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Howie Excuses Bosworth Perjury by Accusing Others of Felony Without Evidence

Gordon Howie wakes this morning to draft a pardon letter for Annette Bosworth. To excuse the fake Senate candidate and multi-million-dollar fundraiser of 24 counts of felony perjury, Howie does not offer Bosworth any alibi. Instead, he accuses "many"—excuse me, "MANY"—South Dakota politicians of committing the same felony:

Let me tell you that these “serious and deliberate” ”crimes” are COMMONPLACE in South Dakota politics. During the frenzy of political seasons, MANY (and I do mean MANY) South Dakota politicians circulate petitions and sign as circulators when they are not “in the room”. At Lincoln Day dinners across the state, Republicans routinely send their petitions around the room. They do not personally witness each signature, but sign the “oath” that they did. I would venture to say that even our Attorney General may be guilty of this practice. PLEASE, Marty, say it isn’t so… not even ONE? [Gordon Howie, "That Evil Annette Bosworth," The Right Side, 2015.01.05]

Well, at least Gordon got the headline right.

Annette Bosworth broke South Dakota law in order to access the ballot and support her lucrative and exploitative fundraising scheme. The evidence is plain, undisputed, and in fact confirmed by Bosworth herself. Gordon Howie is making a claim without naming names or providing evidence. If Howie wants to expose perjury committed by other candidates, I invite him to do so. And if he can produce evidence of other violations of petition law, I will happily join him in calling for the arrest and prosecution of every one of those felonious candidates.

But not one word he says this morning changes the facts and justification for convicting and punishing Annette Bosworth for her cynical, narcissistic, and, most importantly, documented disregard for the law.

Laxity and corruption in the enforcement of election law does not excuse ongoing laxity and corruption.

109 Comments

  1. Jeff Barth 2015.01.05

    Many people speed on the highway, few are caught. Many people drink and drive over and over and are not caught (until they crash).

    Catching some deters the others.

  2. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.05

    I agree, Jeff. Catching and convicting Bosworth could help make 2016's petitions the cleanest batch we've seen.

  3. Lynn 2015.01.05

    I'll be glad when this goes to court and this can finally end though it will interesting to see what is used or revealed as a defense. The outcome will be the same with a conviction most likely.

    Can you have a felony on your record and run for office here in South Dakota?

  4. mike from iowa 2015.01.05

    State probably has wasted enough dinero on this. Bos will plea down to cowl light infraction,pay a small fine(maybe a donation to Jackley's political fund) and have her record expunged until she commits another criminal act.

  5. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    This is an absolute war on Women. Keep women oppressed in SD, but make sure you have a couple of obedient tokens that are subservient to the Plutocracy. I just signed off on a new car without reading the contract. I was told to sign by the pink x mark and I am good to go. I hope there are still people in SD you can still trust. My salesman said everything is correct in the contract and his word is good enough for me, just like Dr. Bosworth's Lawyer, who told her just sign and everything is good to go. Will this set a precedence, that if she is convicted because she did what her lawyer told her to do. Does that mean we can no longer trust our Lawyers, Doctors, Teachers, Parents, Friends. What is this society coming to? Where the signatures legit? That is the question. Maybe Mr. Arends needs to brush up on the law.

  6. JeniW 2015.01.05

    You signed a contract without reading it?!

  7. Donald Pay 2015.01.05

    Howie is right, though he probably overstates the problem. I've witnessed similar things. Circulation of candidate petitions can be extremely sloppy. I would say illegal. That's not to excuse Bosworth, who was particularly criminal in her petition circulation.

    Many, maybe even most, candidates do it right, but the lazy and the self-appointed few tend to cut the corners Howie talks about. Circulating a petition around the room is NOT legal, unless you are standing within a few feet of each signer. As a circulator you want to make sure all boxes are filled out correctly. You can't do that if you're not in the immediate vicinity of the signer. I think Howie is right to point this out. I don't think it's an excuse to let Bosworth off the hook, though. It is time for candidates to clean up their petition circulation fraud, even if it is not intentional. Sending a message through Bosworth is entirely appropriate.

  8. Dave Baumeister 2015.01.05

    Bosworth's lawyer most likely did not tell her "Just sign this and everything will be fine." I imagine this was the usual Bosworth/Haber last minutes "let's do it the way we want" ploy. At any time, Bosworth could have plead this out. But she CHOSE to plead NOT GUILTY. If she had made any of the excuses made for her by Tara Volesky or Gordon Howie, this would have been over and forgiven a LONG time ago. I would agree, the excuses are all very valid, but Bosworth is choosing NOT to use them. In the Bosworth/Haber sphere, a person is "not guilty" just as long as they are breaking a law others may have broken before. Unfortunately for them, the number of people caught is not what validates or invalidates a law. And Ms. Volesky, just because a woman is caught in crime that maybe men have gotten away with does not mean there is a "war on women." Instead, I would say it means the violation is so blatant that it had to be addressed. But remember, it was this woman's own choice for this matter to go so far. I wish she had said "Oops, sorry," and had this over with, but it has made for some fun reading!

