The crime of "bearing false witness" is rarely tracked or punished, and the context in which it is usually raised is highly politicized....
Over the past decade false accusations of rape have drastically increased. And, these new cases are not just targeted at the rich and famous like NBA star Kobe Bryant, who are sometimes easy marks for quick payoffs to avoid public scandals and or civil suits. There is also money to be made by any accuser, of every ethnic background, who can get into the mainstream media with their false allegations. Even after the charges against the men are found to be concocted.
Now, we are seeing a new pattern of making big bucks through back door deals ranging from personal appearances on shows like Oprah, book deals and donations and other monetary gains to the alleged victims family from sympathizers and well wishers.
.Remember the Duke lacrosse scandal where exotic stripper Crystal Mangum, pictured to the left, accused three members of the Duke team of sexually assaulting her while she was dirty dancing at a frat party. That was in March 2006. Then, her rape allegations fell apart as a lie, but not before her story became a household topic across the entire country and abroad. Her made up claims intentionally destroyed the reputation of the accused men and the university. But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for her.NOW, she is cashing in with her new tell all book titled "The Last Dance For Grace… The Crystal Mangum Story." As one person told us, maybe it should be titled "Last Chance To Cash In." Her version of a tell all book is due out in October of this year… Since she was never charged with perjury, false swearing, obstruction or any type of crime, Mangum will be able to by-pass the old "Son of Sam" law that would stop her from benefiting from her crimes and the mental anguish and abuse to those young men.
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Which brings us to the point for this story…..What message are prosecutors sending when the list of women is mounting who have made false accusations against people and are never held accountable for doing so? Also, what message does it send to the women who are actually raped?
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Most recently, in fact, this month, a new case evolved where a young college female accused five men of gang raping her in a dorm bathroom. Four of the men were arrested and jailed while police searched for the fifth suspect. This all came about at the University of Hofstra in Mineola, NY. Hofstra was in the news earlier during the presidential race when the last debate was held there in 2008.
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Prosecutors case quickly unraveled though when it discovered that one of the alleged rapists videotaped the entire act, which one officer later described that it looked more like a "porn movie" and that Danmell Ndonye appeared to be enjoying herself. Or, as it was said, "getting her freak on." When confronted with the video, Ms Ndonye recanted her story and stated she did have consensual sex with all five men but claimed it was rape because she did not want her boyfriend to know it was consensual or her family to think she was a slut. Charges were dropped against all the men. But, the female prosecutor states that she is not pursuing charges against the woman at this time because Ndonye is a "troubled" young woman who needs help.
Lets not forget other troubled young women whose horrendous cases made it to the mainstream media, and later turned out to be false or only half true. But, managed to scar innocent people’s reputations for life.
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.One of the most shocking crimes that horrified Americans occurred back in November of 1987. Fifteen year old Tawana Brawley, pictured to the left, accused six white men of repeatedly raping her in New York. She went as far as to accuse several cops and a New York prosecutor as her attackers. Brawley had been missing for four days, was found lying conscious but unresponsive in a garbage bag several feet from an apartment where she had once lived. Her clothing was torn and burned, her body smeared with feces. She was taken to the emergency room, where various slurs and epithets were discovered written on her torso with a black substance described as charcoal..
The accusations against these white men led to civil unrest. People like Al Sharpton and the Black Panther Party quickly came to Brawley’s aid and fueled it all into racist hate and a call to rise up against whitey. Celebrities like Bill Cosby came to her side to offer support. Money and other gratuities quickly arrived at the home of Tawana Brawley by people all over the world who heard what had happened.
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The true facts of the case slowly emerged when evidence and her story just did not add up. Charges were dropped, but the damage was already done. Why did the 15-year-old girl make these horrendous claims? Much of the Grand Jury evidence pointed to a possible motive for Brawley's falsifying the incident. They believed Brawley was trying to avoid violent punishment from her mother and her stepfather, Ralph King. Witnesses testified that Glenda Brawley had beaten her daughter for running away and for spending nights with boys. King had a history of violence that included stabbing his first wife 14 times, later shooting and killing her.
They also concluded in their findings that there was considerable evidence that King could and would violently attack Brawley; when Brawley had been arrested on a shoplifting charge the previous May, King attempted to beat her for the offense—at the police station. Witnesses have also described King as having talked about his stepdaughter in a sexualized manner…
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Is this the new 1-in-4 statistic?
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This statistic, is not the widely circulated 1-in-4 women will be raped in their lifetime. These statistics suggests 1-in-4 accusations of rape are false. The crime of "bearing false witness" is rarely tracked or punished, and the context in which it is usually raised is highly politicized. A quote from Peter Neufeld and Barry C. Scheck, prominent criminal attorneys and co-founders of the Innocence Project created a study on men falsely imprisoned for sexual assault.
"Every year since 1989, in about 25 percent of the sexual assault cases referred to the FBI where results could be obtained, the primary suspect has been excluded by forensic DNA testing. Specifically, FBI officials report that out of roughly 10,000 sexual assault cases since 1989, about 2,000 tests have been inconclusive, about 2,000 tests have excluded the primary suspect, and about 6,000 have "matched" or included the primary suspect."
