What Did Eric Holder Know and When Did He Know It? 1994

In the year 2004 I sent by email the following letter to Covington & Burling partner, Eric H. Holder, Esq. The letter details that portion of an ongoing fraud and racketeering enterprise whereby my former employer conspired with DC Librarian Brian P. Brown (now retired) to stalk me.

I advised the U.S. Secret Service of the criminal enterprise in the following letter:

January 5, 2005
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Apartment 136
Washington, DC 20008

U.S. Secret Service
245 Murray Drive
Building 410
Washington, DC 20223

Dear Sir:

This will advise the U.S. Secret Service that I have been the victim of an ongoing fraud and racketeering conspiracy run by attorney managers of the Washington, DC law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld: a criminal enterprise that has involved The George Washington University Medical Center Medical Faculty Associates, The District of Columbia Public Library (Richard Jackson, Interim Director), as well as several high-level federal officials including former President William Jefferson Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin, and former Treasury General Counsel, Edward S. Knight, Esq.

The Government of the District of Columbia (Office of The Corporation Counsel) determined (in 1997) that I formed a genuine and good-faith belief (though unsupported by fact) that in January 1990 members of the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld (a class of persons that included Edward S. Knight, Esq.) gained unlawful entry to my apartment (at the above address), and that the unlawful entry was made with the knowledge and consent of the firm's management committee (a class of persons that includes Robert S. Strauss, Esq. and Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq.). Freedman v. D.C. Dept. of Human Rights, 96-CV-961 (DCCA, Sept. 1998), Brief of Appellee District of Columbia at 9. The firm did not dispute the District's determination or its legal or factual relevance.

Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. is a close personal friend of former President Clinton's.

Secret Service Special Agent Philip C. Leadroot (now retired) is familiar with this matter.

Enclosed is a collection of pertinent documents.

Sincerely,

Gary Freedman

Here is the letter copied to Mr. Holder:

April 29, 2004
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Apartment 136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
Telephone: (202) 362 7064

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
422 8th Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003
E-mail: namidc@juno.com
Telephone: (202) 546-0646

Dear Sir:

I am a 50-year-old disabled American who suffers from severe mental illness, and I believe I was treated unfairly by the District of Columbia Library (Cleveland Park Branch) because of my illness.

On Wednesday April 21, 2004 an associate librarian, William Decosta, at the direction of Branch Librarian Brian P. Brown, summoned the Metropolitan Police of the District of Columbia to the Cleveland Park Branch in connection with a letter I had written to Mr. Brown on Friday April 16, 2004. Mr. Dacosta advised the Police (Officer J.E. Williams, Badge 1226, Second District, 202 282 0070) that the letter I had written and transmitted to Mr. Brown had aroused serious concerns about my mental health and stability.

The specific statements in the letter that aroused concerns were the following:

(1.) I said I was in a "dark place," psychologically.

(2.) I stated that I had stopped taking the anti-psychotic medication that my psychiatrist had prescribed.

(3.) I said that I was in deep emotional pain and that the persons who had caused the pain would "pay for my pain."

The Police (Officer Williams and his partner) questioned me about the letter. I explained that I am a licensed attorney and that the statement that "others will pay for my pain" referred to my contemplated act of pursuing legal remedies, a form of protected speech. I explained that I was a nonviolent person with no arrest record and that any references to any future action on my part against any persons related solely to my pursuing legal remedies.

The Police (Officer Williams and his partner) were assured that the letter did not contain an unlawful threat to commit a crime of violence. Librarian Decosta also advised the Police (Officer Williams) that I had engaged in a practice of altering the computer menu icons, an act of misconduct.

Librarian William Decosta stated that the Branch Librarian Brian Brown would like me to stay away from the Cleveland Park Branch for the next six months (i.e., until October 21, 2004). I was free to patronize any other District of Columbia Library and use the libraries' computer facilities.

The Police (Officer Williams) agreed that the Branch librarian's requested remediation was reasonable and advised me that I had to honor it. It was made plain to me that my failure to comply with the six-month ban at the Cleveland Park Branch would result in my expulsion and the possible filing of criminal charges against me.

I fully intend to comply with the six-month ban. However I do believe the ban is excessive, and request that the ban be lifted. I offer the following facts in support of my request.

1. I suffer from severe mental illness, which has been diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia. The illness was first diagnosed by Dimitrios Georgopoulos, M.D. (George Washington University Medical Center) in February 1996. The diagnosis was confirmed by Albert H. Taub, M.D. in February 1999. My current treating psychiatrist, Betsy Jane Cooper, M.D. (D.C. Department of Mental Health, 202 576 6510) has stated that my current psychiatric symptoms fall within the diagnostic ambit of paranoid schizophrenia.

