Ding Dong: Grand Jury Looks into Lori Drew Case
One of our Crime Rant friends sent us this link to a bit of good news (thanks, Emily!). It looks like Lori Drew who masterminded the cruel hoax against Megan Meier, the Missouri teen who killed herself, just might face the music after all.
And we’re talking some music with a little oomph. Like from an federal grand jury based in LA.
Here’s the snip from today’s LA Times:
Prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, however, are exploring the possibility of charging Drew with defrauding the MySpace social networking website by allegedly creating the false account, according to the sources, who insisted on anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
The sources said prosecutors are looking at federal wire fraud and cyber fraud statutes as they consider the case. Prosecutors believe they have jurisdiction because MySpace is headquartered in Beverly Hills, the sources said.
It’s still unclear who created the fictitious account. In a police report, Drew told authorities she, with the aid of a temporary employee, “instigated and monitored” a fake profile prior to Megan’s suicide, “for the sole purpose of communicating” with the girl and to see what the girl was saying about Drew’s daughter.
The grand jury issued several subpoenas last week, including one to MySpace and others to “witnesses in the case,” sources said. One source did not know who else had received subpoenas; the other declined to provide that information.
Attorney Jim Briscoe, who represents Lori Drew, said: “We have no knowledge of . . . anything dealing with a grand jury anywhere dealing with this case. . . . The only comment I have is we can’t comment on rumors from anonymous sources.”
The news came as a shock to Tina and Ron Meier, Megan’s parents. Both said they were unaware of the grand jury and had not been contacted by the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.
“If MySpace is considered the victim, fine. I don’t care at this point,” said Tina Meier, 37. “We’ve been begging for someone — anyone — to pick up this case. If the Drews can be charged — and even get the chance to be convicted — it would be a day I could be happy with.”
Cyber-bullying has become an increasingly creepy reality, with the anonymity of video games, message boards and other online forums offering an outlet for cruel taunts.
Former federal prosecutor Brian C. Lysaght said such a prosecution would be “not as much of a reach as it might appear at first glance.” In recent years, he said, Congress has passed a series of statutes that make criminal conduct involving the Internet federal offenses.
Still, it could be difficult to draw the line between constitutionally protected free speech and conduct that is illegal.
Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said the idea of using a fraud charge to tackle the unusual case was “an interesting and novel approach.”
“But I doubt it’s really going to lead to the type of punishment people really want to see, which is this woman being held responsible for this girl’s death,” she said.
Levenson is probably correct. We’re all about free speech, too. But even so, we’re glad to see this case get another look.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Well, that is one angle we hadn’t thought of! Good for them!
January 9th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I doubt this has teeth as well. So many people on MySpace pretending to be someone else. Celebs for example.
But its good that she is getting bullied. Maybe she can pick on someone her own size for a change.
January 9th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
The Weekly Vice Offers This Open Letter To St. Charles County Prosecutor Jack Banas.
Jan 9, 2008 (The Weekly Vice )
Dear Jack Banas,
The nation has been horrified as an adult mother, her daughter and an employee of the adult stalked, harassed and bullied a 13 year old minor child continually until that minor child committed suicide.
When you reviewed the case, the nation watched as you willfully ignored a sworn statement by Lori Drew stipulating her involvement in this process. We watched when you willfully adopted Lori Drew’s new account of what happened – while failing to address Lori Drew’s previous, sworn statements. We are now watching as you willfully and neglectfully ignore the legal implications that go along with falsifying a police report.
Jack Banas, you have claimed repeatedly that Lori Drew violated no state law or statute. You have gone on the record with these statements multiple times. What you have not done is explain why some citizens of your county are required to follow the laws of the land while others are not. Why some citizens are prosecuted for filing false reports with Missouri authorities, while others seemingly are not required to be accountable for such acts.
On November 11th, 2006, the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department responded to a complaint that Lori Drew wished to file. The authorities in your county arrived and took Lori Drew’s detailed statement.
The officer carefully accounted word for word Lori Drew’s statements using quotes to accurately record her words, and in this statement Lori Drew stipulated to several key facts that she now disputes. Among those key statements, Lori Drew stipulated the following:
“Drew stated she, her daughter and Ashley all typed, read and monitored the communication between the fake male profile and Megan. Drew went on to say, the communication became “sexual for a thirteen year old. Drew stated she continued the fake male profile despite this development.”
This statement is the exact text as stipulated by Lori Drew in the Incident Report she willfully filed. In this Incident report, Lori Drew detailed in clear language her active involvement in the shameful activities that cascaded into tragedy for Megan Meier.
