June 1, 2011
COOK COUNTY JUDGE THOMAS FECAROTTA
RATING: Does not deserve to be a judge.
Cook County Judge Thomas Fecarotta released on probation a Streamwood Police officer, James Mandarino, who was convicted of viciously beating and innocent driver he pulled over with his metal, telescopic baton. Mandarino, who was a police officer for more than 15 years, beat Ronald Bell with his baton repeatedly following a traffic stop on March 28, 2010. Mandarino was rightly convicted of aggravated battery and official misconduct. But when it came to sentencing the police officer, Fecarotta gave Mandarino a pass. Mandarino's defense was that he feared that when he pulled Bell over and a passenger Nolan Stalbaum over that day, that Bell was becoming aggressive. Bell was told to exit his SUV, which he did, forced on his knees and Mandarino viciously and brutally assaulted him. All Bell did was raise his arm to ward off the beatings.
The passenger in the vehicle was tasered by Mandarino. Bell was accused of being drunk, but that turned out to be a policeman's lie.
Why was Mandarino released? Is it because of the ethnic identity of the judge and the defendant? Both are Italian.
Was it because Fecarotta is in the judicial system and he sympathizes with police officers, including those who commit crimes?
Mandarino told reporters after winning the release-lottery that he "regretted the incident." But he never apologized to the victim who remains scarred and who received seven stitches on his head.
Fecarotta only convicted Mandarino because the incident was caught on camera. Otherwise, Fecarotta admits he would have let the violent police officer go. "If a picture speaks a thousand words, this video speaks a million," Judge Fecarotta said.
Really judge. This ruling speaks a billion words and hopefully enough votes one day to insure that you never return to the Cook County bench.
Here is the video fo the vicious beating that Judge Fecarotta ruled was not vicious enough to put the police officer, Mandarino, in jail.
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DeleteMost Rolling Meadows and Chicago public defenders are shit and/or treat the inmates like shit and/or directly and purposely go against the wishes. Explain how you were bullied.
DeleteThe other things I have read about Judge Fecarotta write that he was very lenient in sentencing with everyone, unless it was more then the second time and they also were a generally gang-type person. This sentence is ridiculous because police should be punished far more severely then average people who do not hold this authority nor ease of brutalizing people, however, as a judge, it is possible that he sees it as "police have a hard job, and he thought that X", and considered that to be his "circumstances" same as it would be for a non-police defendant.
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