When Sex Offenders Stalk Criminal Defense Lawyers
A couple weeks ago, Senate Bill 932 was filed in Florida. Yet another restriction on the already oppressive, not working, sex offender laws:
“Prohibits persons convicted of certain sexual offenses involving the Internet from accessing the Internet or maintaining or contracting for access to the Internet. Provides an employment exception. provides criminal penalties.”
As former legislative chair of the criminal defense bar for 5 years, I worked with legislators to try to streamline restrictions on sex offenders, to explain that the emotion over these criminals was overpowering reason, and that the many rules and regulations were not working. Sex offenders living under bridges, hiding from law enforcement, is not the answer.
While some legislators understand the issues in this arena, the only real advocates for reason and clarity, are the criminal defense lawyers.
So now we have a bill to further restrict sex offenders, to prohibit them from using the internet, except for work.
Because of Wayne Conley. I support it.
Wayne is a convicted gang rapist and sex offender who’s convinced me that this is a good idea.
He’s stalking me, on the internet.
He’s not just stalking me. He’s stalking a list of criminal defense lawyers. Wayne is stalking the only group of people that would ever think to help his situation.
Wayne is now the poster child for why sex offenders should not be allowed access to the internet.
Internet Service Providers do nothing. Over the last few days, twitter has been advised over and over again that Wayne Conley is anonymously using site to stalk, threaten, publish personal information, and lie about various criminal defense lawyers and others. They say they’ll “look at it” today. In true fashion, Wayne has filed his own complaint, hoping to convince twitter that I am the problem.
He also has a website that is nothing more than lying and nonsensical rantings. He partially operates in the name of California criminal defense lawyer Melina Benninghoff, who will do nothing to stop him.
Why is Wayne Conley stalking me?
Because he was stealing blog content from me, and others for Melina Benninghoff’s internet marketing scheme, with her permission to use her name. Several of us wrote about it, and Wayne began his stalking. In true demented sex offender form, he’s accused us of being the enemy of good lawyers.
He currently has a warrant out for his arrest for the criminal offense of “telephone harassment.” – California law enforcement, while investigating, has not arrested him, yet.
The well-written details of this entire debacle are here, here, and here.
They say the worst crime victims are criminal defense lawyers. We wake up every day and work to defend the rights of people that others hate and think should be in jail forever, or dead. We defend people like Wayne Conley. When we become the victims, we are unrelenting. No one should make a victim out of the same person who defends what others consider the indefensible.
To those sex offenders who have done their time, quietly living their lives hoping that restrictions will be eased, that legislators will be more reasonable, that criminal defense lawyers will fight for justice even for them, tell Wayne Conley how much you appreciate him screwing it up for the rest of you.
Although if you contact him online, he’ll just deny it’s him, and accuse you of, well, anything he can drum up.
Brian Tannebaum is a criminal defense lawyer in Miami, Florida practicing in state and federal court. Read his free ebook The Truth About Hiring A Criminal Defense Lawyer. To learn more about Brian and his firm, Tannebaum Weiss, please visit www.tannebaumweiss.com
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