constitutes a clear
and present danger to the national economy. These lawyers
answer to no one in the legitimate world. Their power is not
authorized by any recognized legal authority yet neither the
legal profession nor the political establishment has been willing
to address the situation. Calling the messenger names will not
change the fundamental validity of the proposition that the
lawyers controlling the apparatus of justice in this manner must
be removed from legal practice.

I do not believe in group guilt in any form or fashion. It would
be just as absurd to blame the Jewish community for these
lawyers criminal control of the New York Courts as it would be
to blame the Muslim community for the criminal acts of the 911
terrorists.   It is however quite useful to consider the likely
public reaction if those polluting the New York Courts were
named Sabah, Hussein and Abdullah rather than Weiss,
Bernstein and Scheindlin. We would surely be discussing
multiple investigations and public hearings. There would be
demands for 40 year sentences or worse for anyone proven to be
involved. There would be an endless pursuit of all the stolen
money. Every lead would be relentlessly investigated by
multiple agencies in a comprehensive effort to find every hidden
cell. Civil rights of any and all citizens would be jeopardized in
pursuit of additional evildoers.

Now let us examine the real life experience of admitted
racketeers named Melvyn Weiss, Bill Lerach, Steve Schulman
and Dave Bershad. The public record reflects voluminous proof
of their 30 years of crime and available testimony from
partners, plaintiffs and other lawyers for use at trial. For some
reason the government felt the need to make deals requiring
only two or three years of soft jail time. Each faced 40 years in
a far tougher medium security jail. There was additional
criminal exposure as a result of lying to investigators and
withholding evidence. As a group they returned only $30
million although they stole over $250 Million.

No other active lawyers were criminally charged, even those at
the indicted firm. The investigation ends with four jailed
lawyers and one "supervised" firm despite these defendants
well documented assertion that plaintiff kickbacks were
industry wide practice. Considering the fact that former
Milberg Weiss partners were granted criminal immunity as part
of the Lerach plea bargain more legal fiction is required to
conclude that none of the hundreds of brilliant attorneys
involved in these cases knew a thing for 30 years. They were
not just so many innocent bystanders that got paid Millions of
Dollars to hang around, but the public is expected to pretend
they were. How is the public supposed to trust such lawyers?
What are they to make of a legal system that protects such
lawyers from the consequences of participation in criminal
activity? If these lawyers really were unknowing participants in
Milberg Weiss fraud why don't they return all the money taken
from client settlement funds in effected cases?

The special consideration afforded this group of defendants
knows no limits. The top racketeer hid the evidence and lied to
investigators for seven years. He was the last man standing.
Nonetheless Judge Walter cited Mel Weiss' advanced age as a
reason to reduce his jail time. Mel Weiss was not too old to go
to jail when he started lying to investigators and hiding faxes
but now he is. He actually got a shorter sentence for his 30
years of fraud by lying for long enough to reach retirement
age. Those guilty of obstruction of justice and withholding
evidence often receive more than 30 months of additional time
for these serious crimes. Why are Mel Weiss and his associates
the beneficiaries of such prosecutorial and judicial generosity?
Why did so many judges mysteriously recuse themselves from
their case until this sympathetic ear was located?

If anyone finds my story of rampant influence and corruption in
the New York and Federal Courts hard to believe just look into
the unreported details behind the sudden, spectacular demise of
former New York Attorney General and Governor Elliot
Spitzer. The facts already in the public record demonstrate that
Spitzer was subject to being blackmailed throughout his entire
career of "public service". Remember, Elliot Spitzer shut down
a valuable trucking operation controlled by organized crime
when he was a young prosecutor. Now consider who operates
the high priced prostitution operations that Elliot Spitzer
utilized for many years. What is the possibility that the
organization whose profitable business Elliot Spitzer shut down
was not aware of the true identity of "Client Nine" many years
ago? For eight years Elliot Spitzer was the chief of law
enforcement in New York State and then he became Governor
practically by acclimation. All the time he was certainly subject
to the most dangerous veto power imaginable.

