FAKE Investigator gets 5 years

Kathleen Culhane gets five years for faking documents. The media can't seem to get this straight. So here it is. Kathleen Culhane was a former investigator for the Habeas Corpus Resource Center and then worked as an unlicensed investigator. She WAS NOT A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR, she has not been a licensed private investigator, PLEASE PLEASE STOP CALLING HER A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR, DEFENSE INVESTIGATOR, etc. She was an independent contractor for various lawfirms. Those firms payed her to perform work they should have sent to Licensed Private Investigators. You wouldn't hire an unlicensed attorney to represent you in litigation. You wouldn't hire an uncertified mechanic to repair your automobile. You shouldn't hire an unlicensed individual to be your Professional Investigator. First she pleads not-guilty and maintains her innocence, then faced with the overwhelming realization that the TRUTH will come out, she, well lets put it this way, appears to have a case of ... Michael Vick syndrome.

Probable Cause Affidavit Felony Complaint

From a November 18, 2006 article:
"It's clear they're going to prosecute her and try to make a symbol of her," said Culhane's lawyer, Stuart Hanlon. He said Culhane, who has "dedicated her life to fighting against the death penalty," maintains her innocence and will fight to vindicate herself.
From a Thursday, February 22, 2007 article:
Kathleen Culhane, 40, pleaded not guilty in a Sacramento court to 45 criminal charges. She turned herself in Monday night and will be released from jail after posting $50,000 bail, probably by Friday, said her lawyer, Stuart Hanlon.
From a Tuesday, May 1, 2007 article:
A former criminal defense investigator accused of forging statements from jurors, witnesses and others in death penalty cases pleaded guilty to four charges Monday and accepted a five-year prison sentence. Kathleen Culhane, 40, said outside a Sacramento courtroom that she filed incorrect documents on behalf of five condemned inmates because she believes that capital punishment is wrong.
Culhane's attorney, Stuart Hanlon, called the five-year sentence -- she could get out in 2 years and 8 months if she behaves in prison and earns good-time credits -- a "very stiff consequence." Hanlon noted that Culhane has always worked to help others, spending seven years in El Salvador helping war refugees before beginning her work on death penalty cases. "She has taken responsibility for what she did," he said.
This is classic, "She has taken responsibility for what she did." RIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT. If she was taking responsibility for what she did, she would have pled guilty when arraigned and let the chips fall where they may. It cracks me up when you hear the obligatory statement, "I'm innocent, these charges are frivolous, I look forward to my day in Court, I'm going to fight these baseless charges until the very end, blah, blah, blah." It would appear to be a mandatory step in the representation of an alleged suspect. Here's the new protocol. Crime ---> Police investigate ---> "person of interest" is interviewed/detained/arrested ---> Suspect "lawyer's up" ---> Obligatory statement is issued (not my pants, not me on that video, not my gun, don't know how it got in my jacket, I wasn't even there, I didn't know her) ---> Pleads Not Guilty ---> Prosecution shows their hand (King high straight flush) ---> Suspect Pleads Guilty