Donald Watkins offers insight on how former Balch attorney Chase Tristian Espy, now facing a child-solicitation charge, wound up in Gov. Kay Ivey's office

Chase Tristian Espy

 

Of all the unsavory issues surrounding Birmingham's Balch & Bingham law firm, the most troublesome one might involve the child-solicitation charge against a former attorney. It's hard to massage or downplay a story about an accused child predator having been in your midst. And Balch seems to be sinking deeper into a state of disarray following the late-August 2021 arrest of its former attorney, Chase Tristian Espy, on a charge of seeking sex with a child, according to a post at banbalch.com.

Perhaps the No. 1 question hanging over the Espy case is this: How did Espy manage to leave Balch and gain a position on the staff of Gov. Kay Ivey, seemingly without the law firm warning the governor about a potential problem on the horizon? Former attorney, banker, and entrepreneur Donald Watkins might have shined light on that question in his Sunday analytical piece about Alabama Power, Matrix LLC (headed by Joe Perkins), and associated entities -- and the "trade secrets" they use to maintain control over the corporate, legal, and political environments in Alabama.

The Watkins piece originated at his online news site and serves as an introduction to a series of posts he plans about the Alabama Power/Matrix relationship and the extensive bag of "dirty tricks" they allegedly keep in their toolbox. We reported on Watkins' insights in a post yesterday titled "Donald Watkins reveals some of the "dirty secrets" Alabama Power, Matrix LLC, and Co. use to maintain a stranglehold on power in the Heart of Dixie. Writes Watkins, focusing on Gov. Ivey and her office:

After [Robert] Bentley exited the governor's office, Perkins and his team of political operatives provided Alabama Power Company with the information they needed to capture and control incoming governor Kay Ivey. They learned that Governor Ivey had serious issues with her alcoholic consumption. According to Alabama Power's intelligence gathering reports, Governor Ivey would often start drinking on the job by noon each day.

Did Balch & Bingham officials sweep Chase Tristian Espy out the door and send him Ivey's way, thinking they could get away with it, since they reportedly had intelligence about an apparent weakness under the governor's umbrella? Is that why Balch felt no need to warn Ivey about a possible problem employee headed her way? Watkins' analysis certainly suggests that scenario might have been in play.

Public records indicate Espy hardly was a mere hanger-on at Balch; in 2017, he helped handle a case styled Midland Funding LLC v. Johnson before the U.S. Supreme Court. A source tells Legal Schnauzer the incident leading to Espy's arrest occurred in March 2021. That apparently means he still worked at Balch when the alleged child solicitation took place, although the exact date of his exit from the firm remains unclear.

According to published reports, Espy worked for former U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) before taking a job at Balch in 2012. He left to become a staff attorney in the office of Gov. Kay Ivey, but was promptly fired after the August arrest.

As for banbalch.com, which has covered the Balch & Bingham story with more consistency and detail than any other news site, Publisher K.B. Forbes has asked a number of times: How did Chase Tristian Espy wind up in Kay Ivey's lap, seemingly without warning? Writes Forbes, in an August 2021 piece, shortly after Espy's arrest, under the headline "Prestigious to Egregious: Balch in Disarray After “Seeking Sex with a Child” Arrest":

With the criminal arrest . . . of Chase T. Espy, a former long-time Balch attorney who allegedly was seeking to have sex with a child, Balch & Bingham appears to be in disarray, and former attorneys and ex-partners are allegedly scrambling to distance themselves from the embattled firm, sources tell us.

The once prestigious, silk-stocking law firm appears to have become the cesspool of egregious misconduct, and observers are in disbelief that clients like Southern Company and Alabama Power continue to utilize the law firm engulfed in scandal, impacting children to the elderly.

Balch, in sheer panic, stepped on a land mine . . . while trying to save face by telling the Montgomery Advertiser that they had terminated the alleged sexual deviant “nearly one year ago.”

If true, what did Balch know and did they report Espy’s misconduct to the state bar or local authorities?

After 8 years on the job, an attorney is simply not terminated like a novice.

And why in heaven’s name would Balch let Alabama Governor Kay Ivey hire Espy and put the Administration at risk if they knew Espy appeared to be trouble?

Someone seeking sex with a child online is usually an experienced predator.

That raises all kinds of questions, and Forbes is not shy about spelling them out:

Did Balch know of alleged acts or crimes “nearly one year ago?” Was there a cover-up?

Investigators need to probe the matter to make sure no children were victims of Espy’s alleged deviant and sick behavior.

