so how long do we all just look the other way ? or do we tell them the next step is the doj ? or let the fraud continue !!!!!
STATE OF ILLINOIS }
} SS:
COUNTY OF COOK }
AFFIDAVIT OF COURT WATCH WITNESS SHEILA A. MANNIX, PHD
REGARDING EVENTS ON AND PERTAINING TO FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Prepared and Filed as an Offer of Proof
I, Sheila A. Mannix, being first duly sworn, on oath, states as follows:
1. I am 50-years-old and am competent. This affidavit is made on my personal knowledge of all matters set forth herein. If sworn and called as a witness in this matter, I could, and I would, testify competently as to each fact set forth herein.
2. A little over a year ago, in December 2009, I was contacted by the petitioner, David Bambic. Mr. Bambic is a retired Marine Reservist and the father of two little children, who is going through a divorce in the Domestic Relations Division of Cook County.
3. Mr. Bambic said he found my name on the Internet. Like Mr. Bambic, my two sons and I are the victims of alleged criminal acts by court-appointed Child Representative David Wessel dating back to October 2002 and continuing to this very day within the context of alleged racketeering activity and federal funding fraud in the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
In June 2005, I co-founded Illinois Family Court Accountability Advocates (IFCAA) with another victim of the alleged criminal acts by court-appointed Child Representative David Wessel, Karyn Mehringer. IFCAA is a lawful, volunteer, non-profit organization composed of victims of the alleged racketeering activity and federal funding fraud in Illinois’ family court system. IFCAA press releases and information about my State and Federal cases can be found on the Internet.
4. In his personal testimony to me about events in his case, I am under information and belief that Mr. Bambic described the patterns of practice of the alleged racketeering activity and federal funding fraud in the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Additionally, Mr. Bambic described alleged criminal acts against him and his children by his spouse and court-appointed Child Representative David Wessel in
conspiracy with the judiciary within the context of same.
5. I reviewed the online docket of the case to corroborate what Mr. Bambic related to me. The Public Record indicated alleged federal funding fraud involving child abuse and domestic violence funding coming into the State of Illinois among other irregularities. Simply, I have been taught that when a State receives court-related and human services-related federal funds (in 2009, the State of Illinois received $6.42 billion human services-related federal funds of which a
percentage is court-related involving, for example, domestic violence and child support funds), it is a violation of federal funding laws to violate the federally-protected rights of citizens and it is a violation of federal funding laws to enter void orders and/or to refuse to enforce valid orders within the context of racketeering activity in a family court system involving domestic violence and child support, etc.
6. On May 7, 2010, I submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to Speaker Michael Madigan requesting documents distributed and/or read from at the April 10, 2010 meeting of the Illinois Family Law Study Committee. In response to said FOIA request, I received a legislative report which was subsequently certified by the Clerk of the Illinois House of Representatives. The certified legislative report stated in pertinent part [Exhibit A]:
“Secondarily, the effect of the present system, in practice, has created “cottage industries” of GALs/child representatives, custody evaluators and others, who have increased litigation costs and are not necessarily helpful in reducing conflicts between the parents.”
7. I have direct evidence of alleged federal funding fraud by court-appointed Child Representative David Wessel perpetrated in alleged conspiracy with the judiciary, other officers of the State court, public officials, and my ex-husband upon which I relied to prepare the following motion in my federal Case No. 10 C 3849, Mannix v. Maram, Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, et al., “Motion for Chief Judge Holderman Under 18 U.S.C. § 3332 to Inform a Special Grand Jury of Direct Evidence of Federal Funding Fraud Underlying the “Cottage
Industries” Operating in the State of Illinois’ Family Court System,” filed September 8, 2010.
8. In response to the above motion, Chief Judge Holderman reversed his position in his February 19, 2009 order in response to my first Sec. 3332 grand jury motion before him in Case No. 09 C 103 Mannix v. Madigan, et al., in which David Wessel is a defendant. In 2009, Chief Judge Holderman took the position that only the U.S Attorney could bring evidence of alleged offenses against the criminal laws of the United States to the attention of a grand jury such that he asked an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the courtroom on February 19, 2009 to
handle the matter with me. Said case is currently the subject of an open investigation in the White Collar Crimes Division of FBI-Chicago, as reported to me and a witness on April 20, 2009 by an FBI agent.
