Read Bernie’s Plea Deal

Read for yourself what Bernie Ward pleaded guilty to yesterday, and the possible sentence he faces. As we reported, it’s one count Distribution of Child Pornography. But, here are the elements of the crime.

Ward distributed the image via interstate commerce because he used AOL -- the image went from Ward’s home in San Francisco to AOL’s servers in Virginia to Sex Fairy’s computer in Oakdale, California. The image was “an actual minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.” During the on-line chat with Sex Fairy, Ward described the image as a fourteen-year-old boy, a twelve-year-old girl and young mother. The boy was naked, the girl clothed, and the mother topless -- they were all touching in a sexual way. He also confirms he sent between 15 and 150 images of child pornography, including several that “involved sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.” That’s not the idea that Ward’s supporters floated after his arrest in December -- that he had innocent images of a family in a nudist colony.

Ward also confirms he understands he may not be able to vote after his felony conviction -- another interesting twist for a radio host who was so involved in the political process.

Comments

[Wyatt Burp]

Yep! I think I got this right about Gio33 on that other web page. It's a dating site and after I read this guy's info, it adds up. So, fellow wiseass opinionites, am I full of s--t or what? Again, Google Giovanni33, web page is www.plentyoffishes.com. About the 3rd or 4th one down.

[johndoe]

ABC, you are to be commended for your work on this case, exposing a dangerous child predator. However, I do question your motives. For several decades, you provided this man of the Left a platform, 3-hours a night and Godtalk, to attack America, conservatives and the Church. Only now, when it is prudent and convenient for ABC corporate to disavow Mr. Ward do you "discover" that there has been evidence of his deviant sexual proclivity for decades. I-Team proudly lives up to it's name. Unfortunately, it does so at the behest of of it' corporate masters decades after the fact when business considerations dictate that Mr. Ward, a long time ABC employee, must be disavowed.
Some might think that your actions are a tad late.

[8NLEG8R]

Was Bernie Mac particularly hated by KGO's news staff when he worked for the station? All this past week, when I've gone to my home page, there have been 2 or 3 stories about him which have stayed at the top while other, less juicy items gradually scroll away. Sure, the guy IS accused of the most heinous crime in America today, but a quick check of KTVU's and KRON's news websites shows far less coverage of his case than you're devoting. Are you folks on a vendetta? Or did someone in power at KGO decree a policy of trying to distance the station from a now former employee who involved himself in a shocking and disgusting scandal? No defense of Mac's behavior is intended here -- anyone proven to have sexually abused a child deserves prosecution to the fullest. If Mac is found guilty, he'll wind up in prison where fellow inmates often impose far greater punishment on child molesters than a court does with a lengthy sentence. Until the jury decides his fate, KGO's dogged pursuit of the story seems a misplaced use many of its considerable resources -- at the very least a case of questionable journalistic ethics and, at worst, an abuse of your power as reporters. (DISCLAIMER: I honestly don't know internet technology -- do the iTeam blogs go back to the top of the news stories whenever somebody adds a comment? I hope I'm not helping you keep this story alive by commenting on it.)

[Quaks like a duck]

Giovanni33 seems to have gotten himself into lots of trouble on other sites (like Wikipedia)as well. He lives in Daly City and judging by all the stroking he is doing on this blog, he probably hung out with Bernie in that theater in San Mateo or perhaps he met him in as a young boy.

Long term victims tend to protect the people that abuse them. You see it all the time with battered women and molestation victims. The healing begins when you ask for help.

[sfnative]

On Karel's show tonight, it was revealed that BW has considered suicide recently.

[Suicide/Karel?]

How could you stomach listening to Karel and all his BS. I caught him for about 10 minutes this evening when he was talking about his aversion for people in caskets.??? I finally told my wife I've got to switch channels. She said I wondered how long it was going to take you to switch the channel.

Talk about suicided - try listening to Karel for any length of time. Yeaacchh!

As for Bernie, I hope that he doesn't stoop to that. That would really add further injury to his family who have already sustained too much pain.

[kurt]

Bernies bullying and bad karma are coming back to bite him in the ass. He speculated on air that Polly Klaas's killer, Richard Allen Davis, was telling the truth when he said Polly was sexually abused by her father Mark. Maybe Bernie has sexual feelings about raping or killing his own kids, and that is why he gave Richard Allen Davis the benefit of the doubt. If Bernies other goal was to stick it to a supporter of the death penalty, who just lost his daughter, it shows that he is a miserable sadist too.

[sfnative]

"How could you stomach listening to Karel and all his BS."