Since 2017, Balch’s alleged unsavory and criminal misconduct has rocked the firm. And the list grows year to year.

• Espy was arrested for allegedly soliciting a child for sex [in August 2021]. 

• A Balch partner was recorded in 2020 telling alleged falsehoods to a senior citizen in an attempt to control the assets and financial decisions of the elderly grandmother who was worth $218 million. 

• An ex-Balch partner was convicted of bribery and money laundering in 2018 and recently headed to five years in federal prison. 

• An ex-Balch partner was fired in 2017 for allegedly spearheading a conspiracy to steal a competitor’s business servicing banks. 

• A former executive of a Balch client, who was lied to and deceived by Balch, was convicted and sentenced to federal prison in 2018, and appears to have been set up as the “Fall Guy.” 

• A former aerospace executive of a Balch client was indicted last year after allegedly ripping off the government and using unqualified personnel. Balch scrubbed their website in 2017 after links to the company were exposed.

The ugliness associated with Balch does not end there. Espy has waived his right to a preliminary hearing and is expected to face trial later this yer. Writes Forbes on other Balch issues:

And these alleged criminal acts add another black eye to the alleged historical and institutional racism associated with Balch.

• Balch & Bingham appears to have grown to power in the 1960s due to its close and inside connection to segregationist and racist Alabama Governor George Wallace. 

• Schuyler Allen Baker, Sr., a top Balch partner and staunch segregationist, was part of Wallace’s inner circle and the legal team that attempted to block the school door in federal court and keep African-American students out of the University of Alabama. 

• Balch was linked to a highway scandal in which the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan Robert Shelton was hired by one of the engineering firms.

And sadly, the alleged systemic racism continues in the 21st Century.

• Of the more than 200 attorneys at Balch & Bingham, only seven attorneys are African-American or people of color. Engaging in alleged “tokenism,” each one of them is located in a completely different Balch office, except Birmingham which has two African-American attorneys. 
  

• Only about 1 percent of Balch partners are non-white. 
  

• This year, an African-American attorney hired with great fanfare in November of 2020 abruptly left Balch after only eight months. 

• In 2019, Balch let go of their only African-American female attorney in Birmingham who headed diversity efforts at the firm. This year, Balch hired a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, seen as a desperate act of window dressing. 

• Balch & Bingham was the birthplace of the scheme targeting poor African-American children in North Birmingham and suppressing African-Americans from having their toxic property tested by the EPA. 

• Balch was involved in the alleged abhorrent “whites-only” land grab in Vincent, Alabama, that impacted the descendants of slaves. Voters revolted last year and tossed the Balch stooges out of office. 

• Balch was allegedly involved in the “divide and dilute” effort against African-American voters in 2011.

The rap sheet against Balch is growing longer by the day and chief executives like Tom Fanning of Southern Company need to rid themselves of this embarrassing baggage.

Loyalty and tradition have no place when children, the elderly or minorities are taken advantage of, and said egregious acts appear to be foolishly protected, obscured, or hidden away.

Even Balch’s most honorable partners and professionals would agree.

Plea agreement indicates former Balch & Bingham lawyer Chase T. Espy might have been a child predator for some time before being caught in Homewood sting

Chase Espy

A former Balch & Bingham attorney made a series of disturbing admissions in reaching a plea agreement on child-solicitation charges, according to a report at banbalch.com. Perhaps most disturbing is language in the document that indicates Chase T. Espy might have been a child predator for some time before being caught during an investigation by the Homewood Police Department in 2021-22.

K.B. Forbes, publisher of Ban Balch and CEO of the CDLU public charity and advocacy group, struggled to hide his revulsion upon reading the plea agreement. Writes Forbes:

We wanted to throw up.

The admissions in the plea deal that alleged sexual predator and ex-Balch attorney Chase T. Espy signed are shocking, revolting, and unbelievable.

The admissions and revelations are graphic and repulsive; but much, much worse, the evidence presented appears to show that this was not Espy’s first time at the rodeo.

Espy appears to be an experienced pedophile. According to the plea deal, Espy appeared to be advertising himself on a social media application.

No one will believe Balch & Bingham, which terminated Espy months before he solicited a child for sex, that they did not know he was trouble.

 How might Balch and Espy's activities have become intertwined? Forbes considers the possibilities:

Balch’s servers and internet services could have been used to set up an app’s advertising campaign, download kiddie porn, and/or solicit a child for sex.

Balch’s Managing Partner Stan Blanton has the moral obligation to turn over the evidence to law enforcement.