9. On September 14, 2010, in response to my second grand jury motion specifically targeting alleged evidence of child support federal funding fraud, Chief Judge Holderman entered the following statement [Exhibit B]:
“Although the court, under 18 U.S.C. § 3332, may bring alleged offenses to the attention of the grand jury, it is typically the attorney for the government who does so. Ms. Mannix, by serving a copy of her motion on the United States Attorney, and by speaking with him and his representative, about this matter, as set forth in her motion, has already apprised the United States Attorney of her allegations.
Consequently, this court will defer to the United States Attorney with regard to this request. The United States Attorney may exercise the prosecutorial authority of the Executive Branch of the United States Government in bringing the matter to the attention of the grand
jury.”
10. I presented evidence to officials in seven congressional offices in Washington, D.C. in November 2010 to begin securing the backing and resources District U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald needs to pursue indictments against Illinois public officials and state court actors in compliance with Chief Judge Holderman’s September 14, 2010 order. [See Exhibit C for the first few pages of the PowerPoint Presentation to the congressional officials and Exhibit K for the follow-up notice. I am currently being promoted by nationally networked groups to give presentations around the
country about the evidence that IFCAA has compiled regarding alleged federal funding fraud fueling “cottage industries” in the nation’s family court systems. See draft of a sample press release attached hereto as Exhibit D.
11. Additionally, I have included the February 17, 2011 follow-up to Director Julie Hamos of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, with the attached February 15, 2011 agenda of my meeting in Springfield with the Pamela Lowry, Administrator, Division of Child Support Services. [Exhibit E]
12. On Monday, February 21, 2011, Mr. Bambic called me and asked me if I would please assist him by voluntarily Court Watching at his proceeding on the following morning in courtroom 3004 of the Daley Center before Judge David E. Haracz. He said that he was going to be filing and serving some very powerful legal documents and that he anticipated unlawful conduct by Judge Haracz and Mr. Wessel which he wanted me to witness. He described the titles of the
documents. They were not familiar to me but I believed they had something to do with establishing whether or not the judge had authority or jurisdiction over the case in addition to his Admissions Statement admitting or denying evidence already in the Public Record.
13. I regularly get calls from victims of the alleged criminal acts of Mr. Wessel, which victims I cannot assist because there are just too many, so I just take down their information. However, I had agreed to Court Watch at Dr. Bowman’s proceeding before Judge Haracz on that Friday, February 25, 2011, and since I had heard disturbing information about the conduct of Judge Haracz in three additional cases, I thought it was my duty to assist my fellow citizen, especially a veteran who was willing to give his life for our country and the spiritually-based U.S. Constitution for which it stands.
14. On February 22, 2011, while I was waiting for the proceeding to begin, I witnessed Child Representative David Wessel enter the courtroom. When he saw me, he became noticeably anxious. Specifically, his muscles of his face became constricted. I watched him while he reviewed the documents of Mr. Bambic filed that day. I witnessed Mr. Wessel’s noticeable anxiety increase. Specifically, he became behaviorally agitated; touching his face, putting his
fingers to his mouth, fidgeting with his pen, and taking furious notes on the inside cover of his file folder. These behaviors escalated throughout the proceeding culminating in Mr. Wessel charging after Mr. Bambic when he left the courtroom and my having to call the Deputy over because I feared for the safety of Mr. Bambic. Specifically, I feared that Mr. Wessel would attempt to maliciously provoke Mr. Bambic and/or that Mr. Wessel would maliciously make false allegations against Mr. Bambic. Mr. Wessel was allegedly involved in the alleged framing and false arrest of one of my Court Watchers on February 2, 2007.
15. On February 22, 2011, I witnessed Mr. Bambic’s the proceedings before Judge Haracz which included David Wessel and Mr. Bambic’s spouse, who was unrepresented. I am of information and belief that I witnessed void proceedings because the conduct of officers of the court, namely, Judge Haracz and David Wessel, were undeniably deceptive as follows:
- I witnessed Mr. Bambic assert that Mr. Wessel had committed and was committing fraud upon the court. I witnessed Judge Haracz ignore Mr. Bambic’s assertions, thereby I am of information and belief that Judge Haracz committed fraud upon the court.
- I witnessed Judge Haracz state that he had no idea what the documents that Mr. Bambic had filed and served that day were. Judge Haracz actually stated to Mr. Bambic to speak in “plain language” because the judge did not understand the legal terms Mr. Bambic was using.
- I witnessed Judge Haracz take a recess and go back into chambers with the documents.