2. My psychotic symptoms include a fixed delusional system of longstanding duration. The delusional system arose in late October 1988 and centers on the belief that attorney managers of my former employer, the firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld ("Akin Gump") have had me under surveillance. I believe that my psychiatrists have transmitted confidential mental health information about me to Akin Gump managers. I further believe that confidential information about me has been transmitted by said managers to various persons including former President William Jefferson Clinton. Senior partners at Akin Gump include Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq., a close personal friend of former President Clinton, and Robert S. Strauss, Esq., former U.S. Ambassador to Russia and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

I also "hear voices," a symptom that first arose in the spring of 1993. Typically I hear the voices of historical figures and fictional characters from literature. For example, I hear the voices of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Rodion Raskolnikov, a character from Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. Since 1993 I have been writing down the voices I hear and have been compiling the quotations in a kind of continuous novel; my "novel" is now about 400 pages in length and is contained on three computer discs. The voices I hear are for the most part benign and ego-syntonic. The voices do not direct me to commit any acts, criminal or otherwise. I find the voices entertaining and reassuring, in fact, rather than tormenting. In stressful situations, the voices become intense, but reassuring.

My illness has been refractory to three different anti-psychotic medications: Zyprexa, Abilify, and Risperdal. Clinical trials of these three antipsychotic medications at therapeutic doses have failed to modify my psychotic symptoms of delusions and hallucinations. I experience fatigue while on these medications, but no therapeutic effects. I resumed the Zyprexa on April 21, 2004, following the above-referenced incident at the D.C. Library. At this time I continue to suffer from delusions and hallucinations.

3. Until late October 1991 I was employed at the law firm of Akin Gump as a paralegal. My employment was terminated on October 29, 1991 by Dennis M. Race, Esq. (a senior manager, 202 887 4028), after I had lodged a complaint of harassment against coworkers that was subsequently determined by Mr. Race to be symtomatic of mental illness.

4. The U.S. Social Security Administration determined that I became disabled and qualified for disability benefits as of the date of the job termination, October 29, 1991. I have not worked since the date of the termination (a period of about 13 years), and live on disability benefits and food stamps.

5. Since the date of the termination (in late October 1991) I have visited the Cleveland Park branch of the D.C. Library almost daily. Brian Patrick Brown has been employed as librarian at the Cleveland Park branch since 1988. Mr. Brown has seen me almost daily for 13 years. I have consistently deported myself at the library in a quiet, respectful, and courteous manner. One of Mr. Brown's colleagues, librarian Barbara Gauntt, has referred to me as an ideal library patron. Prior to the incident on April 16, 2004 I had no inappropriate interactions with any librarians, staff persons, or patrons.

6. I believe that Mr. Brown has had me under surveillance at the library since my job termination in October 1991. I believe that he has been in daily communication with a person or persons associated with Akin Gump, possibly Earl L. Segal, Esq. (the head of the paralegal program) and Malcolm Lassman, Esq. (a senior partner who reports to the firm's management committee on issues relating to paralegals). I believe that Mr. Brown has received confidential mental health information about me via persons associated with Akin Gump and that Mr. Brown has shared that information with fellow library employees. I believe that on occasion Mr. Brown and his colleagues have harassed me with said confidential information by their use of double entendres.

7. I am totally isolated socially. I have no friends. The last time I had any social interaction was in early February 1992 (12 years ago), when I had lunch with a friend. I have no family in the area. I have not spoken with my only relative, an older sister, since February 1996. I have not seen my sister since the fall of 1992. Since 1992 my interpersonal interaction has been limited to consultations with mental health professionals.

8. I have taken a liking to Branch Librarian Brian Patrick Brown, who I have seen almost daily since 1991. I think of him as an imaginary friend. I have imaginary conversations with Brian and fantasize about our getting together for conversation or other activities. Since April 2003 (one year ago), I have been writing letters to Brian and saving them on the library's computer hard-drive; I engaged in the act of altering the computer menu icons in order to get Brian's attention. I believe that Brian has been reading the letters since the inception of my letter-writing activity and that he has acquired considerable knowledge about my personal history and my personality. I believe that Brian has found the letters entertaining.

It was the letter dated April 16, 2004, referenced above, that aroused Brian's concerns about my mental health and stability.

