This post relates to a search for photos of prosecutors Warner Chapman and Joseph Platania for the above combined image. Being the three prominent guilty parties, I wanted to ensure that Michelle Manweiler (now Michelle Dickerman), Joseph Platania, and Warner Chapman were clearly identified.
The photo of Chapman came from an article I will link in the post further down. It originally came from the Daily Progress - a Charlottesville newspaper whose "veteran" court reporter of the time printed blatantly false information against me during my case (and even put words in my mouth never uttered by me).
The photo of Platania comes from the University of Virginia law school's own website on him, as he is a lecturer at the university in addition to a prosecutor.
I don't know where the photo of Michelle Dickerman (Manweiler) came from, it was sent to me with a number of other photos years ago by someone who was reading my blog. This photo is more recent than the 2006 photos I have used elsewhere in this blog, as I was told at the time it was from 2009-2010 if I recall correctly from the reader. She certainly looks older in it, and unlike the main photo on this blog her face isn't hidden by sunglasses.
The purpose of this post isn't to talk about these photos however, it is to talk about a few bits of information and an interesting (and ironic) article I came across while looking for the Chapman and Platania pics.
I'll first start with some of the information I came across. As it turns out, Warner Chapman has retired as Charlottesville District Attorney. His crony Joseph Platania is now the district attorney for the city of Charlottesville. I knew something was up during the time period of his election, as I was getting a much larger amount of views searching for him than what I normally receive. I didn't bother to search why at the time, often if there is a decent sized case in Charlottesville my views for Chapman or Plantania spike if they are handling that case. I just happened to come across this little piece of info while searching for photos. I look forward to one day ending Platania's career as a head district attorney. The man was never anything more than a liar like his boss.
Like many former prosecutors, more than likely Chapman has ambitions on politics. I would certainly enjoy causing issues for the crook when people in the state of Virginia start searching for him. Someone running for a small office like a city prosecutor isn't likely to generate the kind of views that will lead to interest from media. But if he attempts to go for a larger office outside of Charlottesville, especially state level, it becomes increasingly more likely reporters will come across this blog and questions will start being asked. This is one thing I also look forward to if Michelle Dickerman (Manweiler), or her husband John Dickerman, have political ambitions. The larger the office you seek, the more of your background people dig up. It's far from the reason I'm preparing the blog for future viewing, as there aren't any guarantees that any of the named parties even have political ambitions, let alone guarantees of the blog generating enough interest. But it is still something that has a chance to happen should there be political ambitions.
Another piece of information was long suspected by me. It was confirmed that Warner Chapman graduated from the University of Virginia law school. You'll recall that Michelle Annette Dickerman (Manweiler) had just graduated from UVA law school when the charges were brought against me. In addition, while Joseph Platania did not graduate from UVA law school he works at the university as an adjunct professor in addition to his prosecutor duties. It was bad enough that Joseph Platania was witnessed swooning over Mrs. Dickerman (Manweiler) during the case, as I'll detail in my post on my lawyer's actions, but I'd say the close connections of both prosecutors to UVA law school was certainly a conflict of interest. Hell for all we know Platania may have even associated with Michelle Dickerman while she was a law school student. This was not only a case of lawyers helping to cover up for another lawyer, but throw in the law school connections and it becomes rather obvious what went on in 2006.
As I posted previously, Charlottesville has a very public reputation of covering for UVA students. This was more than demonstrated by former UVA student Andrew Alston receiving less than a third of the minimum sentence on the charge of voluntary manslaughter (and a stay in a white collar prison instead of a prison for violent offenders), for stabbing someone 18-20 times and thus ending the victim's life. A large part of this behavior in Charlottesville can be directly attributed to so many attending that university and sticking around to take on city management jobs. Though I'm sure the steady stream of cash from the students ending up in city coffers has a sizable influence in the desire to look the other way.
As for the ironic article showing a bit of hypocrisy from former prosecutor Warner Chapman, you can find it here, with my commentary below the link:
http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/charlottesville-prosecutor-defends-decisions-in-martese-johnson-case/article_4f566cf3-b39e-5b80-a5f2-85d2e4a6a5eb.html
The comments from Warner Chapman that I find amusing should be obvious if you've read anything on my blog, but this is what I am specifically referring to -
"But the prosecutor also defended his decision not to prosecute Martese R. Johnson, 20, on two misdemeanor charges in the incident and called on policymakers to draw "a bright line" for law enforcement officers on when to refrain from using force in responding to minor legal offenses.
