Bill Sammon is FOX News Channel's (FNC) vice president of News and Washington managing editor.
Prior to joining FNC in 2008 as Washington deputy managing editor, Sammon spent two years as senior White House correspondent for The Washington Examiner. He held the same title at The Washington Times, where he covered the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the impeachment of President Clinton.
I sent the following letters to Mr. Sammon, beginning in early September 1998, after learning of the D.C. Court of Appeals' adverse decision in Freedman v. D.C. Dept. Human Rights on, September 1, 1998. Mr. Sammon did not respond to any of my letters.
September 3, 1998
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
(202) 362-7064
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
Enclosed are a collection of documents that concern a recent decision handed down by District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Freedman v. D.C. Department of Human Rights, no. 96-CV-961. The appeal concerns an employment harassment/discrimination lawsuit involving the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, one of whose managers, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq., is a nationally-prominent civil rights leader and close personal friend of President Clinton.
The enclosed computer disc contains the pleadings I filed in the appeal; the pleadings clearly show that Akin Gump's attorney managers offered inconsistent sworn statements in two separate employment discrimination lawsuits: the state proceedings in which I was involved, and a U.S. District Court case involving a black employee.
I have also submitted these materials to a staff writer at The Washington Post, Peter Baker.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
bcc: William Kristol (The Weekly Standard)
Evan Thomas (Newsweek)
September 26, 1998
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
(202) 362-7064
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
Further to my letter to you dated September 3, 1998 I submit for your information three computer discs that contain all of my personal computer files (mostly letters) that I prepared in the period November 1996 to the present.
The letters are somewhat bizarre, as you might expect in a situation in which the author has been diagnosed with an apparently rare form of bipolar disorder (manic-depressive psychosis) that has undergone spontaneous remission or an apparently rare form of paranoid schizophrenia (a disabling psychotic disorder) that cannot be detected on comprehensive psychological testing and which has left my intellectual functioning intact. Such are the tragic ravages of mental illness, Mr. Sammon.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
October 20, 1998
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
(202) 362-7064
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
I am sending along a copy of a letter that I received on October 20, 1998 addressed to me by Senator Arlen Specter (dated September 29, 1998). Senator Specter's letter is in response to a document submission I made to him under cover letter dated July 29, 1998.
The enclosed letter to the U.S. Secret Service sparked a criminal inquiry by the Secret Service and the surveillance of my residence by two agents on Friday August 7, 1998. The agents advised me that day (politely) that if I had any plans to leave my residence, they would follow me.
According to Albert H. Taub, M.D., my current treating psychiatrist at the Community Mental Health Center (North Annex: 3246 P Street, NW), the above-referenced letters support a determination that I suffer from a severe (psychotic) mental disturbance that is consistent with my continued entitlement to approximately $10,000 per year in disability benefits payments. (I have already received about $60,000 from the Social Security Administration).
The ravages of mental illness are indeed tragic, Mr. Sammon.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
November 3, 1998
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
I submit some additional documentation relating to my illness.
1. Letter dated April 29, 1996 addressed to my then treating psychiatrist at the George Washington University Medical Center, Dimitrios Georgopoulos, M.D.
2. Published clinical report about a case of paranoid schizophrenia titled "Under Surveillance." In: Spitzer, Robert L., et al. DSM-III-R Casebook: A Learning Companion to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Third Edition, Revised) (Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, 1989).
The case report (at page 30) mentions that a sustained mood disturbance (bi-polar disorder) is a rule-out for paranoid schizophrenia, that is, the two diagnoses are mutually inconsistent.
3. Letter dated February 14, 1996 prepared by Dr. Georgopoulos stating diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. The diagnosis, which is inconsistent with the previously diagnosed illness (bi-polar disorder), was made just weeks after I submitted a letter to GW (dated January 22, 1996) accusing the Medical Center of unlawfully transmitting confidential mental health information about me to managers at the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, my former employer, which is headed by, among others, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq.
