Once again there is Justice and then Just Us.
Charlotte Observer | 09/10/2007 | NAACP eyes Ravenel case
NAACP eyes Ravenel case
Of the 3 men charged in drug case, only 1 has been sent to jail
Associated Press
COLUMBIA --Three people were charged in the federal drug case that ensnared former S.C. Treasurer Thomas Ravenel. Two are white and have yet to spend a day in jail, including Ravenel who has pleaded guilty to a federal cocaine charge and is awaiting sentencing.
One man charged is black and remained in jail awaiting trial until last week, when a federal magistrate set bail for him on drug charges.
That is just one reason the state NAACP says it will monitor the outcome of all the cases to make sure each man is treated equally.
"There have always been disparities in the way African Americans have been treated in the judicial system," said Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Leon Howard, D-Columbia. "People are paying attention to this case to see if there will be any further disparity."
Like Ravenel, a 45-year-old millionaire from Charleston, Pasquale Pellicoro, a 53-year-old Italian citizen, was not arrested following his indictments. Both men were given summonses to appear in court.
During his time out on a $100,000 unsecured bond, Ravenel was allowed to travel across the country, where he checked into substance-abuse treatment facilities. Pellicoro didn't show for his arraignment, and a judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
But the black man arrested in the case, Mount Pleasant disc jockey Michael L. Miller, had been in the Charleston County Detention Center since he was indicted in June. Prosecutors say he was held because he also was facing state charges, which were dropped when he was indicted on federal cocaine distribution charges last month.
Miller was freed last week after a judge set a $25,000 bond, which his mother secured with property.
Prosecutors say Miller's circumstances are different from Ravenel's and Pellicoro's and that most of his charges are unrelated to former treasurer.
U.S. Attorney Reginald Lloyd, who is black, said he thinks each man is receiving fair treatment from his office and the courts. Lloyd said people should not make up their minds about the cases until they have heard all the facts.
Rep. Joe Neal, D-Hopkins, said blacks tend to get longer sentences from judges, but he added these cases involve more than race.
"I think it's a broader concern about what differences occur based on income and based on race and class," Neal said. "Those who are well-heeled can often afford the best attorneys. They tend to have better connections. So they end up sometimes with different outcomes in terms of sentencing.
"I think folks are just waiting to see what kind of justice is coming in this case."
Among those watching are members of the state National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who sent a group to Ravenel's plea hearing last week to observe.
Bruce Ransom, a Clemson University political science professor, said that group sent a message: "We have suspicions, and we're watching."
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