Chris Brown’s Attorney, Mark Geragos, filed motions for discovery on the Rihanna photo leak. The aim of Geragos, and the Brown camp, is to get their hands on all of LAPD’s files related to the leaked victim pic. As IF leaked pix mean Brown didn’t pound Rihanna’s face in. There is a judge in downtown L.A. who has reportedly signed off on search warrants not only for LAPD files, but for the TMZ news organization. Although the first amendment protects Levin and TMZ, insider law enforcement sources are going to be apprehensive in the future about ratting to the tabloids for money. LAPD Police Chief himself, Bill Bratton, is on a personal mission to find this infamous “TMZ snitch” and bring that individual to justice. He reportedly wants to make that person the poster child for punishment on this kind of matter. Bratton resents how a snitch is jeopardizing his department’s ability to put away criminals.
Last we heard FIVE agents have been assigned to this internal investigation. “Geragos is really playing this one to the hilt, I hate to say it, but Chris Brown will walk,” says Terry Ahern president of celebrity rights advocacy group, STOParazzi (stoparazzi.com) and Rihanna’s Law proponent. Chris Brown could very likely skip off completely scot-free with no punishment whatsoever. That would be a giant “WIN” for Geragos and Brown, but a huge loss for domestic violence prevention and for future victims of such crimes.
Until laws are enacted to make distribution of private information, or photographs, from pending criminal cases, actually illegal (rihannaslaw.com,) there will be many more celebrity criminals using the “leaked photo” defense. If Geragos’ plan is successful, you can bet celebrity attorneys will MAKE SURE the photos are leaked, (even if they have to buy the pix themselves and give them to the tabloids for free. ) Most celebrity defense attorneys bills in felony cases WELL exceed $62k (the price TMZ reportedly paid for the Rihanna pic,) maybe add a zero and you’d get the lawyer’s take in a case like this. So why not increase the chance for victory? What’s a measly 50-60 grand on a half million dollar plus, case? It’s a hypothetical strategy, but when the client has all the evidence pointing to guilt, the defense has to pull something out of the hat.
Geragos claims in his most recent statement, “the purpose of the leak was certainly to vilify the defendant and deprive him of a fair trial.” He would like the judge and the public to believe that no doubt. Perhaps, however, the person who leaked it, or orchestrated the leak, wanted to indeed cause it to be impossible for Brown to get a fair trial, but not because they hated Chris Brown, but because they were trying to HELP Chris Brown. Making it impossible for a defendant to get a fair trial and pinning it on the LAPD is an absolutely brilliant way for the defense to set themselves up for a dismissal then pretend some greedy evil slug at the LAPD was out to get them and did it with malice to keep poor Chris Brown from getting a fair trial. The leaked photo and LAPD investigation are the best thing that ever happened to Chris Brown. It is his best shot at beating the rap. Sadly, it just becomes one more way celebrities are allowed to be above the law.