  9. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    JeniW, I am not going to read 20 pages of junk. It would be on the car dealership if they tried to screw me over. You almost need a Lawyer to read all that crap. Just got picked up the other day for not having updated license stickers. OOPs I told the cops. I explained the situation and he said no problem, here's a warning and I know you didn't intentionally try and break the law, just make sure you get the stickers on within the next week. It's called being a good cop. Did Bosworth intentionally break the law and were the signatures fake? That is the question. How much money has already been spent on this case. This is all about taking her medical license away and they have been trying for years. She need to sue.

  10. JeniW 2015.01.05

    It is not necessarily on the car dealership that will be held responsible when you sign a contract and you end up in court.

  11. JeniW 2015.01.05

    Did Annette intentionally break the law, I do not know, that is now up to the court system to determine.

  12. Troy 2015.01.05

    I can see why Tara is sympathetic to Annette.

    She signs an agreement that likely said right above her signature something to the effect "I have read this agreement and agree to its terms."

    Her word means nothing since she didn't read it. and if she later doesn't like the terms of what she signed, "it would be on the car dealership."

    I guess in Tara's world, holding a woman to her word is an "absolute war on women."

    This is just about as logical as Howie's rationale. I couldn't make either up if I tried.

  13. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    What is she going to gain by intentionally breaking the law? The question is, are those signatures legitimate? And, did her lawyer tell her sign?

  14. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    Well Troy, when someone goes to the Dr. and Hospital, they make you sign numerous sheets of papers. I really don't think most people read all the fine print, just like John Thune, Kristie Noem and Tim Johnson reading hundreds of pages of important bills, example, Obama Care. You know what I mean Troy. You must really like all that red tape. It's time to go back to the basics. Would you like some more examples of how I have broken the law Troy?

  15. Lee Schoenbeck 2015.01.05

    Cory, you've done a real public service exposing this fraud, but like many, I can hardly wait to get to the way it was a year ago - when we had never heard of this scam artist. It's probably too much to ask for - she's probably got a Valetines Day fundraising letter in the works

  16. bret clanton 2015.01.05

    Cory....off topic here...Troy respond to me on PPs post about the KXL please.....

  17. larry kurtz 2015.01.05

    Bosworth was a Wadhams plant and Lee lauding Cory is a smokescreen.

  18. Laura 2015.01.05

    Tara - this has nothing to do with the fact Annette is a woman it has to do with her breaking the law. There is no "war on women" in this regard. Also, the question is not either the signatures are legitimate it has to do with Annette saying she witnessed the signatures and was willing to attest to those signatures. But in her world there is no accountability to her actions. She just believes that no matter what she does as long as she is "passionate" about it it is ok. Just like some of the issues with her filing improper charges to federal medical programs, prescribing medications that were not approved by such programs. The fact that she believes they are the correct medications for patients unfortunately is the not it is what she was trying to get paid for. No one likes the fact that certain meds, procedures, etc are not approved or need special documentation, but it is how it currently is and until it is changed if you want to continue to practice medical with a legitimate license you have follow the steps. And for your girl Annette she failed to do so on many occasions. And not only in her practice but her campaign as well. She has defrauded too many people for too long and now it's time to for her to say yep I made a mistake, I am accountable and move past it.

    And Tara seriously, read the forms you are signing!!

  19. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    Laura and Lee, seriously read the legal forms that they tried destroying her with over the last 5 years. So Lee, do you feel Mr. Arends has no responsibility in this? If she was part of the Republican establishment, this wouldn't even be an issue. Lee what do you think about the other crazy insane woman Lora Hubbel? The Hubbel rule, lol. Women don't question those middle age, old white men that run SD or you become an outsider. The real issue with Bosworth is Sanford Hospital. Do your homework.

  20. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    I don't have to read all the fine print on my car because they have more than gone out of there way for me, just like I don't have to research all the pain and psychotic drugs my Dr. prescribes to me because I trust him.

  21. Joe K 2015.01.05

    Where would we find those legal forms? Just curious.

  22. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    Lee, you may be an attorney, but you are not going to fool me. Not going to work buddy.

  23. Joe K 2015.01.05

    Tara, I hope you were not responding to me... I can assure you that is my real name. CAH can verify.

  24. Tim 2015.01.05

    "I don't have to research all the pain and psychotic drugs my Dr. prescribes to me because I trust him."

    Tara, have you quit taking your psychotics, and if so, does your Dr know that?

  25. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    I have them Joe, but I really think a huge lawsuit could come of this. I am close friends with another female surgeon that got fired for opening her mouth. She is going after the big boys for punitive damages. Joe, I need to be careful what I say now because these are cases that I will leave up to their attorneys. Are there any lawyers left in SD the will sue Avera and Sanford Lee? Just wondering?

  26. Lynn 2015.01.05

    Good Grief!

  27. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    Tim, I was just making a point. I am not on any prescription drugs, but maybe I should be. Whatever happened to trusting your Accountant, Lawyer, Dr., Building contractor, Car dealer. Like I am trying to explain, a handshake use to be golden. I guess I live my life like they did a couple of generations ago. The only people I have a hard time trusting would be Politicians.

  28. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    Ya, good grief. Are all these comments coming from the Republican establishment. I guess people are satisfied with the one party rule.

  29. Lynn 2015.01.05

    Tara what happened to taking reponsibility for our actions? I read contracts and rules the best I can and if there is verbage I can't understand I'll contact that entity to clarify. Mistakes happen and there may be oversight but I'll still accept responsibility.

