Brickbat: Can You Keep a Secret?

Escambia County, Alabama, District Attorney Stephen Billy has charged Atmore News publisher and co-owner Sherry Digmon and reporter Don Fletcher with revealing grand jury secrets. The charges are based on a story about an investigation into whether federal COVID-19 funds were improperly paid to seven former Escambia County School System employees. The school system's payroll and insurance bookkeeper was also charged with the same crime, but the newspaper said it isn't clear why. Billy defended the charges. "You just can't do that, and there's no reason for that. Innocent people get exposed, and it causes a lot of trouble for people," he said.

Comments

[5.56]

So, like, that steak was very tasty. Uhm, I hit the medium rare like I rarely do. Very rare. And those green beans... Holy mother of god.

[Adans smith]

Translation, this may embarrass powerful people. And D.A Billy? Only in Alabama.

[Chumby]

Was Stephen Billy’s uncle-dad one of the school board members that allegedly received improperly allocated covid funds?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Innocent people get exposed...

A prosecutor who thinks there are innocent people! Ha, just kidding. People he knows.

[Don't look at me!]

It has been said here that if you are charged, you must be guilty.

[Quo Usque Tandem]

Can't have smoke without fire, amIright?

[mad.casual]

Oh, awesome. The one link that would allow you to ascertain for yourself what did or did not happen in this not-too-local story links back to this Brickbat with the comments on.

“Fuck if I know if it’s true. Commentariate… Fetch! Go on! Fetch some facts, maybe a story for me… Fetch! [Throws link into the bushes].”

[Idaho-Bob]

https://www.fox10tv.com/2023/11/02/small-town-legal-battle-between-escambia-county-da-newspaper-draws-national-attention/

[mad.casual]

Who's a good Bob? You are! You're a good Bob! [Pats head]

[Ajsloss]

I think it did that yesterday too.

[Longtobefree]

A battle between school system employees and the media?
Maybe in Alabama they can both lose.

[B G]

I thought that Federal Covid money was distributed with the intention that a lot of it would be paid out improperly.

I get that it's different jurisdiction, but at the time it was reported here that basically everyone being held in the L.A. County Jail at the time put in an application for and received the expanded unemployment payments which eventually made it not worth while for people to return to work when their jobs were finally re-opened. Took the federal clerks processing the paperwork several months to question 1700+ individual applicants all claiming benefits to the same mailing address.

A couple of school employees is the least of the problems in a program which the GAO estimates paid out about 40% of its net to fraudsters.