9. I have spoken with three treating mental health persons about my activity of writing letters to Brian and saving them on the library's computer hard-drive, namely, Dr. Betsy Jane Cooper (my treating psychiatrist), Dr. Meghana Tembe (my treating psychologist at the GW Center Clinic for Professional Psychology), and Dr. Israela Bash (my D.C. mental health case worker). None of the parties attempted to dissuade me from the activity, although each of them stated that if I wanted to be friendly with Brian I should engage in conversation directly with him. Dr. Bash expressly suggested that I ask Brian to go to lunch with me.

Based on my conversations with my treating therapists, I had no reasonable basis to conclude that my act of writing letters and saving them to the library's computer hard-drive was inappropriate. Note that two of the mental health professionals, namely, Dr. Cooper and Dr. Bash, are employees of the District of Columbia. In effect, I had reason to believe that two employees of the District of Columbia had granted me carte blanche to pursue my activity of writing and saving letters to Brian Brown on the D.C. Library's computer hard-drive.

10. Librarian William Dacosta advised the Police (Officer Williams) that Mr. Brown had read only one of my letters (the letter dated April 16, 2004). Mr. Decosta denied that Mr. Brown had read any other letters that I had written during the previous 12 months. Mr. Dacosta also denied that he or Mr. Brown had any communications about me with persons associated with my former employer, the law firm of Akin Gump. Mr. Decosta denied that he or Mr. Brown had me under surveillance, or that they had daily communications about me with parties outside the library.

11. Mr. Decosta's statements to the Police (Officer Williams) serve as an admission by Mr. Dacosta that the librarians did not believe that I was engaged in the practice of harassing or stalking Brian Brown. Mr. Decosta's statements also serve as an admission that I had not been warned by library personnel on any prior occasion to cease my activity of altering computer menu icons or writing letters to Brian Brown and saving them on the library's computer hard-drive.

12. I advised the Police (Officer Williams) on April 21, 2004 that Mr. Brown had me under surveillance since 1991; that I had been engaged in the activity of writing letters to Brian Brown for the previous year (since April 2003); and that I had been engaged in the activity of modifying the computer icons for the previous year (since April 2003) (in order to gain Brian's attention). I also said that I believed that Brian and I had a lot in common and that perhaps we could become friends.

The Police offered the following observations:

(1.) My accusation that Mr. Brown had me under surveillance appeared to be a civil, and not a criminal matter. The Police advised me that if I had any substantial evidence that Mr. Brown had me under surveillance I should hand over that evidence to the D.C. Police detectives office or the Office of the U.S. Attorney for investigation.

(It will be noted that the continuing act of a state employee in invading the privacy of a citizen, or the act of a state employee in obtaining unlawfully-procured confidential information about a citizen and disseminating that information to other state employees, may constitute a civil rights violation under federal law).

(2.) Writing letters to Mr. Brown and saving them on the computer hard-drive is an inappropriate way to become friends with anyone. (Mr. Decosta advised me that Brian Brown has a policy of not befriending library patrons. I was free to chat with Brian at the library, but my expectation that Brian and I might become friends outside the library was not feasible.)

(3.) The Police stated that my action of altering or tampering with the computer icons was sufficient grounds to bar me from the library for a six month period. The subject letter I had written (dated April 16, 2004) was deemed by the Police to have no law enforcement significance, as it related to my intent to pursue legal remedies and not to inflict bodily or other harm on anyone.

(4.) The Police appeared to accept the denials of Mr. Decosta (and Mr. Brown) that neither party had been aware of my activity of writing letters during the previous year and saving those letters to the library's hard drive. The Police also appeared to accept the librarians' denial that they had any knowledge that I had been altering or tampering with the library's computer menu icons during the previous year.

CONCLUSION

I request that the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) offer an opinion as to the appropriateness of the action of the D.C. Library in suspending my access to my local public library for a six month period for the sole reason that I, according to the accusation of the Branch Librarian, Brian Brown, altered the computer menu icons of a Cleveland Park Library computer, without any prior warning by library personnel advising me that this trivial act was considered a serious act of misconduct.

NAMI may contact Mr. Brian P. Brown at 202 282 3080. NAMI may contact Mr. Brown's supervisor, Barbara Webb, at Central Library Administration at 202 727 3096. Barbara Webb is the Administrator of the Local Branch Libraries of the D.C. Public Library. My library card number is 211720 1569 8634.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Gary Freedman

Cc: (email - Eric H. Holder, Jr., Esq.)