Jack Banas, Lori Drew’s current statements dramatically and compellingly disagrees with the statements she rendered as true testimony in the November 11th report. She now has stated through her attorney Jim Briscoe, the following:
“Everything, as far as Mrs. Drew knew, was that all the communication was nice and polite and there was no harassing going on,” Briscoe said. “She did not create the MySpace account. She did not instruct anybody to create the MySpace account. She never made any communications through the MySpace account.”
Lori Drew has also given public statements, denying that the report she filed on November 11th is accurate. In doing so, she herself calls into question the accuracy of the statement she submitted to St. Charles Deputies in her November 11th complaint.
You Cannot Have It Both Ways:
Jack Banas, Missouri Law demands that when a citizen files an Incident Report in the State Of Missouri, the citizen has an obligation to tell the truth.
There are many instances where Missouri residents have been charged and convicted for filing false police and incident reports. St. Charles County has similar convictions on the books for these offenses.
Jack Banas, the citizens of Missouri would like to know why some citizens of your county are expected to abide by the law and play by the rules, while others are allowed to thumb their nose at these requirements.
Jack Banas, the citizens of Missouri would like to know why an elected county prosecutor personally reviewed this case and willfully ignored the obvious reversal Lori Drew has made in her statements between the November 11th incident report and her statements now.
Jack Banas, since you have stated that Lori Drew did not break the law, we have no other choice but to assume that filing a false statement and/or false police/incident report with St. Charles County authorities is acceptable under the laws of your county.
Jack Banas, you can no longer have it both ways. Either Lori Drew (and the St. Charles County Prosecutor’s office) has been untruthful with the citizens of Missouri on November 11th, 2008, or you are being untruthful with us now.
Jack Banas, California prosecutors should not feel the burden of enforcing laws that you and your office refuse to enforce equally among all Missouri citizens. Beverly Hills taxpayers should not carry the burden of justice that Missouri taxpayers are already paying for.
Tax paying Missourians demand that you enforce the laws you have been sworn to uphold. If you are not willing to equally and fairly uphold your duties as the St. Charles County Prosecutor, then we respectfully request that you resign your office and allow a candidate to step forth who will follow through on his/her oath to uphold the laws of the great state of Missouri.
We await your reply with voting card in hand.
Danny Vice
The Weekly Vice
http://weeklyvice.blogspot.com
Contact Jack Banas here:
http://www.sccmo.org/departments/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=32
January 9th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I’m glad that Lori Drew may be charged with a federal crime. I’m glad that the Beverly Hills community is stepping up to the plate. That Jack Banas is a total joke and we all should write in. I will write in and give him a piece of my mind.
January 9th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
I think everyone would like to see Lori Drew be held accountable for her morally reprehensable behavior.
Is there anything they can charge this woman with and make it stick? It seems like if they could,they would have done it already.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:27 am
I’m glad they are at least trying to hold Drew accountable. What she did was wrong and cruel and assisted in the death of a young girl, IMO.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:35 am
To me, except for the celebrity status, Drew reminds me of all the Mom’s who want to live their lives thru their daughters. Women!!!…. GET A FREAKIN’ LIFE OF YOUR OWN.
Drew had to have been pretty bored to participate in something like this, she has to be extremely immature, & she’s obviously cruel. Nice role model, huh? I wouldn’t doubt that she’s a ham sandwich short of a picnic, too. Gee, maybe she’ll cry insanity.
I definately think she should be held accountable in some way for this tragedy. To her, I think it was a game, and unfortunately for poor Megan, a game that ended in death.
January 10th, 2008 at 8:46 am
You’re right Scarlett… Lori Drew is VERY immature. And now that it’s all over with, she defends her actions as though she has not clue at all that what she did was inappropriate in any way. What if an adult man was posing as the teen boy and said the sexual things? What would have happened then?
January 10th, 2008 at 8:59 am
“If MySpace is considered the victim, fine. I don’t care at this point,” said Tina Meier, 37. “We’ve been begging for someone — anyone — to pick up this case. If the Drews can be charged — and even get the chance to be convicted — it would be a day I could be happy with.”
I agree! Someone please do something that will make this evil woman suffer for acting like a 12 year old.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:24 am
I heard somewhere that their daughter [the one Megan was friends with] dropped out of school because she was being harassed. Did anyone else hear that?