- When Judge Haracz returned, I witnessed Judge Haracz proceed as if Mr. Bambic’s documents did not exist. Judge Haracz and Mr. Wessel proceeded to discuss Mr. Bambic’s supervised visitation with his children. I heard Mr. Bambic repeatedly assert in so many words that the Court needed to address his documents before proceeding, otherwise the Court was acting without authority. Mr. Bambic was completely ignored by Judge Haracz as if he was not even standing there speaking.
- I witnessed Judge Haracz tell Mr. Wessel to write an order about supervised visitation and then he left the bench.
- I witnessed Mr. Wessel write an order and then hand it to Mr. Bambic. Mr. Bambic then asked me to exit the courtroom with him. Outside the courtroom, I gave Mr. Bambic emotional, psychological, and spiritual support. Among other things, I told him to stay calm and strong for his children.
- Mr. Bambic read the order to me and I saw what was written on the order. The order said nothing about the documents he filed. He stated that he had the right to have what he filed listed in the first paragraph of the order. I told him that I was inclined to agree with him because otherwise, I told him that I was told by an attorney, the judge and Mr. Wessel were allegedly engaging in criminal concealment of the Public Record. Mr. Bambic also stated that he had the right to have it stated in the order that the order was being entered over his objections. I suggested to Mr. Bambic that he stay calm and try to reason with Mr. Wessel regarding
what he believed to be his rights as he had just stated them to me.
- When Mr. Bambic and I returned to the courtroom, I was verbally accosted by Mr. Bambic’s spouse. I felt mental anguish and emotional distress as a result of her actions toward me. I felt harassed as a witness to the proceeding.
- I witnessed Mr. Bambic and Mr. Wessel talking. I witnessed Mr. Wessel write additional things on the order. Then Mr. Wessel handed the order back to Mr. Bambic who proceeded to go out of the courtroom and signaled to me to come with him. At that point, Mr. Wessel leapt up from the attorneys’ table and rushed toward the courtroom door. I earnestly waved to the Deputy, who was on the opposite end of the courtroom, to come quickly. The Deputy quickly came across the courtroom and when he got outside he told Mr. Wessel to go back inside the courtroom.
- I witnessed Mr. Bambic in a state of mental anguish and emotional distress as a proximate result of the actions of Mr. Wessel. I continued to offer Mr. Bambic emotional, psychological, and spiritual support. I continued to tell him to stay calm and strong for his children. Mr. Bambic decided that the addition to the order made by Mr. Wessel was inaccurate and incomplete and that he would need to step up before the bench again and ask the judge to correct the order. Specifically, he stated that the order needed to accurately include all the documents he filed and needed to state that it was entered over his objections. Specifically, one of Mr. Bambic’s filings was a kind of declaration and not a pleading. Additional filings were an admissions statement and the separate evidentiary documents from the Public Record about which the admissions statement was admitting or denying. One of the filings was called something like, motion to compel judicial boundary. (I’d never heard of that before, but conceptually grasped the relief it was seeking.) But Mr. Wessel had not listed the separate evidentiary documents and he had called all Mr. Bambic’s filings “pleadings” as if they were all motions that could be denied, which they clearly were not. There was no doubt in my mind that the order Mr. Wessel wrote was deceptive and void.
- I witnessed the parties step back up. I witnessed Mr. Bambic make the aforementioned assertions in the above paragraph. I witnessed Judge Haracz act as if he was completely incapable of handling the matters before him. I witnessed Mr. Bambic repeatedly state what he had the right to have stated in the order. I witnessed Judge Haracz refuse to include in the order what Mr. Bambic asserted he had a right to have included. I witnessed Judge Haracz make what I believe was one of the most illegal statements I’ve heard from a family court judge in a while,
especially with a trial scheduled in about two months. Specifically, when Mr. Bambic was asking the judge to list the documents FROM THE PUBLIC RECORD that he had re-filed that day in conjunction with his admissions statement, which included the Civil Cover Sheet of the case and the petition for dissolution of marriage filed by Mr. Bambic which initiated the case as well as the allegedly false affidavit of his spouse with which a false order of protection was entered against Mr. Bambic, Judge Haracz stated that he decided what was evidence and what was not evidence! So the affidavit upon which Judge Haracz relied to perpetrate alleged irreparable harm against a father and his children for over a year was going to be concealed!!??!! This indicated an established pattern of practice in
Illinois’ family court “cottage industries.”