4. Pharmacy receipt indicating prescription by GW of the drug lithium (lithotabs); the prescription is dated 2/25/93 and was for the illness bi-polar disorder (manic-depression).
It just seems to me, Mr. Sammon, that people who tangle with Vernon Jordan either end up going to an awful lot of job interviews or end up with some really strange mental illnesses. But, of course, I suffer from a rare form of paranoid schizophrenia--I guess the illness has affected my thinking.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
January 19, 1999
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW #136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
Bill Sammon
The Washington Times
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
Further to my previous submissions to you I enclose some additional materials:
1. Tape-recordings of five telephone conversations (made in compliance with D.C. law):
(a.) telephone conversation between me and Patricia McNeill, an Akin Gump coworker, on the evening of July 1, 1993 (see Record on Appeal at 41);
(b.) telephone conversation between me and Alana Baptiste, an employee of Akin Gump's employee assistance provider (Sheppard-Pratt), on the morning of July 2, 1993 (See Appeal Record at 63-66);
(c.) telephone conversation between me and Gertrude R. Ticho, M.D., the psychiatrist allegedly consulted by Dennis M. Race, Esq., an Akin Gump partner--the conversation took place on the morning of July 2, 1993. Dr. Ticho denies ever having spoken to Race;
(d.) telephone conversation between me and Gertrude R. Ticho, M.D., in late October 1993. Dr. Ticho states she had "no contact whatsoever" with Akin Gump concerning me;
(e.) telephone conversation between me and my sister, Mrs. Estelle Jacobson, in August 1993, in which sister states her incredulity at the diagnosis assigned by GW, bi-polar disorder; but see bill from GW dated 9/8/92 indicating diagnosis code 296.70 (bi-polar disorder) (Napoleon Cuenco, M.D.);
2. Copy of sworn interrogatory response filed by Race with the D.C. Department of Human Rights in May 1993 in which Race asserts he consulted with Dr. Ticho. (See Appeal Record at 73-77; 81-85);
3. Copy of one page of Dept. of Human Rights Initial Determination issued June 30, 1993 that includes Findings of Fact no. 5 and no. 6 (See Appeal Record at 17);
4. Notice of Award dated August 17, 1993 issued by the U.S. Social Security Administration stating that I became disabled effective October 29, 1991, the date of my job termination by Akin Gump;
5. Complaint issued by the D.C. Board of Medicine on January 6, 1999 relating to the professional conduct of Albert H. Taub, M.D., my current treating psychiatrist, who is an employee of the D.C. Mental Health Services Admin. I currently receive out-patient psychiatric care from Dr. Taub for a rare form of paranoid schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder (now in long-term spontaneous remission);
6. Letter from the FBI dated September 25, 1998 stating that the Bureau declines to investigate this matter;
7. Letter from Senior Judge James L. Buckley of the U.S. Court of Appeals (D.C. Circuit).
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
May 12, 1999
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
(202) 362-7064
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
Enclosed are several documents relating to the disposition, by the D.C. Board of Medicine, of the complaint filed against Albert H. Taub, M.D., my current treating psychiatrist.
There are two interesting features of Dr. Taub's response, dated February 22, 1999.
1. He fails to address inconsistencies in my treatment that occurred during his watch. My former treating psychiatrist, Dr. Singh (who was being supervised by Dr. Taub and Dr. Quint) stated to me, in Jaunary 1998, that it was the belief of Dr. Singh as well as Dr. Quint that I did not suffer from paranoid schizophrenia or any mental illness for which medication was indicated. See letter to Dr. Singh dated January 24, 1998.
2. He omits any reference to the facts relating to serious law enforcement concerns about me, which arose in August 1998, that prompted his treatment recommendations.
