Ricky Ross Trial event
also: Ricky Ross's trial, Ross's trial, the trial, trial
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Related entities (most co-mentioned)
Floyd "Freeway" Rick Rossperson · 9Daniel Blantonperson · 9U.S. Department of Justiceorganization · 5Alan Finsterperson · 5Contrasorganization · 5L.I.J. O'Neillperson · 4CIAintelligence service · 4San Diegocountry · 2Gary Webbperson · 2Los Angeles Timesorganization · 2Jesse Katzperson · 2Menendez Familyfamily · 2Norwin Menendezperson · 1Miamiplace · 1Houstonplace · 1Chuck Jonesperson · 1U.S. Congressorganization · 1Don Yaegerperson · 1Marilyn Huffperson · 1Tom Gordonperson · 1Cripsorganization · 1Bloodsorganization · 1Inspector Generalorganization · 1Nicaraguacountry · 1
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Mentions (16)
▶ 5:25
Quite unexpectedly, my tipster, which was that lady whose boyfriend had been in jail forever with no charges, allegations that the CIA and the Contras and cocaine had led me to the Metropolitan Correction Center in downtown San Diego, a ble…
▶ 16:37
Gary Webb interrupted him. I've got three kids and I don't know how that has anything to do with this. So you screw up an investigation we've been working on for a long time just so you could have a story. Is that it? Jones demanded. You th…
▶ 30:02
and we spent an hour discussing the progress of the investigation and the series. Yarnold reread the project memo, shook his head, and grinned. This is one hell of a story. How soon do you think you can have it finished? I told him I needed…
▶ 33:30
A few days before Ricky Ross's trial was scheduled to begin in March of 96, Jesse Katz of the LA Times called me at home, where I had holed up to get the first draft of the series out. Though we worked for competing newspapers, Katz had bee…
▶ 37:30
For weeks, Ross and Finster had been badgering me to publish the series before the trial started, figuring that publicity might give the Justice Department second thoughts about pursuing the case. But after sitting down and repping out the …
▶ 38:00
Angry and desperate, he had called and basically tried to get his attorney to get Gary Webb to publish the story. Right after Gary Webb hung up, Alan Finster called. The Justice Department, he said, had just filed a motion to prevent him fr…
▶ 39:24
The only purpose for asking questions in this regard would be to attempt to bully the U.S. into foregoing prosecution. If the CIA was involved in drug sales, it would be classified? That was a good one. The whole legal basis for O'Neill's m…
▶ 39:51
to alert the government that he might reveal classified information at trial. Therefore, O'Neill wanted a court order prohibiting any defendant from making any reference in the case about the CIA or any alleged activity of the CIA. Fenster …
▶ 44:38
becoming the first crack dealer millionaire in South Central. The story hinted at new and surprising dimensions involving Blanton and some alleged ties to U.S. intelligence sources, but never said what they were. There was no mention of the…
▶ 45:08
And this is like literally the trial of the century. Once again, Finster demanded that the government turn over its records about Blanton, arguing that it prejudiced Ross's chance to cross-examine his chief accuser. O'Neill calmly assured F…
▶ 47:07
it would come to light. But no, I haven't checked with the CIA. I don't have a reason to. Huff ignored O'Neill's stunning admission and told Finster that he should trust her to do the right thing. The judge. Why, just that morning, she remi…
▶ 48:32
It's not a filed document. It's not a public recorded document. But somehow, somewhere, it was given to the journalist. Huff gave the defense lawyers a hard stare. I'm not saying that there's any criminal wrongdoing here, O'Neill said. I'm …
▶ 51:13
Gary Webb said, I'm sure your mother-in-law is tired of hearing my voice. He smiled. I apologized. I told him I needed to talk to him and he shook his head. I can't because of all of this. Okay, then how about after the trial? No, personall…
▶ 51:42
He shrugged and said, sorry, what can I do? O'Neill called Blanton up to the stand and led him carefully through his testimony. He touched on the Contras, admitting that Menendez had recruited him to sell cocaine for them. He said he'd stop…
▶ 52:38
of time between Blanton selling dope and the CIA's army selling dope to Los Angeles gang members. They were trying to break the chain linking the Contra cocaine to the Crips and Bloods. There was one big problem with the tactic. It didn't j…
▶ 53:03
out there strongly suggesting that Blanton's testimony was false. Records that said he was selling cocaine for Menendez and the Contras all the way through 86. Of course, Finster didn't have those records since the government had refused to…