  30. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    Larry is the only other person that will call out Schoenbeck. oooh, are you afraid to challenge a lawyer who happens to be part of the Republican establishment? Of course he is going to defend Bosworth's attorney who gave her the legal advice. My goodness people, it's no wonder why the Democrat Party is dead. You also let the Republicans destroy Kathy Tyler and remained quiet during the last session over EB-5. Good job to Jeff Barth who filed a lawsuit and spoke out on the EB-5.

  31. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    Lynn, I just got a bank statement, and got some over draft charges which I wasn't aware of. So, I went to the bank and they had no problem crediting me for the charges. Like I said people should help each other instead of be out to get each other. There is to much hate and fear in this world. I could never throw a wonderful Dr. and Mother in jail over some signatures. You know what her intent was. They didn't throw Wismer in jail for Perjury. I can go on and on and on, but I don't want to embarrass people.

  32. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    So Lynn, by accepting responsibility in which Bosworth did, don't you think maybe pay a little fine like the Thune boys did instead of going to jail or losing her medical license? This is an embarrassment to the state of SD for all the taxpayers money that has been spent on this. I sure hope I get called as a witness. I hope all the people that where harassed file a class action lawsuit against the state.

  33. Roger Cornelius 2015.01.05

    If a senator or congress member fails to read legislation that they are voting on, it is reckless and irresponsible, it is not against the law.
    If a patient fails to read about medications they are ingesting and later have problems with, it is reckless and irresponsible. It is not against the law.
    If a car or home buyer fails to read the contracts they sign and later have problems with their purchase, it is reckless and irresponsible. it is not against the law.
    When a politician decides to run for public office and fails to learn election laws and procedures for the state they are running in, it is reckless and irresponsible. If they fail to follow those election and blatantly disregard them, they have broken the law.
    Simply because a candidate is a doctor or any other kind of professional, does not give them a pass for their law breaking. In fact it could be argued that a doctor should know better and question what they are signing.
    It appears that the doctor ran her campaign in much the same fashion she ran her medical practice, with reckless disregard for the law.
    Furthermore, to say that the Bosworth case is a "war on women" diminishes the real Republican "War on Women".

  34. Lynn 2015.01.05

    Tara, It's in the legal system and we might as well let it run it's course. That trial will be between the State of South Dakota and Annette Bosworth. We are not involved. The sooner it's over the better for everyone.

  35. Roger Cornelius 2015.01.05

    The real question about taxpayer is not how much the state has spent to investigate and prosecute Bosworth, it is how much Bosworth has cost the state with her recklessness?

  36. lorahubbel 2015.01.05

    My assessment/opinion/understanding of the Annette isssue: Politically she is naïve. She thinks we all know the back-story and we don't. For example she developed a program of Health Records and Sanford hired her for her efforts. Annette didn't realize it fit well with their pro-ObamaCare scheme. She quit when she found out they were selling "her" system to insurance companies and even Raven Industries. The thought that now private companies can buy your sensitive health records made Annette quit Sanford. She probably didn't fully understand the (should-be-illegal) non-compete clause and they took after her. My understanding of how Sanford has gotten rich is purely by the legislative process... being able to legally steal from poor people when Janklow abolished the usury laws and then by bankrupting sick people when Pierre cozied up to him with favorable healthcare laws..in other words he got rich by monopolistic capitalism, not by American Capitalism. So naturally Sanford looked to his cronies in Pierre to get help. This is my opinion...with all of Rounds millions he "planted" opposition when he knew he was going to be challenged for the Senate seat. He needed candidates to split the conservatives lest they got too many votes. I see Annette and other candidates as "draws" away from a formidable "Round's Opponent"...whether those candidates knew it or not.
    But she is crazy right? Well, she DID dare to say to a fully tattooed clinician who was diagnosing her that his bragging about his genital piercings was inappropriate...for that she was labeled narcissistic ...which they reported to us as her being crazy. And wait till you hear the REST of her story.

  37. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    Yes Lynn, I am involved because I don't like politically naïve first time candidates who trusted their attorney getting bullied by the Democrat and Republican party establisments.

  38. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    Watch out Lora, the Democrats and their Republican sidekicks will be going after you again. It's amazing how the 2 Parties work together to bully women that speak out. That's why women are oppressed and discriminated on SD. Remember girls, don't poke the bear.

  39. Lynn 2015.01.05

    Lora,

    If all this happened as you say and there is documentation and emails to back it up I don't see what all this has to do with her perjury trial.

  40. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    You Democrats should be recruiting Hubbel to your team. What a great spokesperson for the people. Oh I forgot, you got to keep on hating her because she is still an anti-establishment Republican. Pick and Choose.

  41. Owen 2015.01.05

    Lets see Tara. Democrats ran a woman for Governor and Lt. Governor. The Democrats ran a woman for the US House.
    Right, there is a war on women by the Democrats.

  42. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    Owen, they are way to nice. You need a pit bull like Hubbel. They wouldn't even team up with us. Hubbel is a Republican and their is no comparison how she attacks the Republican machine compared to how the Democrats deal with the machine. All you people did was help the Republican establishment discredit her. You have to get outside the box because what you have been doing is not working. OK, I am done for a few hours.

  43. SDTeacher 2015.01.05

    Lora Hubbel did not need the democratic machine to discredit her. All she needed was to open her own mouth and use Tara as her spokesperson. Credibility zero.

