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Michael Billington (activist)
Encyclopedia
Michael O. Billington is an activist in the LaRouche Movement
, Asia editor for the Executive Intelligence Review, and author of Reflections of an American Political Prisoner: the Repression and Promise of the LaRouche Movement.
Billington graduated from Trinity College
in Hartford, Connecticut
in 1967. He then joined the Peace Corps
, where he taught Mathematics
and Music
, first in Guyana
, then in Thailand
. Upon returning to the U.S. he joined the LaRouche movement in 1972, in the early stages of the movement's history. His wife, Gail, and his brother, Joe, and his sister, Margaret Greenspan, were also members of the movement. Billington's book provides an "insider" look at the history of this highly controversial movement.
Billington ran on the U.S. Labor Party
platform for County Executive
of Westchester County, New York
in 1977, and for New York's 24th congressional district
in 1978.
s. Billington was tried and convicted twice, first in Federal Court, then in Virginia State court. He served two years of a three-year sentence in the first case, and was then re-tried in the state of Virginia
and sentenced to 77 years, of which he served 10 before being paroled.
Billington was charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in federal court and was convicted along with six associates. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which let stand the convictions of Billington and his associates. He served two years of a three-year sentence.
Billington was charged in Virginia State court with nine felony counts "conspiracy to be an unregistered securities broker". Prosecutors charged that Billington solicited 131 loans from 85 people that totalled $1.24 million even though he knew the money would not be repaid. Billington asserted his innocence and refused a plea bargain that would have resulted in being sentenced to the time already served in federal prison. LaRouche reportedly told his followers to become martyrs and promised that "honorable deeds shall be legendary in the tales told to future generations." Brian Gettings, his lawyer (who had previously defended LaRouche associate William Wertz in the 1988 Federal trial involving LaRouche, Wertz, Billington, and four others), told the court that he believed Billington to be incompetent to make decisions on his own, but a court-appointed psychatrist deemed him competent. The judge requested a second evaluation but Billington refused. Billington tried to have his attorney replaced, and Gettings himself asked to be removed, but the judge refused permission. According to Barbara Boyd, Billington's attorney had not prepared a defense, assuming that Billington would "cop a plea," and the judge refused to permit Billington to substitute a different attorney, despite the fact that one stood ready.
At the state trial, held in Roanoke
, the prosecutor said that Billington was "ruthless" in his fundraising from old people who "look upon him in such a close and trusting fashion that they would do whatever he asked." His mother testified that he "can talk you into or out of just about anything." Billington reportedly offered high interest rates and promised lenders that the money would be safer than in a bank. The jury convicted Billington on all nine counts and recommended a sentence to 77 years. The judge accepted the jury's recommendation because he had warned he would do so if Billington insisted on a jury trial and because Billington showed no remorse. He served eight years of the sentence before being paroled.
In 1990 his bank accounts, along with those of Laurence Hecht and two LaRouche enterprises, were seized to fulfill a judgment related to $260,000 obtained from an 88-year old man suffering from dementia under misrepresentations.
) and because of the 77 year sentence for what is normally considered a minor white-collar crime
(transformed from a misdemeanor to a felony by the addition of a conspiracy charge) protest was raised against the verdict. Billington and his fellow defendants in the Virginia trials attempted, without success, to have the charges dismissed on various grounds,including:
The Slovak
weekly Zmena wrote that "the history of the case of Billington shows that only his crime was the association with Lyndon LaRouche." Billington is mentioned in the book Life After Life by jailed Black Panther Party
activist Evans D. Hopkins, where he is described as "a white guy who, it was said, had gotten railroaded on a political charge, his primary offense being that he had been an associate of the political maverick Lyndon LaRouche."
During his time in prison, he trained himself to sleep during the day, so that he could study at night, undisturbed by the constant noise of prison life. He taught himself to read and write Chinese
, and became knowledgeable about the history of Chinese philosophy. He describes his "greatest experience" in prison as being the work he did, with co-defendant Paul Gallagher, in founding a prisoners' chorus, where prisoners sang classical choral music, including the "prisoners' chorus" from the opera Fidelio
by Beethoven. After being paroled, he resumed his political activity.
His book, written in prison, was released in 2000. Billington's brother, Joe Billington, has also been a supporter of the LaRouche movement as has their sister, Margaret.
In January 2008, Billington appeared on Iran
ian television's English-language Press TV
's "Four Corners" program discussing the insurgency in the southern part of the Philippines
, and whether it is a solely indigenous problem, or whether American interests have played a role in creating it.
LaRouche movement
The LaRouche movement is an international political and cultural network that promotes Lyndon LaRouche and his ideas. It has included scores of organizations and companies around the world. Their activities include campaigning, private intelligence gathering, and publishing numerous periodicals,...
, Asia editor for the Executive Intelligence Review, and author of Reflections of an American Political Prisoner: the Repression and Promise of the LaRouche Movement.
Billington graduated from Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
in 1967. He then joined the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
, where he taught Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, first in Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, then in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Upon returning to the U.S. he joined the LaRouche movement in 1972, in the early stages of the movement's history. His wife, Gail, and his brother, Joe, and his sister, Margaret Greenspan, were also members of the movement. Billington's book provides an "insider" look at the history of this highly controversial movement.
