D.A. Paul Howard and My Favorite Latin Phrase

When I first started investigating the rampant corruption surrounding Grady Hospital, I couldn't figure out how all of this could go on and no one know it. Such rampant corruption goes on when three things happen: a political machine that controls everything, a corrupt press that looks the other way, and finally law enforcement that also looks the other way. With respect to law enforcement, I firmly believe that most of the blame lies right at the feet of Paul Howard. In fact, Paul Howard's role in the obscene corruption at Grady Hospital can be proven through the use of my favorite Latin phrase, Res Ipsa Loquitor (the facts speak for themselves)

More than one community activist, including members of the New Grady Coalition, have told me that one of the biggest problems at Grady Hospital is the execution of open records requests. As a public hospital, financed by tax dollars, any stonewalling or outright refusal of open records requests is nothing short of a brazen violation of not only the spirit of the law but the letter. In 2002, Grady Hospital went through a massive and costly addition. This was happening at yet another time that Grady was struggling financially. The whole thing looked suspicious and activists eventually unraveled the situation. The addition was built by RL Brown and Associates owned by Robert Brown (who was a member of the Grady Board at the time of the project) Of course, it took several years for the truth to come out and one of the main reasons is that Grady was non cooperative throughout the process in responding to open records requests.

The most recent example is in response to JCAHO's threat to revoke Grady's accreditation. The actual JCAHO report still hasn't been made public and that is because Grady continues to stonewall its release. Paul Howard could put an end to all of it immediately if he wanted to, however Howard has been absent in enforcing these open records requests. One activist described feeling like a ping pong ball when dealing with Howard. When they went to the D.A.'s office, they were sent to a maze of different departments until after several hours still no one had actually done anything to help them. Howard's refusal to do anything to enforce open records requests speaks for itself.

Howard's most blatant complicity in the corruption surrounding Grady Hospital involved the case of State Senator Charles Walker. Walker was convicted of 127 felonies and currently serving his time. (all of ten years for those 127 felonies and he didn't flip on anyone) None of Walker's convictions were brought by Howard's office. That's because Howard's office didn't prosecute Walker. Members of the New Grady Coalition told me that they brought Howard all of the evidence against Walker but that he refused to move forward. Of course, you need not take my word for it. Here is how former ADA in Howard's office Denise Sorino put it...

Howard is currently under ethics investigation for stonewalling my investigation of Georgia Senator Charles Walker, who was finally indicted by federal investigators on 142 felony counts for stealing from Georgia's poorest citizens, including at Grady hospital. Federal authorities have stated that the co-conspirators of Walker need to be looked at by Fulton. Four years ago, I personally presented Howard with two boxes of evidence regarding the Walker/Grady corruption. Howard refused to investigate, and then finally retaliated against me. The DA office now claims to have "lost" the evidence. Howard's office continues to falsely claim they have no knowledge of the Walker/Grady corruption.

There is a four year paper trail showing Howard stonewalling for Charles Walker and co-conspirators.

As I pointed out in this piece, Joyce Harris, the prosecution's star witness in the Walker case, fingered almost the entire Grady hierarchy, including Robert Brown, as being in on the corruption. She did this during her testimony, testimony that ultimately was the centerpiece of the conviction of Charles Walker. Yet, to this day, Howard's office has prosecuted exactly ZERO people for their involvement.

Of course, Howard's own malfeasance only begins at Grady Hospital. The most famous case involves the prosecution of football star Ray Lewis. Here is how Sorino described his handling of that case...

I was also made aware by the lead ADA in the Ray Lewis case that there was enough evidence to convict him, but Paul Howard chose not to present this information to the jury and the public."

Howard's office was also responsible for botching up the transfer of Brian Nichols who subsequently went on a killing spree and took hostages and he botched the case of Carissa Shaw who was alleged to have murdered her four year old daughter Destiny.

Finally, Howard's complicit involvement in the Grady corruption can be surmised by what he hasn't done. To my knowledge Howard hasn't brought anyone up on charges related to corruption at Grady Hospital. Thus, either everything I have written is totally false and inaccurate or Howard refuses to enforce the laws he was elected to uphold.