    ***I just signed by the pretty pink x, right where the nice man told me!!... giggle, giggle and aren't I adorable!!***

    Good Lord. With friends like this, women in South Dakota don't need enemies. Way to fully embrace the patriarchy Tara.

  44. grudznick 2015.01.05

    Mrs. Volesky, I do enjoy your stories. If you, young Dr. Bos, and Ms. Hubbel had tea together, what sort of tea would you chose for it to be?

  45. daleb 2015.01.05

    I was really disappointed to read Howie's blog.

    Its similiar to watching someone in the throws of addiction. Always a victim never their fault. Then when someone tries to make them accountable for their actions they are being persecuted. People who fall for this type of stuff and think they are helping the addict are in fact making it worse for them, allowing them to continue on further into their addiction. At some point there is no return.

  46. lorahubbel 2015.01.05

    I know Cory will check my sources (he is great on getting to the primary sources) So...Just throwing out a question...what did we do with Todd Schlekeway's sin of notarizing petitions where HE did not witness the signatures? I believe he got a fine that the Republican party paid....that could have been trumped to a felony also...but instead of prosecuting him the party gave him a nod to run for State House. Check out this article. But note that is says, '"NOTARY violations are very, very common.' said SOS Chris Nelson". It goes on to say that the only reason why Schlekeway and others were charged is because THEY DISENFRANCHISED the voter. But the opposite happened with Annette....the AG disenfranchised HER voters by serving her papers AFTER the election. If he knew he she had an invalid petition and was going to cast a felony on her (which would have taken away her Senate office had she won) ...why didn't he do it sooner so her voters could vote for someone else? That is disenfranchisement to me! Here is the article (and I downloaded it "just in case"). http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/six-charged-in-ballot-probe/article_b7e7f9ab-53c3-58ea-ab4f-a0a037d4f881.html
    AND what about Brian Gosch's sin of notarizing his own petitions. I emailed the National notary Assn about Brian's actions and this is what they said, "
    --- On Tue, 7/10/12, Lori Farmer wrote:
    From: Lori Farmer
    Subject: RE: notarize your own petition?
    To: "Lora Hubbel"
    Date: Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 8:14 PM
    Hello Lora,
    Thank you for your inquiry. If you are named, or have interest in the transaction you cannot notarize. I pulled the information below from the Secretary of State’s website.
    § 18–1–12.2. Party to transaction as notary public prohibited.
    It is a Class 1 misdemeanor for a person to affix a signature to a document as a notary public when the person has also signed the document as a party to the transaction proceeding. Thank you, {lori farmer}
    I even sent this email to Gant just so he would not get in trouble letting Gosch off the hook. I guess you don't get in trouble if you are part of the cartel....SEE WHY I RAN AGAINST THESE GUYS????

  47. Deb Geelsdottir 2015.01.05

    Roger's statement is correct:
    "Furthermore, to say that the Bosworth case is a "war on women" diminishes the real Republican "War on Women"."

    daleb makes an excellent point too:
    "Always a victim never their fault. Then when someone tries to make them accountable for their actions they are being persecuted."

    Bosworth is accused of committing criminal acts and she will be prosecuted for them. It has nothing to do with her gender. Being a woman is a wonderful thing, and certainly no excuse for illegal behavior. Women deserve to be held to a high standard.

  48. lorahubbel 2015.01.05

    Dear SD teacher....I love your hypocrisy when you say all I have to do is open my mouth...that way you can giggle giggle while you throw fire brands without any documentation. WHAT have I said that you don't like? I bet you cannot recall a single quote from me since so few media outlets took notice of me. I guess the media doesn't bite the hand that feeds them and the establishment wields that kind of influence in advertisement money.

  49. daleb 2015.01.05

    Annette did not notarize any of her petitions - no double standard exists. Annette was made aware of impending charges somewhere around a month before the primary election. She disenfranchised her own voters by not withdrawing. Had she withdrawn it would have shown character and saved this state thousands of dollars.

  50. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    SD Teacher and who ever else that is on the establishment bandwagon, victims make excuses, yes I agree, poor me. I don't think it's going to work when you try and undermine Lora and me. You won't even say your name, you sellout. At least we put our names on the line. Victims, and chicken shits won't print their name. If you're going to make cheap shots, put your name to it. That's the problem with people that don't use their name. FEARFUL.

  51. daleb 2015.01.05

    must have taken bullying lessons from Annette and Chad. lol.

  52. tara volesky 2015.01.05

    say your name, say your name. lol

  53. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.06

    Lora, there is no "rest of the story" that is relevant to the petition perjury. That's the kind of "story" smokescreen Bosworth blows whenever people start catching on to one of her scams. The Sanford back story has no bearing on the charges for which Bosworth will stand trial in February.

    AG Jackley disenfranchised no one. Even with these charges, Jackley has at no point posited that Bosworth's actions invalidated her petitions and would have kept her off the ballot. He and Secretary Gant refused to take that action when it would have mattered, when I first brought this evidence to light on April 1, 2014, before Bosworth's name was placed (wrongfully) on the ballot.

