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Judge Gaines McCorquodale's Reign Of Terror: The Tanya O. Butts Story
By Donald V. Watkins
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) October 1, 2017
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) October 1, 2017
On July 19, 2016, Tanya O. Butts anxiously waited in a Mobile federal courtroom for a jury to return its verdicts on eight felony counts of wire fraud following a five-day trial in her criminal case. The total amount of the alleged "fraudulent" transactions involved in the eight charges was $12,616.27.
Clarke County Circuit Judge Gaines McCorquodale, acting in concert with his sidekick and close friend, Clarke County Sheriff Ray Norris, orchestrated the criminal charges against Butts. The charges were part of a scheme devised by McCorquodale in May of 2014 to confiscate three well-established healthcare-related businesses and one Orange Beach corporate condo from Butts without compensating her for the equity stake she held in these valuable assets. Butts and McCorquodale co-owned the businesses and condo at the time. She served as the president and chief executive officer of the companies.
To ensure that their nefarious confiscation scheme was successful, McCorquodale and Norris also arranged for Butts' indictment on seven counts of state theft of property in January 2015.
After only three hours of deliberation (which included a lunch break), the federal court jury cleared Butts on all charges. It was a stunning defeat for federal prosecutors, as well as McCorquodale and Norris.
The photo below shows Montgomery criminal defense attorney Jeffery C. Duffey (left) and Tanya O. Butts (right) immediately after the jury verdict was read. This courtroom victory was the first measure of relief Butts received from McCorquodale's reign of judicial terror in over two years.
Butts, a 45-year-old Grove Hill, Alabama native and mother of three children, was gratified by the verdict. However, she was not out of harms way. The state court theft of property case was still pending against this 1994 University of Alabama graduate, successful businesswoman, and strong community leader.
In August of 2016, state prosecutors dismissed the theft of property. This action was taken over the objection of McCorquodale and Norris.
Tanya Butts is now free of all criminal charges, but she is not free of Gaines McCorquodale's reign of judicial terror.
Who Is Judge Gaines McCorquodale?
Gaines McCorquodale is one of two state circuit court judges for Clarke, Washington, and Choctaw Counties, Alabama. Former governor Bob Riley appointed McCorquodale to the bench in 2009. His father, the late Joe McCorquodale, was the former Alabama House Speaker from 1971 to 1983.
Shortly after McCorquodale became a judge, he began to engage in a litany of shady conduct. For example, McCorquodale began paying his judicial secretary/assistant for Clarke County (Ms. Terri Long) a salary from Hometown Hospice, Inc., in order to supplement her state salary. This is one of three business co-owned by Butts and McCorquodale. He also paid Long's AFLAC insurance premium from the company even though she did not work for Hometown Hospice.
In 2011, Judge McCorquodale began paying his ex-wife Debby McCorquodale's Blue Cross and Blue Shield medical and dental insurance premiums from Hometown Hospice's funds. This insurance coverage was reserved under the BCBS contract for employees of the company. Debby McCorquodale was not an employee of Hometown Hospice, nor did she serve as a volunteer worker for the company.
In 2014, McCorquodale arranged for Sheriff Norris' married girlfriend (Robyn Blaylock) to receive a salary from Hometown Hospice even though she never worked for the company. McCorquodale also used Hometown Hospice money to pay for a billboard to help Sheriff Norris with his 2014 election campaign.
McCorquodale Used His Judicial Position To Confiscate Butts' Equity Stake In Their Co-Owned Businesses
On May 29, 2014, McCorquodale sent Butts a threatening email from his judicial "alacourt.gov" address that falsely accused her of stealing money from him. He also told her to leave their businesses immediately.
On May 30, 2014, McCorquodale instructed Sheriff Norris to secretly meet with Butts and inform her that, if she did not admit to stealing over $500,000 and leaving the businesses quietly, Butts would spend 20 years in prison and would not see her children again.
On June 16, 2014, local district attorney Spencer B. Walker met with Butts. Walker told her McCorquodale and Norris had been to see him and asked him to press charges against her for theft of property from Hometown Hospice and Medical Equipment of Jackson, Inc., in excess of $500,000.