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One last case example shows how others benefit from these types of crimes when the true facts of an already brutal rape and torture, intentionally gets blown out of proportion using the racist card.
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Back in 2007, a tragic case emerged in West Virginia that shows us how a young black woman’s alleged kidnapping and sexual assault by a group of white "red-necks" caused a media and political frenzy across the entire country based on racism. And, like in all of the other cases mentioned in this story, it generated money, gifts and other gratuities by concerned citizens across the US.
Local, state and national media reported that 17-year-old Megan Williams, pictured to the left with her stepmother Carman, had been lured from her home in Charleston WV by a female friend named "Christa" and driven to Logan County where she was then raped, beaten and tortured for a week. She reportedly was made to eat animal and human feces, all at the hands her all white captives of 3 men and 3 women. Once again, Al Sharpton and the New Black Panther Party converged on Charleston WV and began a witch hunt mentality of racism being the reason behind the attack.
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Recently, Megan went on the record with this author and stated that all of the accusations and media frenzy reports were not true. Specifically, but not limited to the fact it was never a hate crime like it was portrayed. Megan also admitted there never was a "Christa" and in fact, Megan and her mother Carmen, actually knew Bobby Brewster, the reported ringleader of the kidnappers. According to Megan…"That night, Bobby Brewster came to Carmen Williams (mother) home at 216 Stockton Street and they smoked drugs together, then went to the store. Then Brewster and Carmen returned. He had sex with my sister Shayla, and then he left for a while and came back with the others in his car. We all left together"…
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She also admitted that no one made her eat feces and the reports she was made to have sex with the women were also concocted. Megan Williams is a true victim, she was definitely held against her will, raped and stabbed by these 6 individuals who are all now in prison and deserve to be there.
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To really understand why she allowed the racist allegations and details of what actually happened to her is derived from events that occurred long before Megan Williams went to Logan County. Like Tawana Brawley, Megan came from a very abusive home. According to her, adoptive parents Carmen and William, forced her into prostitution as a teen. She told this author that her stepfather forced her to have sex with him. They beat both Megan and her younger sister Shayla.
Megan stated that it was her stepmother who actually fuelled the fire that it was all racially motivated. Why? Because it generated large sums of money and other support from across the country. Carmen was in the spotlight as the concerned and caring mother. And, according to Megan, her stepmother threatened her if she didn’t go along with the false reports and told the truth of what really happened.
It wasn’t until Carmen Williams recently died that Megan says she can finally come forward….
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Fake Rape Accusers In The UK Are Arrested And Face Jail.
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Evidently, this new fake rape hoax extends across the waters to the United Kingdom were twenty year old Jane Hilliard recently applied for $14,000 compensation from Britons Criminal Injustice Compensation Authority a few days after she claimed 19 year old Grant Bowers raped her. Hilliard, pictured to the left, a former telesales employee, now faces a jail term after her web of lies was exposed in court in May 2009. Hilliard told police she met up with Mr. Bowers, whom she regarded as a friend, at a nightclub in Basildon, Essex, on July 26 last year..She said he joined her and a friend in their taxi home, but when she stopped in a public toilet by the railway station he came in and attacked her. She said she woke with her "knickers round her ankles" in a railway station toilet. In reality they had met at another club and walked to the station, and it was she who lured him into the toilet - even telling him he 'better be there for the baby' if she became pregnant.
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Mr. Bowers was arrested and bailed. But, eight days later after police failed to find security camera images of the pair outside the nightclub she said they were at that night with Bowers, Hilliard's friend confessed that they had actually been in the nearby Colors nightclub all night. The video footage that police did locate showed Hilliard and Mr. Bowers both kissing and holding hands before leaving. Officers contacted Mr. Bowers and told him he would not be charged and instead arrested Hilliard for perverting the course of justice.
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But this did not save him from being made a hate figure. The last 11 months have been horrendous, he said. "I've lost all my self- confidence. I don't know why she did it but her lies have ruined my life." Mr. Bower’s father, Tony, 48, said his son had to move out of Basildon because of threats against him. He said: 'After the court case people started kicking the door of his flat in and shouting "rapist" though the letterbox.
Jacqueline Carey, Hilliard’s attorney, said her client had an "extremely difficult period in her past" which she had discussed with a psychiatrist. Hilliard was found guilty.
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.Conclusion…
What message does this send, when people like Crystal Mangum, Danmell Ndonye and Tawana Brawley, who intentionally make up false accusations of rape? Innocent people are arrested and detained. Their lives and reputations are ruined for life. The accusers are not being held accountable for their actions, and they can turn around and profit monetarily from what they did? At least in the UK, Jane Hilliard was arrested and found guilty of "perverting justice."
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With today’s technology and Internet search engines, you will be able to GOOGLE these men for the rest of eternity and be able to read how they were arrested and charged with rape and other dastardly deeds. And, just because charges were dismissed, it’s still there to read about.