Governor David Patterson even mentioned blackmail as the
reason he disclosed certain personal matters when taking over
for Spitzer. Despite the new Governor volunteering such
information and his unbelievably frank explanation of why he
did so there is no Spitzer blackmail story or official
investigation to date. Blackmail power over the New York
Attorney General and Governor explains the ability of these
criminal elements to take over the Courts and operate in this
brazen manner. The head cop was totally compromised all
along. When it suited their needs those in charge pulled the
plug and the highly unusual federal prostitution investigation
discovered the paper trail created by Spitzer's latest wire
transfer payments. The media silence surrounding this matter
is understandable. They are far too busy publishing lurid
pictures of Spitzer's prostitutes to examine the multitude of
serious issues raised by years of blackmail and its effect on the
Sheriff of Wall Street.

The fact that this ongoing criminal racket is not of interest to
the prosecutors is a giant red flag. They are too busy wrapping
up their "inherited" Milberg Weiss case. This lack of interest
confirms the broader pattern of officially sanctioned legal
immunity granted by lawyers to other lawyers. There are
limited consequences even for serious criminal conduct. The
guilty keep their fortunes. If prosecutors play along with these
well connected lawyer defendants there are lucrative
partnership opportunities available. Everybody wins except the
American public.

After years of hard work the original Milberg Weiss prosecutor
was suddenly considered hot enough to land a partnership at
Paul Hastings. Naturally she accepted the offer and a new
prosecutor was assigned to all of her cases. Now this seven year
investigation ends with the pleas from four of the originally
targeted lawyers. Many other areas of documented industry
wide abuse by many other lawyers are of no interest. The only
lawyer interested in digging around and doing her job was made
to go away voluntarily. This is how the business of being a
lawyer works today.

There is no concern for the appearance of impropriety simply
because there is no enforcement mechanism or oversight of any
kind. For the greatest documented example of partnership
payoffs for lawyers responsible for total extermination of
criminal liability refer to Gary Aguirre and his impressive
record of the SEC bending to the will of superlawyers. We have
conclusive proof from multiple sources that these lawyers are
untouchable. Gary Aguirre even managed to generate a Senate
report describing everything in excruciating detail. There is no
effective accountability at the highest levels of the legal
profession. Many are simply criminals that have neutralized
every facet of the legal process and regulatory apparatus for
lawyers that could interfere in their nefarious business.

Early in the battle over the IPO Securities Litigation I became
aware that these lawyers had a little more up their sleeves than
procedural manipulation and tactical foresight. When my
allegations against Milberg Weiss and their associates were
disposed of and sealed up by Judge Scheindlin without anyone
even contacting me I decided unorthodox tactics were called
for. I determined that the only way I could succeed later was to
put them on the record as often as possible. The combination of
their justifiable arrogance and my pro se status would embolden
them to deploy their full bag of tricks. This is precisely what
they did. Now that things have reached critical mass their
record of improper actions, manipulated proceedings and other
dubious practices can be publicly exposed for maximum effect.

When the opposing party is simpatico with the judge it is
pointless to run into Court and demand justice. I decided to
provide the rope and see if they would hang themselves. They
did not disappoint. The American public can decide for
themselves if they believe my shocking story of improper
influence and corruption in New York Courts. In my opinion
the record created before Judge Shira A. Scheindlin speaks for
itself.

The record reflects Judge Scheindlin allowing serious allegations
against now admitted felons to be dismissed as a discovery
dispute without any investigation whatsoever. This matter was
sealed away for obviously self interested reasons. The record
reflects Judge Scheindlin granting Mel Weiss a protective order
from me and my free press releases. She was apparently
worried class members would be confused or misled by the truth
about the court approved, jail bound lawyers being allowed to
exercise fiduciary duties on their behalf in her Court. The
record reflects Judge Scheindlin requiring me to tell the world I
was fired for cause twice in one proposed public statement.
Judge Scheindlin also deleted that the cause of my termination
was contacting her about Mel Weiss improper conduct of the
biggest case of all time. She indicated that my including the
reason for my termination was misleading to class members. I
was allowed to say I was fired two times but I couldn't say why I
was fired even once.

The record also reflects Judge Scheindlin's determination that
Milberg Weiss and its IPO Executive Committee provided fair
and adequate representation to class members in the case. This
legal fiction was offered when she decided to ignore my motion
to remove all Executive Committee firms. The motion was
based on the conflicts of interest created by the government
investigation into John Torkelson's witness payments from
other lawyers, including IPO Securities Litigation Executive
Committee firms. The conflicts were never addressed.