Billington ran on the U.S. Labor Party
U.S. Labor Party
The U.S. Labor Party was a political party formed in 1973 by the National Caucus of Labor Committees . It served as a vehicle for Lyndon LaRouche to run for President of the United States in 1976, but it also sponsored many candidates for local offices and Congressional and Senate seats between...
platform for County Executive
County executive
A county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...
of Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
in 1977, and for New York's 24th congressional district
New York's 24th congressional district
The 24th Congressional District of New York includes all or parts of Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Oneida, Ontario, Otsego, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins counties.This district is currently represented by Republican Richard L...
in 1978.
Billington on trial
In the latter part of the 1980s there were numerous criminal trials of LaRouche movement leaders (see LaRouche criminal trials) that were alleged by LaRouche supporters to be political show trialShow trial
The term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial in which there is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as...
s. Billington was tried and convicted twice, first in Federal Court, then in Virginia State court. He served two years of a three-year sentence in the first case, and was then re-tried in the state of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and sentenced to 77 years, of which he served 10 before being paroled.
Billington was charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in federal court and was convicted along with six associates. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which let stand the convictions of Billington and his associates. He served two years of a three-year sentence.
Billington was charged in Virginia State court with nine felony counts "conspiracy to be an unregistered securities broker". Prosecutors charged that Billington solicited 131 loans from 85 people that totalled $1.24 million even though he knew the money would not be repaid. Billington asserted his innocence and refused a plea bargain that would have resulted in being sentenced to the time already served in federal prison. LaRouche reportedly told his followers to become martyrs and promised that "honorable deeds shall be legendary in the tales told to future generations." Brian Gettings, his lawyer (who had previously defended LaRouche associate William Wertz in the 1988 Federal trial involving LaRouche, Wertz, Billington, and four others), told the court that he believed Billington to be incompetent to make decisions on his own, but a court-appointed psychatrist deemed him competent. The judge requested a second evaluation but Billington refused. Billington tried to have his attorney replaced, and Gettings himself asked to be removed, but the judge refused permission. According to Barbara Boyd, Billington's attorney had not prepared a defense, assuming that Billington would "cop a plea," and the judge refused to permit Billington to substitute a different attorney, despite the fact that one stood ready.
At the state trial, held in Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, the prosecutor said that Billington was "ruthless" in his fundraising from old people who "look upon him in such a close and trusting fashion that they would do whatever he asked." His mother testified that he "can talk you into or out of just about anything." Billington reportedly offered high interest rates and promised lenders that the money would be safer than in a bank. The jury convicted Billington on all nine counts and recommended a sentence to 77 years. The judge accepted the jury's recommendation because he had warned he would do so if Billington insisted on a jury trial and because Billington showed no remorse. He served eight years of the sentence before being paroled.
In 1990 his bank accounts, along with those of Laurence Hecht and two LaRouche enterprises, were seized to fulfill a judgment related to $260,000 obtained from an 88-year old man suffering from dementia under misrepresentations.
Commentary on the verdict
Because Billington was tried in the Virginia court without a cooperating attorney, because of the novelty of the charge (political loans had never before been considered to be securitiesSecurity (finance)
A security is generally a fungible, negotiable financial instrument representing financial value. Securities are broadly categorized into:* debt securities ,* equity securities, e.g., common stocks; and,...
) and because of the 77 year sentence for what is normally considered a minor white-collar crime
White-collar crime
Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" . Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was...
(transformed from a misdemeanor to a felony by the addition of a conspiracy charge) protest was raised against the verdict. Billington and his fellow defendants in the Virginia trials attempted, without success, to have the charges dismissed on various grounds,including:
- that they had already been tried on the same charges in federal court (Double jeopardyDouble jeopardyDouble jeopardy is a procedural defense that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same, or similar charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction...
,) and - that the Virginia State Corporation Counsel did not rule that political loans were "securities" until three months after the defendants were indicted for conspiracy to fail to register as securities brokers.
The Slovak
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
weekly Zmena wrote that "the history of the case of Billington shows that only his crime was the association with Lyndon LaRouche." Billington is mentioned in the book Life After Life by jailed Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
activist Evans D. Hopkins, where he is described as "a white guy who, it was said, had gotten railroaded on a political charge, his primary offense being that he had been an associate of the political maverick Lyndon LaRouche."
Later activity
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, and became knowledgeable about the history of Chinese philosophy. He describes his "greatest experience" in prison as being the work he did, with co-defendant Paul Gallagher, in founding a prisoners' chorus, where prisoners sang classical choral music, including the "prisoners' chorus" from the opera Fidelio
Fidelio
Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
by Beethoven. After being paroled, he resumed his political activity.
His book, written in prison, was released in 2000. Billington's brother, Joe Billington, has also been a supporter of the LaRouche movement as has their sister, Margaret.
In January 2008, Billington appeared on Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian television's English-language Press TV
Press TV
Press TV is a 24-hour English language global news network owned by the Iranian government. Its headquarters are located in Tehran, Iran, with bureaux in Beirut , Damascus , London , Seoul and Washington DC ....
's "Four Corners" program discussing the insurgency in the southern part of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and whether it is a solely indigenous problem, or whether American interests have played a role in creating it.
Books
- Billington, Michael O., Reflections of an American Political Prisoner, published by Executive Intelligence Review, 2000, ISBN 0-943235-17-0
External links
- Confucianism and "Imago Viva Dei", transcript of a conference presentation made by Billington over a telephone hookup while in prison
- Interview with Michael Billington, deals with his imprisonment