    And Tara, your contract-fine-print argument does not apply here. We are not talking about a lengthy, confusing legal document. We are talking about one petition sheet, front and back, with two very simple, straightforward sections of instructions. The charges against Bosworth hinge around her failure to follow this one-sentence instruction:

    "I under oath, state that I circulated the above petition, that each signer personally signed this petition in my presence, and that either the signer or I added the printed name, the residence of the signer, the date of signing, and the county of voter registration."

    Each signer personally signed this petition in my presence—that's no tricky twenty-page contract. Understanding that line requires no law degree.

    And while the whole "War on Women" digression has no bearing on the legal questions before the court, Roger makes an apt point that applying such rhetoric to Bosworth's felonious behavior trivializes the discussion of women's equality.

  54. tara volesky 2015.01.06

    Nobody seems to answer this question; Joel Arends who was Bosworth's campaign attorney and who went on the mission trip with; when they got back, why would he tell her to sign the petitions and then notarize them. Anybody have an answer?

  55. tara volesky 2015.01.06

    Question; were the signatures legit? I really think this is about taking her medical license away. Is Arends going to get his law license taken away too for giving her illegal advice and illegally notarizing them?

  56. JeniW 2015.01.06

    Tara, has anyone filed charges against Arends, or filed a lawsuit?

    What is it that you expect/want us as participants of this venue to do?

  57. tara volesky 2015.01.06

    JeniW, my guess, Arends will be subpoenaed. Sorry I don't know how to copy and paste, but if you listen to the KELO radio interview, you could tell Bosworth was trying to protect him by dodging the questions. She was being the fall guy but I think enough people told her, you need to put your friendship aside and focus on the facts. After Arends heard the interview, he conned her into signing a document that he had nothing to do with it. There are witnesses that I hope will testify. It's pretty much an open, shut case. I would discredit her it the signatures were fraudulent, but to me that is the key....Did you attorney tell you to sign and did he notorize the signatures?

  58. tara volesky 2015.01.06

    I believe some out of state attorneys would love to file some lawsuits, but it is a process. Get through this with hopefully a fine. What gets me is why won't the state settle? There is no question that Bosworth signed the petitions, you just need to compare it to other cases in SD, such as the Schlecaway case. You can like her of hate her but she's bucks the medical gangs and the AG., and they don't like it. So they were hoping she would just go away, but I don't see that happening. I have seen this happen so many times, this is how the machine operates.

  59. lorahubbel 2015.01.06

    You are right Cory....my point is that this issue has been blown off for years. I recall asking about this issue and being told....its not that big of deal just so you get legitimate signatures and that they know for sure who/or what they are signing....that actually seeing them sign is a hard bar to meet. The word among candidates is that this is not big deal .....just like the article I linked to....even the most stickler of Sec of States...Chris Nelson...indicates in the article something to the effect that notary issues like this are COMMON.
    My point was that the Republican Elitists will pick and chose what bunches up their underwear and will let a turd remain as long as it fits in their tiny box.

  60. lorahubbel 2015.01.06

    hmmm....no pun intended

  61. Roger Cornelius 2015.01.06

    Has Bosworth's defense lawyer asked for a plea deal? That process works both ways, the prosecution and the defense can both seek a settlement before trial.
    As I understand it and correct me if I am wrong, Bosworth's intentions were and are to fight this thing all the way and with encouragement from Tara, probably will.
    If Arends did anything illegal, which I can't see that he did, it will likely come out at trial and than the state can press charges at that time.
    Bosworth can put an end to this now, she needs to accept the consequences of her admitted illegal actions.

  62. Roger Cornelius 2015.01.06

    What kind of gun did Arends hold to the head of Bosworth to make her sign these fraudulent petitions?

  63. mike from iowa 2015.01.06

    Roger-didn't Arends notarize her petitions knowing full well she didn't witness the signings as they were both in the Phillipines together? That would make him an accesory to a crime at the very least,it seems to me. He is,afterall,supposed to know better.

  64. Joe K 2015.01.06

    Giving bad advice as an attorney is not a crime in most cases, it just opens you up to a malpractice suit.

    Now, let me play devil's advocate here. Keep in mind, this is not based on facts, just random thinking since we can only hear one side of the story - since Arends is bound by attorney/client privlage, and cannot speak.

    What if Arends advised her not to sign, but she assumed the risk, thinking no one would notice? After all, some signatures were not completely filled out - so she wanted to make sure she got the required number in. Heck, who has the time to check thousands of signatures anyways? Unexpectedly, some fine folks do - and raise a red flag on the suspicious signatures. This candidate then goes on the radio, and comes up with excuses on why the petitions were signed - throwing her attorney under the bus.
    The attorney hears this over his Bose radio, and proceeds to crap his professional pants. He then asks her to sign the document taking back what was said on the radio... Now, he is the bad guy with all the blame pointed in his direction.

    Like I said earlier, we only have one side of the story. Keep in mind, this is from the side that has shown disregard to previous attorney's advice - like the video she uploaded with her and pornahan "breaking ties" - shortly after her attorney at the time did a press release how pornahan was no longer her spokesperson.

    Cant make this stuff up.

  65. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.06

    Tara, let's review Bosworth's shifting story on Arends. First she went on the radio April 17, 2014, and tried to blame Arends for her petition errors. The next day, Bosworth issued a retraction, saying she did not seek legal counsel on her petitions. I suspect that retraction came under orders from attorney Arends. Then two months later, June 18, 2014, after her arrest, with the grand jury hearing coming, Bosworth retracted her retraction and blamed Arends. She has no consistent story here, nothing a jury can believe from her mouth.

