ML's Soul of Detroit: Closing the book on Macomb County's corruption?
(FOX 2) - M.L. Elrick (@elrick) and Marc Fellhauer (@MarcFell) make podcast magic in Drew’s basement while Shawn Windsor (@ShawnWindsor) dials in from his probation officer’s favorite bar.
THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Life is full of mysteries; some big, some small. So ML and Marc start off by puzzling over the whereabouts of the RoboCop statue.
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ML makes a lame secret agent number joke and shamelessly encourages listeners to check out the all-James Bond and all-beer episodes they may have forsaken while takin’ their vacations.
A lethargic ML explains why he has been getting up early to cover a trial in Port Huron:
Exhibit A: Ex-businessmen and former public officials appears in court for Macomb Corruption case
Exhibit B: Macomb County officials named in court for allegedly taking Faisal Khan bribes
Several fascinating revelations emerged during the bribery trial of an obscure civil engineer, including who they feds have been after for more than 5 years, the names of a slew of public officials who have not been charged but who the feds say took bribes, and the reunion of the defense and prosecution teams who battled over Kwame Kilpatrick’s fate six years ago.
ML discloses an unmanly fondness for defense attorney James Thomas - and Marc asks if the defendant in this current case may have hired Thomas because he once represented Kwame Kilpatrick.
Defense attorneys hate prosecutors and investigators, and vice-versa, right? ML provides some insights into the surprisingly collegial relationship between all parties in this case.
In the Kilpatrick case, defense attorneys representing public officials complained that the feds didn’t prosecute the businesspeople who bribed the officials. Listen and hear how those same attorneys feel now that the feds are going after the businesspeople who hired those lawyers this time around.
Marc asks how the Macomb County public corruption investigation differs from the investigation into Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith (who has not been charged with any wrongdoing). ML does his best to answer.
The feds use testimony to reveal that they think some public officials who have not been charged with crimes took bribes. ML asks Marc if he thinks that’s fair.
Why should you care about who the public works commissioner is? ML explains…
ML reveals how troublemakers who get caught turn from dirty dealers in to squealers
Ever wonder how the feds build a case? Listen and learn, my friends, listen and learn.
THE GREAT DEBATE: One of Detroit’s daily newspapers says the Michigan Wolverines have the toughest schedule of all Big 10 football teams. ML points out why that’s obviously wrong. Find out who he thinks has the toughest road to the Big 10 Championship. And listen to some flawed reasoning from Marc and Shawn.
GEEK OF THE WEEK: He was one of the most highly-regarded Spartans of recent years. Now he’s a defendant. Listen and learn about the honoree whose name rhymes with “geek.”
Watching Malik McDowell tussle with police is a gut punch. He was a star
ROOM 7609: Marc once posited “are they any good AMERICAN NuWave bands?” ML responds with a fairly successful, but seemingly forgotten group from New Jersey - The Smithereens.
Marc and ML wrap up with a stop in the ML SOD mailroom to read some reader comments - finding surprisingly strong support for the show’s most maligned segment!!!
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