I have been holding back on this news for a while now out of my deepest concern and sympathy for Joe Hirko and his family. But the news seems to finally be emerging, at least on the Web if not in the mainstream media, so I will talk about it now.
On May 15th, a Saturday, Joe Hirko’s wife, Kathleen, was visiting Joe at prison as she has been doing regularly since he was sent there back in December of last year. During the visit, Kathi suffered a stroke and died. Kathi’s three children are left without their mother, her four grandchildren without their grandmother, and Joe without his wife.
The tragedy and raw injustice of this event is almost too painful for me to write about. Joe Hirko, an obviously innocent man, was hounded by federal prosecutors for years. At trial, Joe was acquitted of a number of counts, and the jury hung on others. Instead of then dismissing the remaining ridiculous charges, as would have happened in all but an Enron case, the federal prosecutors continued to hound Joe, threatening him with another trial. As many innocent people have done, Joe decided to enter into a plea deal — he undoubtedly did this, at least in part, to spare his family more stress. The death of his wife, half-way through his prison term, is an unspeakable tragedy.
John Kroger, the federal prosecutor who originally brought the indictment against Joe and the other Enron Broadband defendants, admitted in his book that the Enron Task Force was under pressure “to get scalps quickly.” Well, this is what happens when scalp hunters are given free rein because the rest of us not only allow the abuse to happen but many of us cheer it on. Please pay attention to the Enron story, if not for the defendants, if not for the people such as Kathi, then for yourself and your love ones who may one day face the same abuse.
Kathleen Hirko’s obituary can be found here.
Will Bureau of Prisons give Joe a furlough to attend the funeral? Joe’s Lawyers should approach judge Gilmore for a deferred ajudication.
This is a complete trategy. Joe is innocent, he plead guilty to help his family and specifically his wife have it finally over and the stress of seeing her husband in prison after suffering a terrible lying unjust trail for almost 4 months had the additive impact of causing her to have a stroke.
Kroger caused this, lying witnesses like Bill Collins caused this, Ben Campbell and Stricklin and others on the Task Force caused this death, All for their own gain in their career.
The public needs to understand how bad the DOJ is, how corrupt the legal system is and there is nothing stopping them from being next.
Keep telling the truth so people might do their own research and see how bad it is.
Observer, this was literally right up there with Cliff Baxter’s suicide in terms of ETF culpability. Joe is innocent and poor Kathi was an innocent bystander who was put through holy hell by that jerkward assface motherfucker John Kroger. This is blood on his hands. This is directly his fault, exactly like he murdered her with his own two hands.
The men who endured four, five, six, seven, eight, even NINE years of this crap have all basically said they have no hatred. They avoid hatred. They’re happy people.
But I hate Kroger and the ETF for the Enron defendants. I hate them white hot hatred that has not once relented in nine years. I have nothing but disgust for them.
What they are doing to families is disgraceful. Kathi had children and grandchildren, and her life was cut short because that motherfucker’s girlfriend (wisely) broke up with his sorry ass and he wanted to feel “powerful”. Well, you’re powerful, Kroger. How does it feel now?
Hate is a strong word but in this case hate is only the tip of the iceberg for the feelings I have toward those that pursued Joe Hirko. You can’t even describe how much this loss has hurt everyone. I have known Kathi since the day I was born. My mom and Kathi were friends since the mid 70′s. Her oldest daughter is my best friend, we are 8 months apart in age. I now will always wonder if the whole Enron thing would’ve never happened, might we still have our Kathi here today.
It has now been almost a month since she’s been taken from us and still it’s surreal. It’s hard to imagine being in their home and her not being the ever so gracious hostess she always was at every BBQ or event they had. I can’t imagine my friend having to go on now without this wonderful woman. Her kids having to grow up without their grandmother. And how tragic for Joe, who had to return to prison only having four days to spend with his family. This man has suffered enough. Not only were the last nine years taken from him and Kathi but now he has to live the rest of his life without the love of his life. Hasn’t enough damage been done and enough pain been inflicted on him and his family. My heart breaks every day and the time it will take to heal from this will be long if not indefinite. For the love of this man and his family needing to heal from this loss let him go home…….
Danielle,
Thank you for your comment. I totally agree. I’ve always hated Kroger for what he did to some of the finest men I’ve ever known. But now I feel like hate is even too good a word for him. To have taken Kathi… it just boggles the mind.
I am so sorry you’ve lost such a close personal friend, and one who is by every account, a dear woman who loved her husband very much. I am so sorry for Kathi’s children, and her husband and family. It breaks my heart.
I hope that John Kroger can’t sleep at night. I hope his conscience haunts him.
And I pray for Joe every day.
Cara,
You have probably seen this but if not……..go to:
http://www.ungagged.net
Beth Steir has done a fabulous job with this. I think you will like it.
Cindy Olson
Excellent! I knew she was working on some things – it’s nice to see it come to fruition. Thanks for the head’s up, Cindy!