    And it does not matter. She said she broke the law. No one forced her to break the law. She owns the violation. A jury reading the law and ignoring sob stories convicts in five minutes.

  66. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.06

    As Joe K says, if Arends was involved at all, if he said, "Sure, Annette, break the law," the proper redress is not to acquit Annette; it's to punish Arends as well. Yes, I wholeheartedly support a felony conviction and revocation of Bosworth's medical license right alongside charging Arends for complicity in her fraud and revoking his law license.

  67. mike from iowa 2015.01.06

    Joe K-if Arends advised her not to sign,he should not have notarized the petitions. My guess is that still puts and keeps him in hot water. Unless I'm totally missing your point.

  68. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.06

    Lora, I suspect the reason we haven't gone after this allegedly widespread violation of petition law is because we've never had such concrete evidence of petition fraud. We have signatures stamped with Bosworth's circulator's oath during the dates of a widely known and evidentiarily attested overseas trip. We have Bosworth herself admitting she did not do exactly what she swore in her oath she did. We have multiple witnesses telling investigators that Bosworth did not witness their signatures. Show me another nominating petition (seriously! do! help me expose this widespread fraud!) where we can so definitively prove a fraudulent circulator's oath.

    That's the fundamental problem with Howie's "defense": we can say, "Ah, the big guys commit this crime all the time," but we don't have any evidence. That accusation thus is irrelevant and unactionable.

    Bosworth is not facing charges because I wrote mean blog posts. Bosworth is facing charges because documents prove she committed a crime. Documents.

  69. grudznick 2015.01.06

    You were kind of mean to the pretty young doctor, Mr. H, but you are right that is not why she is facing charges. I don't grasp with my brain why these people don't understand signing a document that says "abc" means you signed to "abc". I sure would like to sell Ms. Volelsky a car or two, or maybe this plot of land I have that I think Ron would really like to fish on.

  70. Joe K 2015.01.06

    Mike, I agree - but as I mentioned, if she assumed the risk, who is he to stop her? After all, he was not signing the oath on the petitions, and agreeing to the validity of the signatures contained within. He was just validating that Annette was the one who signed and agreed to the oath on the petition. He could have looked at each signature, saw the name Scooby Doo on every line, and still notarized it. I may be wrong, as I am not familiar with all the duties and rules of being a notary. Throw into the mix that he was acting as her attorney, well... It just gets to be a mess.

  71. tara volesky 2015.01.07

    I was talking to a USD Law professor today who is from out of state and he told me he could not believe how backwards this state is. We are right there with Mississippi. Narrow minded thinkers. While the slimeballs that run the state have fleeced millions out of if. Signing and notarizing petitions with ligament signatures seems to be more important than all the corruption that is going on in this state. We wonder why there is little difference between the 2 parties and the Democrat party is irrelevant. It's easier to gang up on a Female Dr., than question the AG as to why he is spending all this money tying to get her. Maybe Cory, you should a call to Sanford and get their take as to why she left. I think we have a bigger problem with the giant hospital monopolies the control the healthcare market. Oh ya consolidating was suppose to lower prices? Just the opposite happened. It's much easier to talk about the ACA. Why don't you ever talk about the guy that actually took names out of the phone book?

  72. leslie 2015.01.07

    failures to prosecute previous petition frauds are like similar failures so far to stop republican gerrymandering (like the district 33 RV'ers from hell). until the right case comes along with the right facts and evidence, it is a pretty up-hill climb.

    and who is going to bring the suit, and PAY for it? justice for the rich, yeah!!!!

  73. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.07

    Tara, you insult me with your false accusations of sexism. I've been harder on Chad Haber than on Annette Bosworth, but you've never accused me of an anti-male bias. I've said that Annette Bosworth and North Dakota's Duane Sand are equally vile for continuing to exploit vulnerable out-state retirees through Base Connect fundraising. There is no sexism in my reporting and criticism of Bosworth's and Haber's crimes. Annette Bosworth was arrested and is going to trial not because she is a woman but because she committed felony perjury and left solid, obvious evidence thereof.

  74. tara volesky 2015.01.07

    Cory, show me where I insulted you with false accusations of sexism. I do believe there is sexism in SD. Generally speaking we still have the old school mentality of women are to be subservient to men. My philosophy on that is; don't submit........... outwit. It is a covertness just like how minorities feel.

  75. tara volesky 2015.01.07

    Just watch how the state of SD operates. They are going to find a way to protect Joel Arends from getting subpoenaed. The commenters of Madville Times and so-called Democrats are going to get bamboozled again.

  76. JeniW 2015.01.07

    Tara, what exactly is it that you expect/want the participants of this blog site to do?

    You seem to want people to stick up for individuals that you support, and the issues that you advocate for, then in the next breath insult/demean the Democrats by making comments such as, quote from you "Democrat party is irrelevant..."

  77. tara volesky 2015.01.07

    JeniW, I don't expect this blog to do anything, because they have no guts. Yes the Democrat Party has no one to blame but themselves. They play the safe card instead of attacking controversial issues. It's just the culture of SD politics. SD, no matter what party affiliation you are is a very conservative state, and Democrats are part of the problem.