- Then I witnessed Judge Haracz state, in effect, that he was not going to enter the order hand-written by Mr. Wessel and that he was going to compose his own order and enter it later. Judge Haracz concluded the proceeding and left the bench.
- I witnessed Mr. Wessel and Mr. Bambic’s spouse follow the judge out the door behind the bench.
16. Two days later, I spoke with Mr. Bambic. He said he received a typed order by facsimile from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. He read the order to me. The last provision of the order stated in pertinent part:
“3. Until further order of the court, Petitioner shall seek leave of this Court prior to filing any other motions or pleadings.”
17. I told Mr. Bambic that I was very familiar with the pattern of practice of allegedly corrupt public officials illegally severing citizens’ Fourteenth Amendment Rights to equal protection of the laws and due process of law once the litigants had established in the Public Record irrefutable evidence of alleged racketeering activity and federal funding fraud. I told him that the next pattern of practice is the sealing of the Public Record.
18. I told Mr. Bambic that I was outraged and disgusted by the documented repeated acts of Judge Haracz and Mr. Wessel regarding the violation of citizens’ federally-protected rights, but that I was ESPECIALLY OUTRAGED by their alleged conspired attempt to ILLEGALLY sever the federally-protected, constitutionally-secured rights of a veteran who was willing to die for his country!! I told Mr. Bambic that I felt it was my duty as a United States citizen to assist him in exposing what Judge Haracz and Mr. Wessel just did to him! (I subsequently connected Mr. Bambic with the host of a veterans’ radio station.)
19. I told Mr. Bambic that I was composing a Court Watch Witness affidavit for filing into his record, if he so chose. I asked him to please call the Clerks Office and get a stamped and signed copy of the unsigned, faxed order so that I could attach it to my affidavit. [Consolidated Exhibit H] I told him that a co-member of IFCAA had recently filed an affidavit detailing the family court “cottage industry” pattern of practice that was allegedly just done to him in several cases (two of which involve Mr. Wessel). I told him that I would attach the affidavit as an exhibit to my affidavit with several IFCAA co-members’ (void) orders doing the same alleged illegal act as well as (1) the snippet from my March 30, 2006 transcript of Judge Donegan doing it to me right after Judge Shields did it to Karyn Mehringer because I had filed a lawful, well-pleaded, emergency motion for the cross-examination of Mr. Wessel pursuant to In re Marriage of Bates, 212 Ill.2d 489, 819 N.E.2d 714, 289 Ill.Dec.218, and (2) the snippet from Ms. Mitchell’s January 11, 2011 transcript in which an Assistant Attorney General tried to do the same thing and the judge said that it was “an extreme form of relief, sir, and what I generally say on those types of matters is I say this respectfully put it in writing…” [Official Report of Proceeding, Page 26, Lines 2-5] [Exhibit K]
20. Additionally, I informed Mr. Bambic that I was taught by the attorneys who advise my organization that an order is required by law to detail with specificity the findings upon which the judge relied to essentially enter an injunction against him or a Rule 137 sanction against him. I told him that I was not familiar with and really didn’t have a working understanding of the documents he filed, but that OBVIOUSLY they were powerful, truthful documents to provoke Judge Haracz to
apparently engage in an abuse of power and violate his federal rights so outrageously and directly in line with the pattern of practice of Illinois’ family court system “cottage industries” pursuant to the April 10, 2010 certified legislative report upon which a current bill clearly relies which was introduced to the Illinois Legislature seeking to modify the Sec. 506 Representative of the Child statute, HB 3481, filed on February 24, 2011. [Exhibit I]
21. In a subsequent conversation, I informed Mr. Bambic that as of January 1, 2011, a section of the Illinois Criminal Code, 720 ILCS 5/Article 32 was amended as follows:
Sec. 32‑8. Tampering with public records.
(a) A person who knowingly and without lawful authority alters, destroys, defaces, removes or conceals any public record commits a Class 4 felony.
(b) "Public record" expressly includes, but is not limited to, court records pertaining to any civil or criminal proceeding in any court.
(c) Any judge, circuit clerk or clerk of court, public official or employee, court reporter, or other person who knowingly and without lawful authority alters, destroys, defaces, removes, or conceals any public record received or held by any judge or by a clerk of any court commits a Class 3 felony.
*****
(f) When the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction declines to investigate, or inadequately investigates, a violation of subsection (c), the State Police shall have the authority to investigate, and shall investigate, the same, without regard to whether such local law enforcement agency has requested the State Police to do so.