CHRONOLOGY:
1. January 1998: no diagnosable mental illness for which medication was indicated.
2. August 1998: re-instatement of diagnosis made by GW in February 1996, namely, paranoid schizophrenia -- for which Dr. Taub recommended medication (Xyprexa).
Both the medical recommendation in August 1998 and the decision by the clinic to institute weekly consultations with Dr. Taub were made following a letter that I had written that prompted a criminal risk investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police (Stephan J. Horan, S.A.); day-long surveillance of my residence by two agents of the U.S. Secret Service (August 7, 1998); and an emergency site visit by two U.S. Secret Service agents to the P Street Clinic on the morning of August 7, 1998. Dr. Taub's carefully crafted response fails to address these facts that prompted his clinical assessments and treatment recommendations in August 1998.
It's almost as if one could deconstruct Dr. Taub's response to read: Mr. Freedman is a very sick man who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, but I don't want you to know that that diagnosis was instituted in early August 1998 at the time Mr. Freedman was investigated for actions that could have resulted in his criminal prosecution or involuntary commitment.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
October 6, 1999
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
(202) 362-7064
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
You may find it ironic that it was Raymond F. Patterson, M.D. (President-elect, Washington Psychiatric Society and Medical Director of St. Elizabeths Hospital) who testified for the government in the trial of Francisco Martin Duran that Duran's claim that he suffered from a delusional disorder was a self-serving fabrication offered by Duran to evade criminal liability for his act of shooting at the White House, in 1994.
Yet, apparently, Dr. Patterson sees absolutely nothing wrong with St. Elizabeths Hospital billing Medicare $10,000 per year to treat a patient who suffers from an apparently rare form of paranoid schizophrenia that has left his intellectual functioning intact and that cannot be detected on comprehensive psychological testing. If Dr. Patterson were to testify to these facts at a competency
hearing, he would be laughed out of the hearing room.
Incidentally, it was Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Dubelier and Brenda Johnson who prosecuted Duran.
If you're at all interested, the enclosed computer disc contains the document referenced in the letter addressed to Nancy Shaffer, Ph.D., dated September 22, 1999.
By the way, I am still under surveillance by persons associated with the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. They are watching my every move. And, of course, we know I am being sincere -- or do we?
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
cc: Marzano Lee, S.A., U.S. Secret Service [now with the LA field office]
January 6, 2000
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
(202) 362-7064
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
Enclosed for your information is page 353 of the record on appeal in Freedman v. D.C. Department of Human Rights. It is the last page of a document that I had originally submitted to the D.C. Department of Human Rights during the pendency of that agency's investigation of my unlawful job termination complaint, filed against the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, in 1993.
I draw your specific attention to the next to last paragraph, 16. The paragraph contains a reference to a news story published in 1989 in The Washington Times about an incident that concerned an attorney employed in the Dallas, Texas office of Akin Gump. I do not have a copy of the article and I do not know the date of publication; I believe the article was published in about July or August 1989.
As I recall the article now, a male associate in the Dallas office (name unknown) hired a male prostitute and paid for the services using his Akin Gump credit card. Some time later, the firm's accounting office received the bill, which indicated the nature of the transaction. When the attorney was questioned by Akin Gump managers about the bill he explained that he had requested a female prostitute, but that the service had mistakenly sent over a male. And only as a courtesy to the male prostitute did the attorney agree to pay the going rate, in consideration of the prostitute's time and travel expenses. -- But, of course, the attorney did not actually employ the services of the male prostitute, or so he claimed (I don't know if the attorney was wagging his finger furiously as he made the denial, though). Akin Gump summarily terminated the attorney.
I recall that the Akin Gump management committee at the Washington, DC office (where I was employed at the time) deemed the matter of sufficient importance that it sent a memo to all employees that explained that the Washington Times article was all "speculation and hearsay" and that the firm was continuing to investigate the matter. Employees were cautioned not to credit any of the matters asserted in the article.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
January 12, 2000
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
(202) 362-7064
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
Enclosed is a portion of a document submission I made to the U.S. Social Security Administration (Paul G. Yessler, M.D., psychiatric consultant) in 1993 in support of my disability claim.
