Oscar Wyatt Update
[Guest post by DRJ]
In October 2007, Houston oilman Oscar Wyatt entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after admitting he had arranged for an illegal $200,000 payment to the government of Saddam Hussein. Last November, 83-year-old Wyatt was sentenced to one year and one day in jail and forfeiture of $11M. He was ordered to report to a Texas prison on January 2, 2008.
Now the Houston Chronicle reports Wyatt has been released from a halfway house to his home where he will serve the remainder of his sentence:
“Wyatt was sentenced to a year in prison, but his sentence has been trimmed because of good behavior.
During the day, Wyatt reports to a local law firm for his work assignment, where he is able to have lunch with friends. And rather than sleep at a halfway house, he is allowed to spend the nights at home.
He has not been required to wear an ankle bracelet, [wife] Lynn Wyatt said.”
His attorney approvingly noted Wyatt has “weathered the storm” of his incarceration.
I don’t know how long Wyatt was in prison before he was transferred to a halfway house and I don’t know how his health may have figured into his release, but Wyatt’s current schedule sounds like an average businessman’s day: Work, lunch with friends, work, and then home to his own bed.
I don’t see the point in imposing prison sentences on white collar criminals if this is typical.
— DRJ
“forfeiture of $11M “……Apparently $ 11 million can buy one some very comfortable ” justice”. I don’t see much punishment for consorting with an enemy of the U.S. Bill Ayers would find this perfectly acceptable.
Edward Lunny (85f233) — 10/28/2008 @ 1:42 pmHuh. I am sure he is a danger to society at 83 years old…conspiring somewhere to blow up the pentagon or bomb a police station or kill a bunch of soldiers out on a date… and he did pay more than admitted terrorist Bill Ayers ever paid for his crimes. All that is not to excuse poor judgment and conspiring with the enemy to make a buck. that kind of excuse is what children do. Well Billy got away with it why can’t I????
JoeC (9f8e7b) — 10/28/2008 @ 2:28 pmRecall that he was only convicted of wire fraud. The system can only punish him for what he was convicted of, not for everything he was guilty of.
LarryD (feb78b) — 10/28/2008 @ 2:34 pmThis is the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.
This is Arrested Development.
SSFC (0cd1e6) — 10/28/2008 @ 3:08 pmThe story sounds like the plot of a WEB Griffin novel, the third one of the trilogy about Argentina. Griffin has a lot of background information that isn’t in the public domain. His “Presidential Agent” series is the one with the Houston oil man in the plot.
Mike K (f89cb3) — 10/28/2008 @ 3:57 pmDRJ, I respectfully disagree. Wyatt’s pre-conviction lifestyle was what you’d expect of a man who is very rich. It may have included days at the office and lunch with friends, but it also included private jet trips to Paris or Rio at his whim. That’s gone, not because he’s broke, but because he has to satisfy a civil servant who makes in a year what he’d typically blow in one evening’s entertainment that he’s home, and nowhere but home, at a particular hour.
It’s not breaking rocks on a chain gang, I’ll give you that. But it’s not like being free either. I suspect Wyatt’s guilty as sin for more crimes than he was prosecuted upon, but I don’t have the proof beyond a reasonable doubt of that and neither, apparently, did prosecutors. The plea was a reasonable one, and I’m happy that even when his house arrest ends and his entire sentence is completed, he’ll still be Oscar Wyatt, convicted felon.
Beldar (b09cab) — 10/28/2008 @ 4:56 pmAny sentence under 12 months can be fashioned by the court in a variety of ways described as “community confinement.” This can include any condition of halfway house, home detention, or intermittent detention — i.e., days, nights or weekends — which the Judge deems appropriate.
The thought behind this is that incarcerating someone in a federal prison camp is more expensive than simply “housing” them in some fashion in their own community.
WLS (26b1e5) — 10/28/2008 @ 5:19 pmAlso, the reason for the “one year and one day” sentence is because a federal prisoner in ineligible for his 15% “good time” credit on his sentence if the sentence imposed is 12 months or less. By sentencing him to 1 year and 1 day, the judge made him eligible for “release” from his sentence in just over 10 months.