Yes, there are civil remedies that the falsely accused can take. That in itself is a joke.
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When women report these false acts of violence, it takes away the credibility of those who are truly assaulted each and everyday. Prosecutors now are less willing to take on a rape case if there are any weak links to the victim’s story.
End Of Story
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Jack Swint-Publisher
West Virginia News
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
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16 comments:
Kick ass story Jack! These types of false allegations need to be prosecuted.
And maybe some actual mainstream investigative jouralism would help expose the problem too.
Yes and no.
I come from an era where one did not , ever, mention sexual abuse or sexual rape and there are , no doubt, millions, who have remained silent. University was a big problem with the frats and still is today. Few really wish to go into the mainstream let alone courts, as there are still some people who are quiet, reserved and will take their "secret" to their graves. I have known at least three women, one being a girlfriend of my brother's, who was raped in a park while coming back from teaching school. She was the ONLY one I knew who had the guts to go to a hospital, lawyer and finally, put that guy in jail. It is a huge emotional process, and truly, it cannot be fun for the victim.
Maybe today it is a money-maker. A generation ago, it destroyed most of the women if they ever sought action.
Great point on the comment right above this one!!!
Just as with other crimes, it is unfortunate that a few people use the reporting of sexual assault for their own agendas. The key word, however, is 'few.' National statistics show that the false reporting rate (not reports that law enforcement cannot substantiate but actual reports where the person lied) is the same for sexual assaults as it is for most other crimes: 4%. As the previous comment states, few victims of sexual assault actually report the crime to law enforcement: national statistics estimate that only about 15-39% of rapes are reported. Victims too often do suffer in silence. West Virginia is fortunate to have regional rape crisis centers that offer free, confidential services and we encourage anyone seeking help or wanting to help to contact them by calling 1-800-656-HOPE. This comment was submitted by West Virginia's sexual assault coalition, the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services, www.fris.org.
All of this is great information. But what about prosecuting the FEW women who are making these false allegations.
What about the innocent lives and reputations of those men who are intentionally targeted by these women.
Yes, rape is a terrible act against a woman, but it doesnt justify false accusers who ruin the men either
I am not sure how long you can wait before all the evidence disappears on a rape victim although I know scratch marks, etc help but may not convict.
Being a woman I think it would be good to know how long someone CAN wait because let's face it, it is pretty damn traumatic, even for a guy to be raped, which does happen.So, if girls were taught that yeah, it's horrible but pull it together and go to the hospital, you have one day to act or three days to act, teaching this in school is important and should be mandatory. It ultimately saves both sexes so that yes, the law can act and swiftly now that they have DNA.
....I guess white women don't do that sort of thing.....
Oh here we go.... someone playing the race card with their comments above.
I think the author clearly stated in the story that "there is also money to be made by any accuser of any ethinic background"
Kobe Bryants accuser was white!
Thats to funny, who is making the comment, Al Sharpton?
White, Black, Brown, Yellow, it makes no difference racist bitch.
Yes, Im sure white women do it to. Along with Indian-Asian-Mexican and Black women. I dont think there are any racial boundaries on this problem.
In all fairness, and to keep politically correct after reading a comment above asking if "white girls" were exempt from this type of crime, I researched further and found that, "yes" they do... and I included one in the story.
What was just as rewarding adding her Fake Rape was that when police discovered what she had done, they arrested her for "perverting justice" and found her guilty!
So, hats off to the person who made that comment. Maybe US prosecutors should take a look at the UK case.
National statistics show that the false reporting rate (not reports that law enforcement cannot substantiate but actual reports where the person lied) is the same for sexual assaults as it is for most other crimes: 4%.
Can you link to where you came up with that statistic. I'd like to see the study.
Kobe's accuser was mentioned..true, but it was never proven that she was lying.
Let me see the writer add a couple of WHITE women stories in here as DETAILED as the Black Women.
It doesn't even have to be White Women who falsely accused Blackmen (that would be asking for way too much)
To the above comment. We did go back and include another woman of a different race in the story. Her name is Jane Hilliard. Her picture to is included.
She is a young white woman from the UK, who tried to set up a man on fake rape charges so she could obtain money from a crime victims fund. She was arrested and charged.
Good story Jack, covers all the bases.
Yes. Very good Jack!
An article released by the National District Attorneys Associate titled Fale Reports: Moving Beyond the Issue to Succesfully Investigate and Prosecute Non-Stranger Sexual Assault outlines studies which have found the False Report rate between 2-8% and can be found at http://www.ndaa.org/publications/newsletters/the_voice _vol_3_no_1_2009.pdf
Victims of sexual assault often leave out information or give inconsistent statements to law enforcement for fear of not being believed and/or being prosecuted for other crimes. Rape victims are often vulnerable individuals who may suffer from mental illness, substance abuse issues, and/or have a history of violence perpetrated against them.
Sexual Assault Response Teams work together to provide a multidisciplinary approach to reduce trauma to victims and facilitate the arrest, prosecution and conviction of offenders. While Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners work to provide quality forensic evidence in sexual assault cases.
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