(g) When the State's Attorney having jurisdiction declines to prosecute a violation of subsection (c), the Attorney General shall have the authority to prosecute the same, without regard to whether such State's Attorney has requested the Attorney General to do
so.
(h) Prosecution of a violation of subsection (c) shall be commenced within 3 years after the act constituting the violation is discovered or reasonably should have been discovered. (Source: P.A. 96‑1217, eff. 1‑1‑11.)
22. I informed Mr. Bambic that I believed that on February 22, 2011, I directly witnessed acts by Judge Haracz and Mr. Wessel against him in alleged direct violation of the newly amended Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 (720 ILCS 5/1-1, et seq.], Article 32: Interference with Judicial Procedure, Section 32-8: Tampering with Public Records, effective January 1, 2011.
23. I informed Mr. Bambic that I believed that on February 22, 2011, I directly witnessed acts by Judge Haracz and Mr. Wessel against him in alleged direct violation of the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 (720 ILCS 5/1-1, et seq.], Article 32: Interference with Judicial Procedure, Section 32-4a: Harassment of a Witness, which proximately resulted in his mental anguish and emotional distress.
24. I informed Mr. Bambic that I believed that on February 22, 2011, I was the victim of acts by his wife against me in alleged direct violation of the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 (720 ILCS 5/1-1, et seq.], Article 32: Interference with Judicial Procedure, Section 32-4a: Harassment of a Witness, which proximately resulted in my mental anguish and emotional distress.
25. I informed Mr. Bambic that I believed that on February 22, 2011, that Mr. Wessel most probably engaged in alleged ongoing defamation, in the form of slander, against me which I have been informed he has done in at least one other case n open court in January 2010 such that I plan to subpoena Judge Haracz and the Deputy in his courtroom on February 22, 2011 as well as subpoena the witnesses in the other case in my current defamation lawsuit against Mr. Wessel, Case No. 09 L 63010, Mannix v. Wessel, et al.
26. I have invited Mr. Bambic to consider if he would like to join a multi-petitioner Petition for Appointment of Special Prosecutor to investigate alleged state felony crimes against him and other litigants allegedly perpetrated by public officials, state court actors, and other litigants in the venue of the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County under the jurisdiction of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez; similar to the petitions Ms. Michelle and I filed in McHenry County based on the courageous acts of a young woman who was employed by the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office. See
attached Exhibit J for the latest indictments against McHenry County public officials which indicate the similar alleged “preferential treatment” of litigants and state court actors who are alleged participants in Illinois’ family court system “cottage industries” by State’s Attorneys whose signatures appear with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Director Hamos of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Service on contracts involving state and federal public funds.
27. I am available as a material witness for testimony and cross-examination with regard to my statements made herein in Mr. Bambic’s case and in any associated civil and criminal proceedings, administrative hearings, impeachment hearings, and State or Federal grand juries.
28. Further sayeth naught.
_____________________________
SHEILA A. MANNIX
SUBSCRIBED and SWORN to before me on
this _____ day of March, 2011.
NOTARY PUBLIC
Table of Contents of Exhibits Attached to
Affidavit of Court Watch Witness Sheila A. Mannix, PhD
Regarding Events on and Pertaining to February 22, 2011
Prepared and Filed as an Offer of Proof
Exhibit A: November 18, 2010 FOIA response from the Clerk of the Illinois House of Representatives with certified legislative report
Exhibit B: September 14, 2010 order entered by Federal Chief Judge Holderman
Exhibit C: Several Slides of November 2011 PowerPoint Presentation to congressional officials
Exhibit D: Draft of proposed press release for “Prison, Then Pensions” presentation
Exhibit E: February 17, 2011 follow-up to Director Julie Hamos of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, with the attached February 15, 2011 agenda of my meeting in Springfield with the Pamela Lowry, Administrator, Division of Child Support Services
Exhibit F: February 2, 2007 Report of Proceedings (one page)
Exhibit G: Transcript of March 16, 2007 voicemail message from ARDC official regarding pending investigation of attorney, David Wessel
Exhibit H: Facsimile of two versions of February 23, 2011 order by Judge Haracz
Exhibit I: February 24, 2011 bill to modify Sec. 506. Representation of Child
Exhibit J: February 24, 2011 New indictments against McHenry County officials
Exhibit K: January 30, 2011 Affidavit of Michelle L. Mitchell with partial exhibits
|
Offline 
Send Email