Morbid curiosity. I'll admit it's not healthy. However, I did tune out, turn it off during the caskets bit. (On any given night I can only stomach Karel in extremely short sections. The illogic is often too much to bear.) However, in his defense he does acknowledge that the heart of it is BW getting carried away with fantasies, not with writing books. I doubt that even he believes that any more.

"As for Bernie, I hope that he doesn't stoop to that. That would really add further injury to his family who have already sustained too much pain."

Agreed. It would be a further act of cruelty, a further victimization of them, although I must say if i were his wife I would feel more than a little ambivalent about staying with him at this point.

[Giovanni33]

Actually I did meet Bernie way back in High School. He was covering a protest I was involved with in Berkeley. I didn't get a chance to talk to him then, but I was a fan of his show, and was happy to see him those many years ago. I hope to get a chance to see him again before he is sent away, rather unjustly, I think. I hope he gets out soon on good behavior, and I wish him the best of luck. I'm sure given how much good Bernie has given to the community, he will get their support, notwithstanding, the typical reactionaries. What was that saying by Mao, to be attacked by the by enemy is a good thing? So right-wingers will attack him and that continues to prove Bernie has indeed done much good, despite some serious misjudgments and flaws in other matters.

[sfnative]

Giovanni, you must live in a black-and-white world. It's possible to criticize a person's actions without criticizing their politics, and vice-versa. I wonder if you assume every critical remark of him on these blogs is a political statement or position: it's not.

In any case, you admit to being a Maoist, so folks,consider the source.

[Giovanni33]

sfnative,

Yes, of course it's possible. That is quite elementary. But, on the other hand, surely you must realize that people are coming out to attack Bernie because of his politics, and as a result of their own hatred of Bernie's progressive thinking. This is evident in much of the blatant personal attacks on Bernie that loaded with reactionary conservative epithets thrown about without shame. And, these are just the blatant examples. Do you think that we don't have right-wingers attacking Bernie with glee but hiding their long standing contempt under the banner of their concern for children and Bernie's legal misconduct? Lets not be naive.

Now, this is not to say there can't be apolitical, nuetral and valid criticism against Mr. Ward. Of course, we have good people who interpret the evidence and condemn Bernie. But, I'm speaking about the vile attacks coming from those on the far right who are out for blood. And, what do I say about them and their attacks? It only proves Bernie has done much good. Otherwise they wouldn't attack him so. I'm tempted to quote another thinker, but I guess that would lead you to conclude conflicting "sism" about my thinking. Lets not be so simplistic, shall we? And you say I live in a black-and-white world?

[Quacks like a duck]

Giovanni33, BW is a self admitted distributor of 15 to 150 pieces of child pornography. It doesn't get anymore black and white then that.

[MichaelSF]

Yes, that's Giovanni33. The guy in the pic looks like a guy named "John" [Giovanni is Italian for John] and he looks about 33 years old.

He is active on Wikipedia and Wikichat.

Only thing I find interesting is that I previously commented that some people are perhaps defending their own conduct when sticking up for Bernie.

What I find disturbing on that Plenty Of Fish site is where Gio33 says:

"I do appreicate [sic] those who can deviate from social norms, people who delve beneath surfaces of things and question "normal."

That seems to be speaking the code, IMHO. And now that Gio33's chat herein in Google, who knows whose radar he is on.

[MichaelSF]

My post on another thread herein:
___________________

Rowdy, the police report has been out for a time now. But, it is what the FBI for years.

Those questions you pose are precisely why the Government indicted Bernie. In other words, they knew a lot more than what the public knew, even after the indictment.

But many of us had been saying there was more to the story than just one picture and some innocent/legal sex chat. In fact I had said the Government does not indict a regionally famous person for just one pic or going into chat rooms.

So [sadly for the victims] we were right and Bernie's zealot "Kool-Aid drinking" supporters were wrong.

Turns out, as you note, there was no book. Instead Bernie admits to sending out at least 150 pictures [and we all know human behavior. If he is admitting to 150 the real number is probably in the thousands. Sidenote: the court and law enforcement know this. Defendants never admit to the total of their wrongdoing.]

More truths: Mr. Noyes' excellent ITeam investigation brought back to the forefront the accuracy of the child molestation acts Bernie committed 30 years ago.

That police report is the most disgusting thing I have ever read. And I have seen a lot. E.g., When I was a prosecutor during the XMAS holidays I was dealing with murders and sexual molestation of children.

Even though I consider myself hardened I got about 3/4ths through the chat and stopped reading it I was so disgusted.

Bernie deserves severe punishment and society needs protection. And he seems beyond redemption or rehabilitation.

