Freedom's Cost, to Fred Koschara
To date, this battle to fight for the right to travel unhindered on the public roads, in the peaceful conduct of my own affairs, has cost me a great many things. That list includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- a $70,000 programming contract position I lost when jailed on April 14, 2000, which I had started on April 10;
- destruction of the fledgling businesses I had spent five years building in Londonderry (see Catastrophic System Failure and Restart, for example), including a merchant credit account, long-established telephone numbers (both local and toll-free), and a Web server I had spent countless hours configuring and administering;
- $40,000 of payments I had made on my 1995 Pontiac Trans Am which was repossessed by a court order made on August 25, 2000, while I was incarcerated and unable to obtain the services of a lawyer to represent my interests, after GMAC refused my payments made in good faith prior to my incarceration, and after GMAC refused the payments my parents made in my name while I was in jail;
- approximately $300,000 worth of property illegally removed from my home in Londonderry on August 1, 2000 by Ed Burie, an alleged friend who I had given access to my home so that he could insure its upkeep so I would have a place to return when I was released from jail. Mr. Burie disturbed the relations with the landlord to the point my lease could not be renewed, and when my parents told him they were coming to put my things in storage, he cleaned the house out before they got there. The story he told me was he did it so I would have a place to stay when I was released, which I took him up on when I got out on bail pending appeal on September 8, 2000, and when I got out on bail pending appeal on February 23, 2001. After he and his girlfriend threw me out without notice, while I was paying rent, on April 19, 2001, the Londonderry police told me that since I had stayed in Mr. Burie's house in Manchester, I had to work with the Manchester police to recover my property. The Manchester police said that since the unlawful removal of property had occurred in Londonderry, I had to seek their assistance. To date, I have been unable to obtain any help toward recovering either my property or restitution for the damages I suffered.
- 147 calendar days of incarceration, from April 14, 2000 when I was originally jailed, through September 8, 2000, when I was first released on bail pending appeal;
- an $80,000 programming contract position I lost when jailed on December 14, 2000, which I had started the day before, on December 13, after Judge Arthur Brennan had reduced my felony conviction to a misdemeanor on December 6, eliminating the mandatory minimum sentence, and my lawyer advising me I would probably be sentenced to "time served" and let go;
- 71 calendar days of incarceration, from December 14, 2000 when I was sent back to jail, through February 23, 2001, when I was again released on bail pending appeal;
- nearly two years of "bail supervision" which amounted to a very restrictive term of probation, except that, even if I obeyed all of the rules, there was no guarantee I would be released at the end of the term;
- two and a half years of being unable to find suitable employment, in addition to the time I lost directly to jail, resulting not only from the poor economy, but also from questions of whether I would be sent back to jail, losing a third programming contract to such an event, which would have permanently destroyed my professional career;
- irreparable harm to my credit rating and reputation, consequences of my inability to find gainful employment, or to re-establish my previous business enterprises.
My losses, to date, are well in excess of half a million dollars - and continue to grow every day I cannot find a meaningful job.
I have more to say about these matters, and may add to the above list, as I have time available.
|
Please use the following form to request priority for this page. None of the fields are required (unless you wish
to be notified when this page is updated), but we would
like to know who you are, to help us have a better understanding of our
community. We would therefore appreciate it if you fill this form in as
completely as you are comfortable with. Any information you submit
on this form will be held in the strictest confidence.
N.B.: Any person, company, firm or
organization using this form to submit SPAM will forever be barred from doing
business with this or any related sites, and any associated companies.
A word to the wise: If you are thinking of using this form to send SPAM,
DON'T DO IT!!