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Writer's pictureHowie Klein

Why The Hell Isn't Rudy Giuliani In Prison? Is Accountability Only For Poor People?




I have to admit to being a bit confused as to why Giuliano’s announcement about possibly running for mayor again was made from his $3.5 million Palm Beach condo and not from a jail cell. Isn’t a criminal act to have stolen everything that wasin his forfeited $5 million NYC apartment that federal judge Lewis Liman had awarded Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, the Georgia election workers he had slandered and defamed? He owes them $148 million in damages and the contents of the apartment— including art, furnishings, a collection of expensive watches, sports memorabilia— was supposed to go towards paying off that debt.


Yesterday was photographed arriving at his Florida polling place in the vintage 1980 Mercedes convertible once owned by Lauren Bacall he has been ordered to tun over. “In response to Giuliani’s delays in turning over his assets by the previously imposed deadline of Oct. 29,” reported Eileen Sullivan, “Judge Lewis Liman of Federal District Court in Manhattan scheduled an in-person hearing for Thursday and is requiring that Giuliani be present. Giuliani’s lawyers asked the judge on Tuesday to allow Giuliani to call in to the hearing because, they said, he was scheduled to appear on live broadcasts [neo-Nazi podcasts] on Thursday and Friday. The judge denied the request. The lawyers for Freeman and Moss said they had learned that Giuliani had moved most of his possessions out of the Manhattan apartment four weeks before they got access to it.”


Giuliani’s flack, Ted Goodman, “said in an email that Giuliani has made his assets and possessions available to the women, with the exception of a few that are in storage. He said the lawyers for Freeman and Moss were ‘attempting to bully and intimidate Mayor Giuliani until he is rendered penniless and homeless… This is just another way that they’ve weaponized our once-sacred justice system. It should concern each and every American,’ While it is not very common, there are instances when a defendant does not cooperate with court orders, said Kathleen McLeroy, a lawyer with Carlton Fields who specializes in these issues. ‘There are people that think that they can continue to do whatever they want to do,’ McLeroy said. ‘And unfortunately, a creditor has to be somewhat patient.’” 


It’s been 3 years since the suit began, and “For months, Giuliani routinely ignored court orders regarding his finances and his businesses. He was so unresponsive that the judge overseeing the case in Federal District Court in Washington ruled that Giuliani was liable for defaming the women, sending the case to a jury to decide the amount he should pay. After the jury determined he owed Freeman and Moss $148 million, Giuliani filed for bankruptcy, which protected him from his creditors immediately seizing his assets. But he was similarly uncooperative during the bankruptcy process, leading the federal bankruptcy judge to dismiss his case some eight months later. Giuliani faces additional lawsuits and criminal charges in two states. A former employee is also suing him for sexual harassment. He has lost his law license in New York and Washington, D.C., because of his efforts to help Trump overthrow the 2020 election results.


But still no serious talk about prison. Why not? Because he’s a wealthy white Republican? Tomorrow Liman should put him in the slammer, at the very least until every single thing due Freeman and Moss has been turned over. How are these white collar criminals going to ever take the law seriously if they can just get away with their crimes in front of their peers? He’s been hiding behind every legal loophole he’s been able to dig up to avoid paying damages to two private citizens whose lives he ruined with baseless accusations. His disdain for court orders, his blatant delay tactics and the dismissive arrogance he and his legal team continue to display speak to the deeply entrenched privilege that almost always shields powerful figures from real accountability. Liman has a responsibility to demonstrate that no one, not even someone with Giuliani’s political clout, is above the law. While Giuliani’s team attempts to paint this as an attack on his “freedom” or a “weaponization of the justice system,” the facts are simple: he has a debt to settle, damages to pay, and an obligation to face the consequences of his actions. If he continues to flout these orders, his behavior warrants not just additional fines or asset seizures, but a new home behind bars. Accountability is the foundation of a just society, and it’s high time that figures like Giuliani face the same penalties any other citizen would for defying a court order. If the system allows him to continue sidestepping responsibility, it sends a message that those with wealth, power, or connections are free to ignore the law— something that will only deepen public distrust in the justice system. Accountability is non-negotiable, and that accountability must be swift, transparent, and absolute. Otherwise, what precedent does this set for all the Giulianis of the world?

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