On June 19, 2014, Butts was summoned to a meeting in Sheriff Norris' office. When she arrived, Norris, McCorquodale, and two of McCorquodale's attorneys were present. These individuals questioned Butts, who was not represented by an attorney. Additionally, she was not read her Miranda rights during this interrogation.
The meeting started with McCorquodale slinging several checks across table and accusing Butts of forging and stealing over $500,000 from their co-owned businesses. McCorquodale told Butts she was going to prison. Butts asked for an audit of the business accounts. McCorquodale refused.
On July 2, 2014, McCorquodale requested Judge C. Robert Montgomery, the other circuit judge for Clark County, to issue a Temporary Restraining Order ("TRO") against Butts to prohibit her from having access to the businesses and corporate condo.
McCorquodale's own figures showed that he valued Hometown Hospice, alone, at $1.2 million to $1.4 million. On September 9, 2014, businessman Robert Bowling offered McCorquodale $1.9 million dollars for Hometown Hospice and $600,000 for the other two companies.
On Jan 16, 2015, McCorquodale was testifying as a witness in the TRO hearing when Butts was served with a state grand jury indictment for seven counts of theft of property in the second degree. Her bond was set at $105,000, which was the third highest bond in the history of Clarke County for a theft of property crime.
On January 23, 2015, Judge James Reid, sitting in McCorquodale's courtroom by designation, held a hearing to determine the value of the Butts/McCorquodale businesses and condo. Reid is a Clarke County native and friend of McCorquodale.
Butts' attorneys asked for a stay of the proceedings based on the fact that Butts had been charged criminally and could not testify in her behalf. This request was denied. Judge Reid then proceeded with the hearing and stated he would hold a second hearing in order for Butts to testify after state charges against her had been dismissed or otherwise resolved in Butts' favor.
On June 5, 2015, Judge Reid ruled that the three businesses and condo in question were valued at zero dollars. Furthermore, he never held a second hearing to allow Butts an opportunity to testify.
On July 15, 2015, McCorquodale sold the three businesses at issue for $2.5 million and kept all of the proceeds from the sales transaction. He has never compensated Butts for her equity stake in these businesses.
McCorquodale Used Gestapo Tactics Against Tanya Butts
On April 12, 2016, the FBI arrested Butts in SWAT team formation, with guns drawn and with officers in full SWAT gear. The FBI used approximately ten to twelve agents, together with Clarke County Sheriff's deputies, to effectuate the arrest of Tanya Butts at her residence and in front of her children. McCorquodale and Norris had previously informed the FBI that Butts was armed, dangerous, and a flight risk.
After her arrest, Butts was taken to Mobile for booking and processing. A federal magistrate arraigned Butts and released her on a personal recognizance bond.
McCorquodale and Norris used this occasion to arrange the revocation of Butts' bond on the state theft of property charges. They waited inside the federal courthouse to re-arrest Butts after her arraignment on the federal charges.
McCorquodale and Norris did not immediately return Butts to the Clarke County jail. Instead, they transported her to the Monroe County jail. Once there, Butts was subjected to severe emotional distress and physical abuse. Norris and McCorquodale sanctioned this mistreatment of Butts.
During Butts' federal court trial in Mobile, McCorquodale insisted on being addressed as "Judge McCorquodale" while he was testifying as a witness for the prosecution. Sheriff Norris testified against Butts, as well. Butts took the witness stand and testified in her defense.
The federal court jury quickly and decisively ended Butts' nightmare with eight straight "Not Guilty" verdicts. Jurors were appalled by the law enforcement misconduct in Tanya Butts' case.
McCorquodale continued to terrorize and harass Butts. In April of 2017, Butts traveled to New Zealand for a much needed break from her tragic ordeal. Upon her return, U.S. Customs agents in Los Angeles informed Butts that there was a hold on her re-entry to America. Reportedly, the re-entry hold was placed on Butts' travel records as a result of a law enforcement alert initiated by McCorquodale and Norris.
On August 4, 2017, Tanya Butts filed a complaint against Gaines McCorquodale with the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission. This is the official body that oversees the ethical conduct of judges. The complaint, which is still pending, alleges five violations of the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics by Judge McCorquodale.
Stay tuned.