January 10th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Yes anna, the Drew’s pulled her out of her school when the news of this got out. She is now going to a private school that is undisclosed.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Terri, you are SO right. If that had been a man posing and saying those things….. the cops would have been all over him like white on rice.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I agree Terri. I don’t think it should matter that she is female.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
yiiiippppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
MATT! MATT!! MATT!!
(pom pom’s waving….. Scarlett jumping.. ouch.. hurt my ankle…)
I JUST GOT YOUR NEW BOOK IN MY MAIL TODAY.
Although I am in the middle of 3 other books right now (yes, I usually have from 2-4 going at once)… they are ALL being put to rest for awhile…… because I have MATT’S NEW BOOK. It will be read cover to cover before the other books are resumed.
Go Matt Go… write those books…..
You write!! We buy!!! We read!!
Amongst TC writers, you tie for the lead….
Of course you know who’s neck in neck
it’s your best friend Gregg
aw, but what the heck…
We need to know why…
You guys search low and high…
Those crimes…..We love to read….
You expose the the dirty deed
Keep up the fight
All will be right
For without you two
What would we all do???
Sincerely,
Scarlett
January 10th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
bout friggin time someone found somehow to possibly hold her responsible. You guys are right that had it been a man he’d be behind bars already. We’ll see if this can actually stick though….
January 10th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I find it interesting that they have moved their daughter to a private school due to harassment. Do they somehow imagine that students in private school don’t have access to the goings-on in the outside world? Those movies about the cliques in private school aren’t necessarily all fiction.
I’m glad they have found at least one angle to pursue this case.
January 10th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
kind of ironic in a sense eh Lisa? given the circumstances of why she had to be moved?
January 10th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Yeah, kind of ironic for Lori Drew to get a small taste of her own medicine. Kind of sad for Lori’s daughter that her mom has messed up her (the daughter’s) life by her immature, insensitive meddling! But oh how tragic for the Meiers family! Somehow this woman must be held accountable! Sounds like she is a liar, too…
January 10th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Well she lied at least once. When she told the cops (the first confession), or the prosecutors (the second one)
January 11th, 2008 at 5:43 am
FS, hope your ankle is OK! LOL.
January 11th, 2008 at 7:58 am
I don’t think I could stand up to the public scrutiny that the Drews have coming to them with all this.
I’d be eating xanax like they were m+m’s.
January 11th, 2008 at 7:58 am
hehehehehe KDuba…… been LOTS of years since I was a cheerleader!!! The ‘ole ankles aren’t what they used to be!!
January 11th, 2008 at 8:50 am
The Washington Post had a long article about this yesterday. My heart goes out to the Meiers, they’ve lost a child and their lives have been shattered. I hope the authorities do find a way to punish Lori Drew, what a pathetic bitch. When I read how and why she started this whole chain of events, I was sickened. Her actions led directly to the suicide of Megan, and she should definitely be held accountable for that.
January 11th, 2008 at 11:46 am
It’s made a popular weekly magazine in the UK – now everybody in the UK as well will have it in for Lori Drew, overgrown spiteful teenager that she is. I hope they can find something that sticks on this unbelievably horrible woman.
January 11th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
It looks as though people are trying very hard to make something stick. And if it doesn’t stick, at least she had to be worried about it. I still don’t understand why it seems to be OK that the conversations got sexual.
Maybe somebody will play a trick on her one day and she can see how it feels.
January 12th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I feel bad for Megan’s parents, she was such a beautiful girl. Lori Drew didn’t physically kill Megan, but her pitiful actions are very responsible for Megan’s death. You never know how your words will affect someone. It’s definitely hard to be a teenage girl. What was Lori Drew thinking about? Would she want another mother to do the same thing to her daughter? I hope to hell Lori Drew gets some kind of punishment for this tragedy.
January 15th, 2008 at 9:48 am
This is what I don’t get about this cyber-stalking double standard. You mean to tell me if the “adult” Lori Drew went face-to-face against the barely teenage Megan Meier and Drew did the same bullying to Megan’s face that Drew did to Megan over the Internet, and then Meier killed herself, Lori Drew could have the book thrown at her – Drew might be in jail even right now? However, since this same cruel maliciousness that pushed Megan over the edge was done by Drew over the Internet that there’s no way she can be prosecuted? This decision sounds like pure fiction and a cowardly lie from a lazy prosecutor to me. Why can’t the same law apply in both cases? It’s still bullying on both sides of the Internet! I hope St. Charles County Prosecutor Jack Banas (I want to say, “bananas.”) is an elected official so the good people of that county can put Banas on unemployment come next election. For their own safety, the good people need to do that.