The pattern of protection afforded certain lawyers by the same
cooperative jurists explains how Mel Weiss and his associates
obtained Court approval of settlements of pennies on the dollar
in rigged cases for 30 years. How Judge Scheindlin managed to
be assigned to such a disproportionate number of Milberg Weiss
cases requires explanation. It seems unlikely that this is the
result of random chance. Mel Weiss actually asked Judge
Scheindlin to approve a settlement for half of the biggest case of
all time that obtained no monetary compensation for over seven
million clients. Fortunately for Class members time ran out on
the worst proposed settlement of all time. The continuation of
this arrangement under the direction of unindicted Milberg LLC
partners and Stan Bernstein of Bernstein Liebhard Lifshitz is
neither fair nor adequate. Mel Weiss may be off to jail but the
racketeering enterprise he invented goes on under the
supervision of at least one Federal Judge in New York.

As we have seen with the political resistance to drafting and
enforcing laws regarding illegal immigration our elected leaders
are content to ignore certain legal issues unless they are
properly motivated. Currently available technology allows us to
provide the necessecary motivation. Action is needed because
America's corporate media has ignored this story for three
years despite a number of elements which usually generate at
least some interest. They just don't see a story, at least one
their editor will run.

I filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Milberg Weiss and
their associates asking for $250 million in punitive damages. I
filed motions to remove the IPO Securities Litigation Executive
Committee from the case. Press releases and letters to various
Courts disclosing Milberg Weiss' use of hedge fund frauds as
lead plaintiffs and other clearly suspect arrangements by the
firm were distributed to major media outlets. I filed an
attorney grievance against a Federal Judge, her special master,
Mel Weiss and ten prominent attorneys. It was distributed,
posted on the internet and the link was posted on many other
sites. Nothing I have done has generated any interest from any
media outlet in almost three years of activity.

Recent events provide final confirmation of precisely what we
are dealing with. A once revered financial news organization's
website recently allowed lawyers for Mel Weiss and Bill Lerach
to block the posting of public comments on certain sensitive
stories. One comment was reposted weeks later when it was
unlikely to be seen. Consider the implication of journalists that
don't allow timely public discussion of documents submitted by
admittedly guilty parties to a Court of Law. Rather than
reviewing posts and removing any comments deemed
inappropriate they shut down public comment altogether on
these important stories. The delay will undoubtedly be
attributed to a technical glitch or other innocent oversight.
These corporate "journalists" are willing to eliminate public
discourse at the behest of these admittedly guilty soon to be
disbarred lawyers. I think everyone can see the picture fairly
clearly by now. After three years of media blackout I am forced
to conclude that control of the New York Courts is only one
facet of the dangerous improper influence exercised by these
criminal lawyers and their associates.

Thankfully we still live in a free country. The internet is widely
available virtually everywhere, making it possible to reach a
wide audience without the assistance of the corporate media.
For the first time in history the people have a direct, unlimited
line of communication to their elected leaders. The people can
also communicate and coordinate action with like minded
citizens across the country. The town square in New York is
really just a click away from every corner of the globe. I
believe this is a fundamental development that provides
enormous untapped potential to generate positive change. Free
speech rights can be exercised at anytime by anybody interested
in shutting down these crooked lawyers. Anybody.

My Story provides an important warning to the nation. It can
be widely distributed via E Mail, net postings and by sharing the
website address www.stoplegalfiction.org.   From the reaction I
receive when discussing these issues with real people I am
confident we will soon have the biggest internet chain letter of
all time. When the time is right everyone will be asked to
contact their congressmen, local politicians and media in a
coordinated effort to gain public attention. Public events will be
staged and the video uploaded to You Tube. Our broad based
grass roots internet uprising will be impossible to ignore.

Our elected representatives will come to understand that this
issue and those pushing this issue will not let up until they have
achieved the desired result. To assure that we reach everyone
without internet access please print copies of My Story and
leave it where concerned citizens can learn of the effort to
sound the alarm. Mail it to friends old and new. Fax it to local
journalists and activists. The important thing to remember is
that if the people are ignored they can always decide to make
the politicians disappear in November. This is the only
motivation most of these "leaders" understand. It is the ideal
time to force them to take action or face consequences at the
polls. At some point there must be accountability.

It is my belief that there are millions of Americans who
constitute a silent majority. They will be sickened when they
learn of the descent of American Courts into a charade
controlled by this group of crooked lawyers. Those engaged in
this legal fraud appear to believe that the American people will
sit still for anything, even these cretins repeatedly making a
mockery of the American judicial system. Our enemies around
the world surely laugh at us. Our democratic institutions are
defiled by these lawyers while we bankrupt the nation and
sacrifice our sons and daughters fighting for the freedom of
others far from home. They will say America is a once great
nation that is powerless to defend itself against these relentless
parasites. I am ready to prove them wrong but I will need some
help.