Who knows how many victims of Bernie's acts are out there [victims too afraid or embarrassed to come forward. I mean, look at the way Bernie and his lawyer attacked that then-teenage victim Mr. Noyes interviewed. Bernie was sending out the message to anyone who dares come forward that they will be in for the same.]

Should BW not be locked up for a long time who knows the potential victims that would be out there. The reality is: criminal sexual deviants rarely can be rehabilitated. The only solution is to protect society from them. For sure, Bernie had his chance. He was not prosecuted 30 years ago for his crimes, he got a pass, a chance to live a normal life.

But look what he has done with that second chance. [I assume that even the most naive of Bernie's supports are not so stupid to believe that the only criminal acts Bernie committed were in the 1970s and in 2005 and that he has been an angel in between.]

The best thing that can happen now is for Bernie to be put away for good and for his supporters to acknowledge they were wrong [yes, that includes Karel.]

In fact, I think it almost criminal for anyone to be sending out signals to children, teens, and easily influenced adults that Bernie is a fine person, that it's a government conspiracy and that what Bernie did was not all that bad, so he should be given a break.

Maybe sounds a bit dramatic, but to me anyone defending Bernie at this point, knowing what we know, is almost akin to defending Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer or the 9/11 attacks.

Sidenote: I bet Karel is doing everything he can to delete his initial radio shows from the KGO archives, the ones where he so strongly defended Bernie.

My prediction is that Karel's behavior probably killed his chances to get the coveted 10-1 slot [Bernie's old slot.] So there was a cost to supporting his friend and railing against those who said there was more to the story than any of us knew at the time.

[sfnative]

MichaelSF,
Some good points there.
On Friday eve I think, Christine Craft, while struggling for words to her audience & relaying her own similar struggle to Bernie, described him with the Freudian term "polymorphous perverse." Whether she meant it to include more than just sexual proclivities, I think it's incidentally a descriptor for his world view -- with regard to boundaries in general, his resistance to society's conventions & definitely to authority in general. Before I later read that someone from his former religious order revealed that he had 'an authority problem,' that fact had been quite obvious to me, for years, on his show. Sometimes (not always) these behaviors & outlooks go hand in hand.

Many years ago I used to think that Bernie was just very immature. (He is also that.) The on-air very childish temper tantrums, 'foot-stomping' when any issues of authority came up -- be it a school, gov't, religion -- was just very adolescent & comprehensive. ("You can't tell me what to do!" kind of message). It was in marked contrast to the adult outlooks of many other hosts. But I think Christine's insight is more accurate.

Regarding MichaelSF's points about supporters overlooking the 'elephant in the room' while distracted by the camel in the corner, it is absolutely a characteristic of predators in general -- or those crossing sexual taboos -- to position themselves as pillars of the community as a compensating strategy. It's a way to supposedly earn legitimacy & stature, so that one is in a different (untouchable) category when it comes to prosecution and/or rejection. It's the double or parallel life strategy. Otherwise known as "the storefront strategy.") There might be legitimate & laudatory things happening at that store, which becomes the persona for lots of other things happening as well.

Finally, on the earlier allegations during the priesthood:
It was a very common behavior among priests of that time period & before, to forcibly French kiss adolescent girls. It happened to me once. The priest also declared he was in love with me & wanted me to be his 'escape route' from the priesthood. I never came forward, shocked though I was, because it was a one-time incident & because I was leaving that environment anyway. I later found out that other females my age had similar experiences.

The other characteristic of those acting out sexuality on under-age people is to demand intimate information from them (sex lives, what they look like naked, what kind of underwear they purchase, etc.) A teacher in my jr.high school used to do that to us 8th-grade girls. (He was later convicted of acts upon minor girls, many many years later.) So that was the other piece of info that came out about Bernie recently.

[Tom in Dallas]

Bernie Ward is, size aside, one of the biggest hypocrites on this earth. He spoke for years of his dislike of the Catholic Church, and now we learn that this is likely due to the fact that the Church was not willing to put up with his sexual interest in children.

BW's supporters are either blind in their following of liberalism, or pedophiles themselves.

I cannot see how anyone, liberal or conservative, is willing to stick up for an admitted pedophile. Liberals are generally overtly concerned about children and the powerless; while conservatives won't put up with much in the way of sexual deviancy.

I for one, hope BW gets thrown into the general population at San Quentin. Maybe after being someone's bitch for a few years, he might be less interested in doing this to children.

[sfnative]

Tom, San Quentin is a state prison. Bernie's not going there. He'll go to a federal penitentiary. Dean Johnson on KGO said a few days ago that his understanding was that it would be a Low Security facility as opposed to a Minimum Security facility. I've heard a number of theories on where he'll end up -- one being in Northern CA, another being as far away as Massachusetts, but it will definitely not be any State facility like San Quentin.