Apparently, the U.S. Social Security Administration determined that the document evidenced mental disturbance and not insight into a subtle job harassment scheme, consistent with Eide v. Kelsey-Hayes Co., 397 N.W.2d 532, 538 (Mich. 1986).
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
February 4, 2000
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
(202) 362-7064
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
Enclosed is a copy of an article from a recent issue of Monitor on Psychology, the official magazine of the American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20002-4242.
The article, by staff writer Kathryn Foxhall, is titled "How Would Your Practice Records Look to the FBI? A Massive Enforcement Push is Combing through Health-Care Records in Search of Fraud and Abuse--and Psychologists May Be Targeted." (January 2000).
The article notes that federal authorities, which are cracking down on Medicare fraud by psychologists, are reviewing patient records for sufficient documentation to indicate medical necessity.
Also enclosed is a computer disc that contains a letter dated February 2, 2000 addressed to my current treating psychologist, Nancy Shaffer, Ph.D. (a member of the APA), that will give you some idea of the things we discuss. The therapy sessions are funded in large part by Medicare ($10,000 per year).
I continue to believe that I am under constant surveillance. I attached importance to the fact that someone left a copy of the above-cited journal (Monitor on Psychology) in the magazine exchange bin at the Cleveland Park Public Library the day after I gave Dr. Shaffer the enclosed letter. These coincidences happen all the time.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
cc: Nancy Shaffer, Ph.D. [psychotherapist -- 9/99 to 2/03]
February 8, 2000
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
(202) 362-7064
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
Enclosed are three computer discs that contain a collection of letters that I submitted to my former treating psychiatrist at the George Washington University Medical Center Department of Psychiatry, Dimitrios Georgopoulos, M.D., who, in February 1996 diagnosed me as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
The letters cover the period mid-year 1995 to May 1996, and summarize my consultations with Dr. Georgopoulos. In the letters I summarize and discuss what I considered important parts of the ongoing sessions.
The discs are not IBM format and, to the best of my knowledge, cannot be downloaded. They are word-processor discs.
I gave similar discs to the U.S. Secret Service, which they were able to print out. You can do the same, if you are interested. Otherwise, you can keep the discs.
The letters are important if only because I submitted most or all of the letters to the U.S. Secret Service. The agent in charge of my case at that time (Philip C. Leadroot, S.A.) said he read all my letters, that he found them interesting--even entertaining--and that he looked forward to reading my letters. He said I had writing talent, and maybe should seek employment as a writer.
At the same time, GW considered the letters consistent with the diagnosis paranoid schizophrenia, and not inconsistent with the determination made by the U.S. Social Security Administration that I was not suitable for employment by reason of serious mental illness.
Two totally different views. Who would you believe? I suspect that the U.S. Secret Service had their own psychiatric consultant read the letters.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
bcc: Harold F. Baker, Esq. [GW trustee -- now deceased]
July 15, 2000
3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW
#136
Washington, DC 20008-4530
(202) 362-7064
Bill Sammon
Staff Writer
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Mr. Sammon:
Enclosed is a collection of documents that evidences recent decisions made by two different agencies that relate, respectively, to my constitutionally-protected right to serve as a juror and my constitutionally-protected right to a professional license.
1. Documents relating to the decision made on June 15, 2000 by the District of Columbia Superior Court that I do not qualify for jury duty by reason of severe (psychotic) mental illness.
2. Attorney license issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on July 11, 2000, for the period 2000-2001.
I certainly hope that the decision made by the Superior Court Juror Office that I do not qualify for jury duty will in no way impair my chances for employment with the Court in the capacity of law clerk.
Sincerely,
Gary Freedman
cc: Robert Chapman, Esq. (Assistant U.S. Attorney, DC)
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