Norman Hsu Waives Extradition, May Have Boarded Wrong Train

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 05:15:52 PM EST
Tags: Norman Hsu (all tags)

Share This: Digg!

Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu waived extradition to California today. He's expected to be returned tomorrow.

According to one news report, a spokesman for his lawyer's office says Hsu may have boarded the wrong train:

Jason Booth says Hsu was “sick and confused” and may have thought he was boarding a Bay Area Rapid Transit Train when he instead caught an Amtrak train to Colorado.

But according to the first article linked above, Booth had no comment on that explanation.

Jason Booth, a friend of Hsu's and a spokesman for the San Francisco law firm representing him, would not comment on an Associated Press story that reported Hsu was disoriented and ill and got on Amtrak train thinking he was boarding San Francisco's rapid-transit system.

Did James Brosnahan's office hire a friend of Hsu's as their spokesman? I tend to doubt it. I'm also having a little trouble crediting the wrong train scenario. His English reportedly isn't perfect, but still, he bought a sleeper ticket. And one would think after an hour or so on the train, he might have noticed, asked, or called someone.

< Bill To Restore Habeas Defeated | Federal Judge Rules Tenn. Death Penalty Unconstitutional >

Legal

Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice. TalkLeft does not give legal advice.

TalkLeft is not responsible for and often disagrees with material posted in the comments section. Read at your own risk.

Norman Hsu Waives Extradition, May Have Boarded Wrong Train | 18 comments (18 topical)

Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

Wrong train? That's a keeper. eom (none / 0) (#1)
by Geekesque on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 05:36:02 PM EST

Despite being directionaly impaired myself, (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by oculus on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 05:38:13 PM EST

my first thought was: this won't pass the straight face test.


Almost as funny as the (none / 0) (#3)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 05:57:24 PM EST

"OJ was driving home in his white ford bronco." comment on another thread.


Excuse du Jour (none / 0) (#6)
by rugger9 on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 06:51:39 PM EST

There are precisely two places where one can board either Amtrak or BART: Richmond and Oakland Coliseum. Neither station is on the California Zephyr (the train he was on) stop list (Richmond used to be, but was dropped a couple of years ago). Therefore he'll have to try another one.


: Nice research. (none / 0) (#12)
by oculus on Thu Sep 20, 2007 at 01:38:50 AM EST

You would think he would have caught on when (none / 0) (#4)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 06:04:06 PM EST

he was zipping through the desert...

I'd have thought he'd catch on (none / 0) (#5)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 06:08:17 PM EST

when the "BART" ticket he bought was $100 instead of 50 cents. "Boy, they sure must have had a price increase."

: hehe (1.00 / 0) (#11)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 10:50:10 PM EST

When your bundling millions, $100 is like 50 cents..

I can buy it (none / 0) (#7)
by space on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 07:25:31 PM EST

His English reportedly isn't perfect, but still, he bought a sleeper ticket.

Hey, what happens in Walnut Creek, stays in Walnut Creek.

Boarded the wrontg train? (none / 0) (#8)
by rdandrea on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 08:15:09 PM EST

Oh come on. How many California Zephyrs are there? I know this is a defense attorney's site, but let's at least try to pass the snicker test.

No argument here (none / 0) (#9)
by Jeralyn on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 10:29:41 PM EST

as I said above, "I'm also having a little trouble crediting the wrong train scenario."

So much so, I doubt it really comes from his lawyer's spokesman.


Who ever heard of a lawyer having a (none / 0) (#13)
by oculus on Thu Sep 20, 2007 at 01:40:05 AM EST

spokesperson?


How About (none / 0) (#14)
by Jeralyn on Thu Sep 20, 2007 at 02:08:46 AM EST

Karl Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, who used Mark Corallo as his spokesman.

Larry Craig's lawyer, Billy Martin, has a spokeswoman named Judy Smith. She issues press releases on the case.

It's not all that unusual in high profile cases. Someone has to monitor all the press inquiries and respond. Otherwise the lawyers would have no time to defend anyplace but in the court of public opinion.


: News to me. Thanks. (none / 0) (#15)
by oculus on Thu Sep 20, 2007 at 02:43:51 AM EST

The linked article (none / 0) (#16)
by Deconstructionist on Thu Sep 20, 2007 at 07:03:07 AM EST

describes Booth as a spokesman for Hsu not Brosnahan. Has it been changed?

As explanations go it's every bit as plausible as Hsu's claim he thought the criminal conviction on which he skipped was merely a money judgment that had been resolved.

People who make their living through deceit often come to believe that they are such skillful liars that they can sell any untruth. Sometimes too, people are pathological actually have an uncontrollable compulsion to lie and in extrerme cases even convince their themselves to believe their own lies.

the denver post article (none / 0) (#18)
by Jeralyn on Thu Sep 20, 2007 at 10:39:59 PM EST

I linked to in the first line of the post and quoted says

The Post may have gotten it wrong. Booth appears to be a crisis communications specialist. He was in court with Hsu and the lawyers in San Mateo when Hsu turned himself in, but it's not clear from other articles whether he works for Hsu or the lawyer.


: Booth works for (none / 0) (#19)
by Jeralyn on Thu Sep 20, 2007 at 10:45:40 PM EST

Sitrick & Co. a big LA public relations firm.

So, Broshahan is Hsu's Lawyer (none / 0) (#17)
by kaleidescope on Thu Sep 20, 2007 at 09:30:05 PM EST

I worked with Brosnahan back in the late 1980's and I'm confident he would never knowingly hire a friend of Hsu's as a spokesman.

And as someone who has used both BART and Amtrak in the Bay Area, I can say that the only station where the confusion described could possibly happen is at the Richmond station, where Amtrak and BART intersect. This is a somewhat out of the way place -- at the end of the least used BART line. BART tickets are sold from special BART ticket machines, whereas Amtrak tickets are sold in different machines and Amtrak trains board on completely different platforms from BART trains.

Was Hsu staying with friends or family in Richmond? If not there's no way he could confuse things.