'It's very sad where we are,' Chapman said near the end of the 2-1/2 hour new conference at City Hall over an incident that drew national attention and sparked an ongoing policy debate in Richmond over ABC's law enforcement powers.
'People are tired, and they want the end of it, of seeing tragic results ... from things that aren't so important,' he said."
Now I'm not surprised that Charlottesville didn't pursue criminal charges in this case, but not because of what Warner Chapman claims the reason to be. While he tries to virtue signal and ride the wave of current public opinion, the reality is that Martese Johnson is a University of Virginia student and the prosecution wouldn't have done anything to him regardless. Even if he had been charged, he'd get a slap on the wrist like all UVA students get in Charlottesville. Had Johnson not been a UVA student, I believe Chapman would have definitely prosecuted the guy, because that's just the kind of opportunistic scum Chapman has shown himself to be. Chapman wasn't a prosecutor to help the community, he was there to rack up as many convictions on his resume like most prosecutors.
For Warner Chapman to dare talk about law enforcement excesses after what that man pulled in 2006 during my case, that level of hypocrisy just blows me away. A close friend of the family was a Virginia state trooper for many years before retirement (he was still active during my case), and he made an interesting comment when discussing the issue with my stepfather. His comment was that of all the places to get in trouble in Virginia, I had to get myself in trouble in Charlottesville. As a police officer he said he felt there was something wrong in Charlottesville, that he didn't understand the thinking of the prosecutors there. When a state trooper is making these comments, which would definitely cover the 20 year career of Warner Chapman, it is very clear that something is very wrong in Charlottesville - and it didn't start or end with my case.
The reality is this case in its base and true form was extremely minor. Michelle Dickerman (Manweiler) can play drama queen all she wants to hype it up, but essentially this was a case about a guy who sent less than a handful of angry emails to someone who had been really nothing more than a bully in the past. A woman by the way that hadn't even laid eyes on him since 1999. A guy who was such a massive danger to her, that he didn't even care enough to try finding her address in Charlottesville during the seven months she sat on her butt before going to the police. A guy who never even received a parking ticket let alone commit an act of violence. That gets a misdemeanor bumped to a class 6 felony on a guy with no record. With prosecutors not only threatening him into pleading guilty on blatantly tampered evidence, but even threatening him when he attempted to fire his incompetent lawyer.
Currently it seems I'm the only person in the state to get a felony for this charge, and certainly a first for Charlottesville. In addition, the prosecutors tacked on ridiculous terms that even they admitted they never asked for in any other case. At the guilty plea hearing Joseph Platania admitted to the judge that the 20 years good behavior condition was the most that had ever been handed out in the history of the Charlottesville circuit court. He attempted to claim that it was somehow warranted in this case. Circuit court handles cases that involve rape, child molestation and murder/manslaughter. Go ahead and tell me how a guy writing a couple mean emails to a woman who had never even seen him in years, deserves a punishment that none of those far, far more extreme crimes ever received. The five years suspended sentence is more than the 2-1/2 years former UVA student Andrew Alston spent in a white collar prison after brutally stabbing a man to death. And with the threats from Chapman and Platania, I could have definitely spent more time in prison than a man who stabbed a victim to death. I wouldn't have had the luxury of spending it in a white collar prison like Alston. Chapman and Platania told my lawyer they'd send me to the most violent prison in the area if I refused to cave into their threats - all for less than a handful of emails sent to a woman who was never in my presence until the preliminary hearing.
So save everyone your lies Warner Chapman. Don't ever wag a finger of admonishment, while talking about a "bright line" needing to defined for law enforcement, after the stunt you pulled in 2006 (and in plenty of other cases I'm sure). Because your actions were not only excessive but completely unwarranted. I believe you and Platania knew damn well Michelle Dickerman tampered with those emails, you'd have to be idiots to not have spotted it, so you threw me under the bus to save your own careers. I look forward to the day when the public gets to see you for the corrupt trash that you really are.
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