[MichaelSF]

See my detailed post on where he might do time.

Most likely at the "Herlong Camp" in northern California [near Susanville?] I think it's the only men's low security facility the feds have in Nor Cal. Don't know for sure, I have not kept up with fed prisons.

In any event, he is not going to a "penitentiary." Those are the Fed's max security prisons.

Judges usually don't care where defendants are sent. But prosecutors use where-one-will-do-time as a bargaining chip to get a guilty plea.

When one is going behind bars it makes a BIG DIFFERENCE which facility he or she will be going to.

For example, if the Dept. of Corrections [state] or Bureau of Prisons [fed] decides Bernie will NOT get preferential segregation and have to mix in with the "general population" [most likely] that can be a devastating decision by prison administration.

This is because being put into the general population can be a death sentence to the inmate. Somebody, somewhere is going to get to the inmate and kill or hurt him.

Due to prison overcrowding getting a private cell, so to speak, is very difficult. So the next best thing is for his lawyer to push for going to the "nicest" facility possible, meaning the lowest security designation where the general population is not comprised of mean, violent criminals. [Any of you who have walked the general population grounds of San Quentin State Prison like I have know about which I speak. I actually thought I might be taken hostage. Convicts were looking at me like "Yum fresh meat."]

Example of the perils of being put in the general population:

When Jeffrey Dahmer the serial killer got sent to the general prison population lawyers said that was akin to a death sentence. They were right. He had his head beat in [killed] with a pipe by a fellow inmate.

Yes, Bernie wants to go to where accountants, lawyers, former priests and tax evaders are doing time. :)

See you all, have to go to moms for Mother's Day. How pleasant. Won't be discussing Bernie's case. Talk about rude dinner conversation.

[sfnative]

Thanks for the correction about the penitentiary label, MichaelSF.

Never heard of this Herlong place.

I hope he is not mixed in with violent types. I think his family deserves him to be alive long enough for him to face himself & come out a mentally more healthy individual. Others have done so.

[MichaelSF]

Good old Wikipedia.

Herlong is a medium security facility, so I may be wrong. But they have a low security facility next to it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Correctional_Institution%2C_Herlong

[federalofficer08]

For all you Bernie Ward supporters, here is some sad news. Bernadette will not be serving time in a minimum facility. Those facilities are only for "White Collar" crimes. Bernadette's crime is classified as serious/violent in the Federal prison system. He may choose to walk the mainline also known as general population until he gets "shanked" and is placed in protective custody with other child molesters and snitches. Even "snitches" don't like sex offenders so he may not last there too long. I know because I work in the the Federal system. Bernadette will most likely belong to another inmate in a short time. One good look at him and anyone can tell he is a sex offender so he will not last long where ever he goes. Remember folks, prison is for punishment and the experience there should be humiliating and as bad as it can get. Bernadette has not only deserving of a painful stay but has very much earned it. Animals like this cannot be rehabilitated. He will re-offend and be back in the system again. I know, I have benn doing this for 24 years.

[Charlie]

I'm beginning to wonder if MichaelSF doesn't have "beefcake" pics of "Hanging" Judge Walker on his bedroom wall!!

[ConservativeJim]

BW is fortunate that he's not going to a state prison where his remaining time on earth would be very short indeed. I feel so sorry for his family who are victims in all this. And I even feel sorry for BW, believe it or not. I think he has an illness that hopefully he'll get treatment for. The bible and God tell us that everyone has the possibility of redemption and I will pray for his.

I think BW knows what he had and lost and why he lost it. As for his future, if he survives prison, the best thing for him would be to move far away and spend the rest of his life trying to un-do the harm he caused. This whole story is a tragedy from start to finish.

He needs to serve his time and make whatever amends he can to his family, friends and the victims of child porn.

And to those few who think he should go back on air, I think the BW Show should follow the Charles Manson hour. You people can't be serious about him going back on the radio?

As far as what he could do after his prison time is over? Unskilled labor is all I can imagine. With his conviction, almost anything I can think of is off the table.

[Giovanni33]

I think Bernie can still get a job at KGO. True, he does not have a public-facing position anymore, but he can work in the background doing investigative reporting stories to be reported by others. All news stations have such positions available. Bernie would be good at it.

[Charlie]

Yeah, sure "Bernieovanni!" Any story researched by that fat load of a pedophile would REALLY have a lot of credibilty!
btw..Saw your web page...Can you say "near-gay-creepy metrosexual?" I KNEW ya could! Any woman/man who'd even *contemplate* let you near their children should have their head examined!