WLS (26b1e5) — 10/28/2008 @ 5:21 pmHow could this have been a Federal crime if he was directed to appear at a Texas prison?
Was he tried in District Court, or a Texas Court?
DRJ, an explanation please.
Another Drew (c8adc2) — 10/28/2008 @ 5:30 pmAD,
I’m virtually certain he was sent to a federal prison in Texas.
Beldar,
I think we’re missing each other. I agree having a criminal conviction is punishment and maybe that’s punishment enough in cases like this, precisely because it dramatically affects a person’s lifestyle and future prospects. I have no problem with that, but if that was enough Wyatt wouldn’t have been sentenced to any prison time. [EDIT: Of course, his sentence may have resulted from the federal guidelines but if that’s the case, society as a whole has decided this crime deserves prison time.]
Wyatt was sentenced to prison, as well as other sanctions, so obviously the court/society decided prison time was warranted on these facts. But if this is what going to prison means, it’s reminiscent of the special treatment Hollywood celebrities get and I think that’s a bad message.
DRJ (cb68f2) — 10/28/2008 @ 5:42 pmDRJ: apologies for being off topic but I just wanted to say, before any more time passed, thanks to you and Patterico for the very kind words at my blog– I was honored. Please feel free to visit and comment anytime. 🙂
qdpsteve (5b7e74) — 10/28/2008 @ 5:44 pmI plan to, qdpsteve. It’s fun, isn’t it?
DRJ (cb68f2) — 10/28/2008 @ 5:46 pmThanks for the update.
I wholeheartedly endorse your position on sentencing for celebrities.
BTW, did the court have this convicted felon surrender his firearms?
Another Drew (c8adc2) — 10/28/2008 @ 6:05 pmI plan to, qdpsteve. It’s fun, isn’t it? – Comment by DRJ — 10/28/2008 @ 5:46 pm
DRJ: Yes, it is. It most certainly is. 🙂
qdpsteve (5b7e74) — 10/28/2008 @ 6:52 pmThe sentencing terms were all part of the plea deal.
But, according to a 2007 USA Today article, Mr. Wyatt pleaded guilty in the U.S. to federal charges that he paid millions of dollars to Iraqi officials to illegally win contracts connected to the United Nations oil-for-food program.
Much, much more than $200K.
Court documents also showed he had a working relationship with saddam hussein.
I’m sure the fact that he was a high rolling contributer to the democrats (maximum donations over the years to the DNC; Rep. Ken Bentsen; Rep. John Dingell; Sen. John Rockefeller; Sen. Tom Daschele; and Republican Sen. John McCain.
) had nothing to do with this story being all but buried by the MSM.
Ooops. Was that John McCain’s name?
We’ve got a scandal, now!
But, what I’m really interested in is the civil lawsuit the Iraq Govt. filed against Wyatt; et. al, to recover damages from companies investigated by a UN-commissioned inquiry, claiming they cheated the Iraqi people out of benefits of the $67 billion UN program.
…a UN-commissioned inquiry headed by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker found the program was corrupted by 2,200 companies from 66 countries that paid $1.8 billion in kickbacks to Iraqi officials to win supply deals.
Any news on that lawsuit?
locomotivebreath1901 (89ba36) — 10/29/2008 @ 5:16 amThere is a lot written about Oscar. A lot of people were pleased to see the rich old fart get his. And, Oscar did a few dirty deeds in his time. But, Oscar’s trial and plea was a show put on to hide what really happened. While Oscar cut a deal for a $200,000 payment, the sole owner and operator of Taurus Energy out of Vienna, VA (who paid millions to the evil dictator on behalf of various clients) was prosecuted by New York State and got off with no jail time and a small fine in a very quiet little deal worked out between U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia and New York City. No press coverage, no Federal trial, no muss, no fuss. Also, there was a former Federal agent who agreed to testify that evidence acquired and presented by the Federal Government at Oscar’s trial had been stolen from Oscar’s luggage by Ferderal agents when Oscar came back through Customs in April 2003. It was the day after Oscar’s attorney’s dropped that bomb in court that Oscar got his plea deal and plead guilty.
frodo baggins (6159af) — 11/15/2008 @ 11:45 pm