I’ve always believed that one’s true religion is what you personally believe, and that organized religion isn’t for everybody… but that’s not what this article is about. Today, it was a case of “Hate the sin, love the sinner” in United States Federal Court today. Kathy Farley pleaded guilty to four federal charges, and it was tough to even think about.
Despite those guilty pleas to federal charges, I still consider Kathy Farley a good friend and I support her in her progress to make amends for her wrongdoings.
I’ll let you read about it in the South Boston News & Record article.
Farley pleads guilty to four charges, will remain free for now
I met Kathy Farley a long time ago, and immediately loved her personality. She was kind and compassionate, yet didn’t have a problem telling you off if she disagreed with you. We worked together on promotions for the Virginia Cantaloupe Festival and she was a big fan of my TV work as well as SouthsideCentral. We both had that same attitude of saying what’s on our minds, no matter if it pissed people off.
Kathy pissed a lot of people off and once the issues started happening around Cherokee Tobacco, the haters started cackling with joy about her comeuppance. I stuck with the facts and reported news about the case as it was developing, but stuck with only the news. Kathy and I continued to talk occasionally and we talked as friends. She was professional enough to realize that I was only doing my job. We didn’t talk much about the case because everything was still pending. She told me that she had to tell her side of the story and I believed her. I promised myself that if she ended up pleading guilty or was found guilty, I would completely barbecue and roast her SouthsideCentral style for leading me on.
She pleaded guilty today, and I’m not going to barbecue nor roast her SouthsideCentral style. I can’t. Morally and ethically, I just can’t do it. She’s broken. She’s about to lose everything that she ever had in life and my anger won’t do anything about that, nor will it help her. Nobody else’s anger will do anything either. Right now, Kathy & her family need non-judgmental support and love. She didn’t hurt or kill anybody. She has pleaded guilty to some serious high-dollar charges. She’s not an angel, but she’s still my friend.
There’s no way in hell that I can approve of what she’s pleaded guilty to. But I’m proud to say that I still consider Kathy Farley as a friend. True friends can’t walk away when someone else is hurting, even if it’s by that person’s own deeds.
I support Kathy Farley and wish her the best as she starts the process to make amends for her actions.
I support Kathy Farley.
She pled to four counts out of forty-seven. She did what Bob McDonnell would have been very wise to do — she recognized that the Feds rarely go after a case they cannot make and took her lumps so she could have something left on the other side. That’s what federal prosecution is all about. They charge you with enough to end you and then make you a much more reasonable offer.
I do think respectfully, Bruce, that your better options here would have been to either stay out of this at this point as it relates to this site or to be at least a little tough on her. I represent accused persons every day. I admire your ability to support your friend, but objectively she messed up and needs to pay the appropriate price for whatever she did do out of what the Feds had. My guess is that the price is somewhere around 3 years in prison, but I have no actual federal experience and am not admitted to any federal court bar.
While we are at it, I do think this is a good place for me to say that even when people do hurt or kill people, they are still humans and are worthy of things like understanding, compassion, and forgiveness. I’m not saying we should expect for instance the Sigmon family (I use that one because we don’t represent anyone in that case) to understand, have compassion, or forgive. The broader community needs to take the lead there. None of those things are inconsistent with saying that those young men if convicted should pay the appropriate price for their actions.
Finally, while we are at it, this community desperately needs programs other than jail or prison. We need a drug court that is in line with the drug courts in communities like Roanoke or Newport News, and it is sickening to think communities like Pulaski and Franklin Counties have gotten this together when Danville has not. We have a serious problem here, people. What we have now isn’t fixing it. There are other programs such as one from Roanoke I know was specifically pitched to the City Manager that could help in some other manners by turning part of our jail into more of a diversionary program. I can only hope that funding for that comes in the near future. Beyond those two things, the need for community based services like mental health and substance abuse intervention come before the criminal system would kick in. It would also be swell if the Commonwealth did not consistently close down some of their best programs like Diversion and Detention any time a budget needs cutting because those programs are much more effective than prison and have a lower cost to boot.
This has turned into a big state of the justice system type thing, but I’m okay with that. That’s what is on my mind at the moment.
I learned that federal sentencing guidelines penalize a defendant who goes to trial and pleads not guilty then is found guilty. That’s bizarre logic to me, as it discourages an active defense.
The system is in disrepair just about everywhere, but that is a very large part of what is wrong in federal courts. That’s why that hacker kid, Aaron Swartz, committed suicide. He was unwilling to plead and was advised correctly that if he didn’t then he would get a ridiculous sentence.
Strong Agree, sir.
Forgive greed? Forget living the high life supported by fraud? Devise an oh so clever scheme that makes you think you’re smarter than anyone else? Of course then you find Jesus at the bottom of your purse. Bible Belt blather all the way to prison. Then the lecture circuit about redemption. Plenty of dummies to fill the donation bowl.
I read Bruce’s article. Then I read it again. Looks like I missed the Jesus part. I really have no knowledge of this case, but I have to ask Hudson where she gets her information on this case, and why she hates Jesus and anybody else who loves Him?
I seem to remember that her ancestors murdered Jesus.
I love you Bruce!!!!
22 counts of fraudulent refusal to pay or evasion of over $13 million in federal cigarette excise taxes, seven counts of violating the contraband cigarette trafficking act, seven counts of wire fraud, six counts of money laundering and five counts of engaging in monetary transaction with funds from specified unlawful activity. These are crimes…and can not be condoned or defended.
That being said, Bruce’s statement is admirable, “True friends can’t walk away when someone else is hurting, even if it’s by that person’s own deeds”.
Way to take the high road. Too many haters in this world.
As a great man said once: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
A true friend is very hard to find. She is lucky to have your friendship. Interesting that brooms were parked long enough to read and write about this.