  78. larry kurtz 2015.01.07

    Cory, you are too close to this story to be journalistically objective: show us the diesel fuel or expect your motives to be suspect.

  79. tara volesky 2015.01.07

    JeniW., I just don't fit into the SD Democrat Party because they are to fearful to stand up for the little guy. It is so much easier to get on the bandwagon with the establishment and help destroy the little guy, even before doing your research.

  80. Tim 2015.01.07

    "even before doing your research."
    Maybe you should try this before you call all of us out, shit, half the time we can't even figure out what it is you are yelling about.

  81. tara volesky 2015.01.07

    Yes Tim you're right, I am probably better off keeping my mouth shut. Tim, there is so much stuff going on behind closed doors, in which most people cannot comprehend. I am a right fighter, and I will always defend the little guy. That's just who I am and who I will always be.

  82. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.07

    Tara,for evidence that you are painting me as a sexist, see your statement above, "This is an absolute war on women." See also, "It's amazing how the 2 Parties work together to bully women that speak out." See the references to Bosworth's sex, which you use to create the impression that the only reason I attack Bosworth is because she's a woman. See Laura's response, along with others', which make clear that you are creating lodging that charge. Fortunately, no one is buying it, but the insult remains, and you should know better.

    You also accuse me of cowardice when you say, "JeniW, I don't expect this blog to do anything, because they have no guts." I have challenged Bosworth and Haber, who have spent a decade using lies and intimidation to fleece almost everyone around them. I have publicly criticized a (fake!) U.S. Senate candidate who was able to raise $2 million, some of which she used to attack me personally and professionally. I reject your accusation of fearfulness.

  83. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.07

    Larry, I cannot figure out what relevance your statement about my objectivity has to do with the evidence against Bosworth.

  84. Roger Cornelius 2015.01.07

    To be clear, and realistic, Madville Times, the Democratic Party or those that comment here can help Bosworth. She or her supporters shouldn't expect that.
    Cory's threads on Bosworth and the comments made here are not likely admissible in court so they won't help Bosworth with legal entanglements she has gotten herself into.
    Tara comes here and ridicules Democrats on a primarily Democrat blog and then expects us to stand up and defend a Republican that has broken numerous laws. How logical is that? Really Tara, what is your expectation?
    If you expect nothing from us why bother with your irrational defense of Bosworth?
    Bosworth's current legal problems do not include Avera, they do include any kind of conspiracy. Arends involvement is entirely separate legal issue, if there is one.
    I've suggested to Tara on more than one occasion that she should write her own blog and expose all these conspiracies she comes up with, now is the time Tara, write that blog.

  85. larry kurtz 2015.01.07

    Cory, unless you can directly tie Bosworth/Haber to the Rounds campaign your obsession with here looks like a personal vendetta.

  86. Roger Cornelius 2015.01.07

    Larry,
    From Cory's writings on Bosworth I have never gotten the impression that he has even attempted to tie Bosworth/Haber to Rounds. What am I missing?

  87. Owen 2015.01.07

    "I am a right fighter, and I will always defend the little guy."

    But the little guy has to be worth defending Tara

  88. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.07

    What, Larry? That's just nuts. Whatever you're trying to say has nothing to do with the validity of the evidence against Bosworth.

  89. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.07

    ...and what Owen said! The very first post I ever did about Annette Bosworth in 2012 sympathized with her as an underdog who seemed to be catching heck from the powers that be. The following year, I learned she deserved to catch heck. I can be led astray by my underdog sympathies, and Dr. Bosworth has regularly created a false underdog story to lure in marks.

  90. larry kurtz 2015.01.07

    “Do or do not. There is no try.”

  91. larry kurtz 2015.01.07

    Bosworth was led into a trap by the Rounds campaign: dig it or don't.

  92. tara volesky 2015.01.07

    Larry, you're the man! There is now way I will ever support MJ, JA and the machine over the Boz. Bottom line, did her attorney Joel Arends tell her to sign those petitions, then tell her she is good to go, and then notarize them. True or false? that is the question.

  93. grudznick 2015.01.07

    Dr. Bos willing participated in being a pretty little distraction, salted with insanity, that Mr. Wadhams waved at the voters and Dr. Bos is being compensated accordingly, I have little doubt. Those kids won't have to live in and RV down by the river ever again even if their daddy never gets a real job.

  94. tara volesky 2015.01.07

    Grudz, you are ridiculous.

  95. grudznick 2015.01.07

    Ms. Volesky, I fear I am being swayed by Mr. kurtz's information. It does seem to be true, but I still remain a huger Dr. Bos fan than most. She is very pretty.

  96. daleb 2015.01.08

    Boz got past the MBOE and kept her license, and got her Medicaid reimbursement account re-activated. That was her payment to run for senate. She wasnt supposed to win and somewhere along the line she got in bad favor with the GOP. Maybe it was the fundraising. Maybe it was the mission trip and illegal signatures on the nomination ballots. Maybe the GOP underestimated the outrage people had over her shenanigans or all of the above. Unlike some of the wackos out there who think Jackely is waging a vendetta against Bosworth, I do think the attorney generals office wants nothing to do with prosecuting her, or persecuting her. If they could plead it out and or drop the charges they would.