Now is the time for this silent majority to rise up and run these
legal frauds and their dirty business out of our Courts. People
power is not just for developing democracies, Pakistani lawyers
and Chinese dissidents. It is the bedrock of all representative
democracies and is urgently needed here and now. We live in
the internet age. Warnings of "one if by land and two if by sea"
don't even show up on the radar screen. We will have to use
current technology to sound the alarm. These dark forces are
unlikely to grow less powerful over time. This election season
may well be our best chance to save our country from this cabal
of crooked lawyers and their many accomplices.

I humbly request the assistance of everyone that is outraged
with what has become the Courts in New York. Starting with
the help of a small number of loyal Americans we can reach out
to millions of like minded citizens. To some it may seem
unlikely that one lawyer can make a difference against this
much power and influence. I believe it is actually the power of
the ideas shared by the people behind the lawyer that make all
the difference. No matter how difficult it may seem this is
America and with the support of the people great things are
possible.

We need to gather the names, E Mail addresses and contact
information (optional) of those interested in participating. I will
continue releasing additional information about the situation in
New York to generate ongoing interest. Through coordinated
communication we will reeducate our elected leaders and insist
that they prioritize this critical issue. Additional promotion and
publicity will follow as needed. Only time will tell if America
will accept this criminal element running its most important
Courts. I have already bet my house that they won't.

Some will undoubtedly try to mischaracterize my attack on
these lawyers and their associates. Allow me to provide some
personal background to avoid any possible confusion or
misunderstanding. I would defend the right to freedom of
worship and association as much as I defend the right to an
uncorrupted justice system. The only thing I am anti is crooked
lawyers.   This situation is a serous threat to the nation. I need
to identify the wrongdoers to educate and activate the American
public. The fact that I had to do so in this manner is a
reflection on the power and influence of these racketeer lawyers
and their successful media "management". Mel Weiss
disgraceful use of certain matters to obtain approval for his plea
deal opened the door to a public examination of these matters.

My three year battle has been difficult for myself and my
family, both financially and otherwise. I have exhausted all
available family resources but I do not seek charity. I picked
my fight and will live with the consequences. Since I am totally
unemployable in the legal business in New York I have little
choice but to finish what I started and tell the world My Story.
If you have any job for a lawyer that will be engaged in these
controversial activities for some time I would be interested in
discussing it. If you would like to provide direct financial
support for the historic effort to clean out the New York Courts
I am available for speaking engagements and musical
performances. I am also offering stoplegalfiction.org T Shirts
which make excellent gifts, particularly for lawyers and those
that enjoy poking fun at them. After I prevent Countrywide
from taking the house and Aetna from canceling the medical
insurance each month I will use any additional revenues to
travel around the country sharing My Story with anyone willing
to listen. I have long anticipated that the need to obtain
publicity for these matters may require one or more public
spectacles. I am committed to providing whatever is required to
get the job done.

If you ever wanted to be politically active but don't trust
politicians because you know they are every bit as crooked as
these New York lawyers this is the perfect opportunity for you.
No political parties, no partisan agenda, no confusion of the
issues. For now the only agenda item is to end the improper
control of the New York Courts by this group of criminal
lawyers. We can call it the New York Project and we can make
history by taking action against those occupying American
Courts. To sign up for the stoplegalfiction.org New York
Project, review the historical archives of previous postings,
schedule a speaking engagement by Theodore A. Bechtold, Esq.
or order stoplegalfiction T Shirts go to www.stoplegalfiction.org.
If you don't have internet access or don't want to use it send
your information or request to T. A. Bechtold P.O. Box 799
Milford PA 18337.

The legal system of the greatest nation on earth will not remain
under the control of these criminal lawyers on my watch. They
are a pestilence for which eradication is the only solution. With
the assistance of concerned citizens we can remove them from
power and restore order in the New York State Courts and
Federal Courts in the Southern District of New York. The front
of the New York Supreme Court building at Foley Square in
New York proclaims “The true administration of justice is the
firmest pillar of good government". This effort to restore good
government starts with the oldest promotional axiom of all -
"tell your friends and relatives".

Stop Legal Fiction