The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

10 December 2007

Bernie Ward Turned Down Earlier Plea Deal

NO THANKS

By Rejecting Deal, Did Ward Dig Deeper Hole?







Given the opportunity for a plea deal that would have significantly reduced his potential prison sentence, did Bernie Ward only make matters worse by turning it down?

According to the San Francisco Chronicle's Matier & Ross column, the now- former KGO libtalker had a chance to accept a five- year prison deal 18 months ago, but rejected it. Now, he could be facing at least 15 years behind bars:


Radio waves: Federal prosecutors pursuing a child pornography case against liberal KGO radio talk host Bernie Ward were pressuring him as far back as a year and a half ago to accept a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for five years, according to knowledgeable sources.

At one point, the feds gave him a week to think it over and said the offer would be off the table after that.

"He was very upset," recounted one confidante, who asked not to be named.

Ward says he was only researching a book when he downloaded child-porn images in December 2004 and transmitted them to a woman with whom he had been communicating on a chat line. And after conversations with his lawyers, Ward rejected the plea deal - and Thursday, he was indicted.


While one can imagine why Ward would put off a likely prison sentence for as long as possible, this revelation generates new questions: since Bernie knew it was coming, was KGO aware of it as well? Did ABC recognize the risk of keeping Ward in its talk radio lineup?

In addition, we've since heard from broadcast professionals in California that signs of self- destructive behavior on Ward's part go back years and may be quite shocking in nature. Will some of this eventually come to light as well?


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7 Comments:

  • EVERYBODY KNOWS the divorced Ward is guilty...I mean EVERYBODY

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12 December, 2007 19:31  

  • Ward is not divorced.

    It is a sad commentary that people can be convicted by accusation.

    Maybe you'll be next, Brian.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 14 December, 2007 01:42  

  • Ward is divorced. Check your facts.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 14 December, 2007 18:34  

  • Ward is not divorced from his wife, who is an accompished Doctor in the Bay area.Of course all the accusation from this right wing WACKO Blog is soooo fair balannced. You obviously know NOTHING and are showing it here. If he rejected a plea deal, it's because he wants his name cleared completely and that any plea deal would in fact kill his talk show career as well as his reputation -period. And he would have to register as a sex offender. On any other situation one could cop a plea deal but in this instance it would be detrmental to his livelyhood and his life to do so.
    Bernie is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Sure glad I don't have you sitting on his jury! You would be soo impartial and FAIR! ! NOT!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11 January, 2008 06:21  

  • who is his wife???

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 15 February, 2008 02:23  

  • From Oakdale Police

    full report:
    http://prosites-prs.homestead.com/ward-new.pdf

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 15 February, 2008 11:10  

  • MALONEY, BALONEY

    None of you actually knows anything, except possibly that Bernie Ward carried out some pretty disgusting role-playing activity, for purposes UNKNOWN. You DON’T KNOW. And that kills you, or it ought to. The posted chat transcript is selectively-edited to make it look the worst possible; the woman involved is a surrogate of Ward's political-fanatic enemies in the greater Modesto area, Central California's haven for right-wing wingnut predators-in-their-own-right; and the fact that the FBI found NOTHING when they raided his house and stole his computers in January 2005, PLUS let the whole thing lie dormant for THREE YEARS while his kids remained with him (as they do to this day, PROVING that the activities reported in the undercover role-playing were COMPLETELY FICTIONAL. Either that or the Bush DOJ is grossly negligent and incompetent, take your pick.) You lying sinners-of-omission should rot in hell. Bernie has a heart of gold and is a finer person than you'll ever even *attempt* to be.

    By passing premature judgment, by trying him in the Press, you're KILLING a man who's fed *thousands*, do you know that? How good does that make you feel?

    And by the way, anyone who's paid attention KNOWS THAT SO-CALLED "INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS" MATIER & ROSS, AND SIMILARLY, KGO7's OWN DAN NOYES, WHO EAGERLY SOUGHT THIS SET-UP POLICE REPORT I'M SURE WITH GREAT GLEE, *ALL* HAVE PERSONAL GRUDGES AGAINST BERNIE WARD FOR CRITICIZING THEIR WORK. AND *THAT* IS THE GOSPEL TRUTH. (*Nothing* his detractors say has any merit at all, including Faux News. *YOU* wouldn't have a grudge, would you? For, say, his having had the guts to tell the truth to that wacko primadonna Bill O'Reilly: "You're not a journalist"? -- No, YOU'VE got no motive to run a smear...)

    (I dare you chickens to post this.)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 26 February, 2008 00:26  

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