    I highly doubt that Arends ever told her it was okay to turn the sheets out. I think it just kinda slipped past them. They probably had signing/notarizing sessions where they just took care of 10-20 petitions and it slipped their minds that these happened while they were out of the country. Council does not necessarily mean attorney. Under advice of council could mean pretty much anyone. If I was her attorney and those 6 sheets came to my attention I would have said we got 3200 some odd signatures just throw them out and never speak of it. Its more likely that Arends was never told about the sheets or ever found out about it until this blog found it. BTW Arends is still Bosworth's attorney.

  97. leslie 2015.01.08

    "lipsticked pitbull" sarah palin would like "don't submit........outwit". think i'll tweet her :)

  98. tara volesky 2015.01.08

    daleb, the signatures were not illegal. The DCI went to numerous addresses which showed that the signatures were legal. I think when all the money started pouring in, that's when her campaign staffers started getting worried. daleb, I believe the AG is waging war or he would have settled a long time ago. I was incorrect when I said she would go to jail before settling. She does not want to lose her medical license. A stupid error by a trusting Dr., doing what she was told, by her good friend and lawyer. Cory, she took JA on that mission trip. Any good juicy gossip? lol.

  99. tara volesky 2015.01.08

    leslie, I must confess, I plagiarized the quote from Rev. Billy Graham's wife, Ruth.

  100. caheidelberger Post author | 2015.01.09

    This is no war. This is prosecution of a simple, obvious, and unrefuted crime. Bosworth's signature on her false circulator's oath was illegal. I contend that the false circulator's oath makes the signatures illegal—i.e., invalid, not counting toward the signatures necessary for placement on the ballot—but the February trial will likely not address that issue.

  101. tara volesky 2015.01.09

    Not disagreeing Cory, settle the case by paying a fine for a misdemeanor. Treat her like everybody else. The state needs to quite bullying the little guy. Oh, Mr. Arends you are deserving of a fine too.

  102. Bill Dithmer 2015.01.09

    After using a reader to listen to 102 comments, I have one observation. The dead horse isnt gonna get up and whiny. Its starting to stink and someone needs to drag it out in the pasture and bury it.

    I know none of you want to hear this, but Madville has been poking that damn horse for a couple of years. It reminds me of someone writing a story. Your going along pretty good, and then cant find an ending. It bothers the hell out of you until you realize the story wasnt any good in the first place.

    Everyone that has commented on this thread is a lot right, but a little bit wrong. There is no question that the good Dr broke the law. The real question, and the only one that makes sense for the future of SD is this. After this is over, will the state actually work to stop the cheating or will they pick and choose with political motivations driving their decisions?

    Two sides of a page. Cory is right, if he could get through it someone with a Drs degree shouldnt have any trouble mudleing through it. And while I understood that the excuse that "others have done it" and gotten away with it, has some validity, just try using that in drug court.

    Its tuff to plead innocent by egnorence when your a doctor. Make no mistake, from the Drs angle this case is all about saving a medical license. With all the Chanette schemes from the past, and her obvious instability this doesnt look possible.

    Tara is right about one thing. The political powers that be, used Annette Bosworth. She was an attention getter, a publicity whore, a narcacist, and so convenient at the time, why not. They rode that story like a stick horse on its fourth generation of kids to distract most of the voting public from the real issues.

    Tara is suffering from hero worship, "the Jim Jones syndrome."

    Lora is suffering from "radical right" syndrome.

    Grudz is suffering from "hidden truth" complex. He pushes and pokes around the edges like a person checking out a boil. I like Grudz.

    Lee only found out about this a year ago. How long has Madville been following it? That alone should bring into question his validity. Really Lee, "get back to the way they were a year ago?" Dont you really mean ten, twenty, or fifty years ago?

    Not much has changed here in Madville since this all started, same people, same comments.

    Bury the damn stinking horse and buy a new one. Its time to move on.

    The Blindman

  103. tara volesky 2015.01.09

    Yes, bury the dead horse Cory. Bill is right on that one, but Bill, you don't even know me. I can't say I worship anyone. Defending someone, and worshipping someone at 2 different things. Who cares if she is narcissistic or a publicity whore. Is that against the law. Most politicians, people with high intelligence, Drs., and lawyers are narcissistic, manic depressive, OCD,or addicts. Just read about some of our greatest leader where very flawed and troubled. Could you imagine Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy, I don't think they could have ever become President if there was the internet in their day.

  104. tara volesky 2015.01.09

    Bill, can I ask what you are suffering from?

  105. Bill Dithmer 2015.01.09

    Tara you are correct, I'm suffering from several ailments. Terminal "long sightedness," a life long obsession with reality, bugetary limitations, people that are a pain in the ass, aches and pains, increasing vision problems, sometimes excessive flatulence, a nonconformist attitude, and a double degit IQ.

    The Blindman

    Isn't everybody?

  106. tara volesky 2015.01.09

    You are funny Bill.

  107. Bill Dithmer 2015.01.09

    Tara, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Kennedy, all tried to keep their infirmities from the public. Annette wears her problem like a komono on a naked body, jerking it up like, like a lady doctor in a hospital flashing people so she can get their attention.

    Could these men get elected today? That could be argued. You've made my point for me when you compared Annette to those men, when there is no real comparison. Hero worship.

    The Blindman

  108. tara volesky 2015.01.09

    Stop it Bill. I fight for women's rights. Bosworth is a female Dr., and the bar is set much higher when you are a woman.

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