Balch, sadly, has remained silent except to say it terminated Espy in September of 2020. The crime of soliciting a child for sex occurred in March of 2021.

How did the child solicitation come to light? The plea agreement spells it out:

The plea describes the solicitation. (We have obscured the vulgarities):

On March 25, 2021, while acting in an online undercover capacity, a Homewood Police Department Detective (referred to as “UC”) responded to an online advertisement posted on a certain social media app (“App-1 “)3 by user “You_Top” which stated, “I wish my wife liked performing oral as much as I do.” The UC and “You_Top” (later identified as Chase Tristian Espy) began a conversation through App-1.

During the communications, Espy stated to the UC that he enjoyed going down on his wife and then asked the age and sex of the UC. The UC informed Espy that he was a 15-year-old female. Espy then asked the UC, “ Are you still a virgin? If you don’t mind me asking … ” and later stated, “you have no idea how much I’d love going down on a tight little p**** like yours.” Espy continued the conversation and stated, “you just need to experience it with someone who very much knows what’s he’s doing” and then asked how the UC felt about, “Sucking d***”.

Balch has a habit of staying silent when bad news hits -- and this news is about as bad as it can get for a major law firm:

Espy worked at Balch & Bingham for eight long years and even wrote briefs before the United States Supreme Court. Balch found something, somewhere to justify Espy’s termination.

But just like when Balch terminated ex-Balch partner Clark A. Cooper in 2017, and later convicted felon Joel I. Gilbert, Balch remains silent as if nothing ever happened. Balch leaders appear to see no evil or hear no evil.

Balch is blinded by arrogance and hubris. But this is not about smearing a competitor or protecting a known polluter. This is about children who were victims of a pedophile.

The investigation turned up evidence of child pornography, and the plea agreement provides details on that:

The plea deal then describes (in general) the kiddie porn found:

A state search warrant was obtained and executed on Espy’s cell phone. The chats with the UC was located on Espy’s cell phone. There were approximately 69 videos and four images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) located on Espy’s cellphone. Within the CSAM videos and images, there were two involving toddlers, 20 depicting penetration, three depicting humiliation, and 29 involving masturbation. The total number of child sexual abuse material images for sentencing purposes is 5,178.

5,178 images! 69 videos! Toddlers!

We believe there are probably other young girls who may be victims of Espy’s sick desires.

The Espy story even managed to sully Alabama state government. Writes Forbes:

Balch appears to have covered up Espy’s misconduct and let him obtain a job in April of 2021 with Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. Espy was arrested in August of 2021 and immediately fired by the governor.

Balch failed the Governor. Balch failed the community. Balch failed their partners and staff.

And now Balch & Bingham’s silence and inaction on this child exploitation scandal escalates, Balch’s clients need to dump the embattled firm, loudly and unequivocally.

There are more revolting and disgusting details in the plea agreement (read below) that appears to show that Espy was an experienced sexual predator.

We just hope there are no other young victims because of Balch’s silence and alleged cover-up.

The full plea agreement can be read at the following link.

Ex-Balch & Bingham attorney Chase T. Espy, who also worked for Gov. Kay Ivey and represented Southern Co., sentenced to eight years on child-porn charges

Chase Tristian Espy

 

A former Balch & Bingham attorney, who also worked for Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and represented Southern Company, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison on child-pornography charges, according to a report at banbalch.com. Publisher K.B. Forbes, who is CEO of the blog's parent organization (the CDLU public charity and advocacy group), notes that Espy is not the only former Balch attorney who is set to become familiar with the federal prison system. Under the headline "Southern Company Fallout! Ex-Balch Attorney Espy Sentenced to 97 Months for Kiddie Porn", Forbes writes:

Chase T. Espy, the ex-Balch & Bingham attorney who attempted to solicit a child online for sex in 2021 and pled guilty to possession of child pornography last year, was sentenced yesterday morning to 97 months in federal prison and was taken into federal custody immediately afterwards.

Espy, who at one time represented client Southern Company, joins ex-Balch partner Joel I. Gilbert in the federal prison system. Gilbert is serving a five-year sentence for money laundering and bribery in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal, born at the offices of Balch & Bingham.

Federal Judge Annemarie Carney Axon threw the book at Espy. After Espy serves his eight-year prison sentence, Judge Axon doubled his supervised release term from the recommended 10 years to 20 years.

Espy's sentencing comes at a shaky time for his former client, Southern Company, the parent firm of Alabama Power, Forbes writes: 

Southern Company unbelievably utilizes Balch to represent them and their subsidiaries before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). With the enormous cost overruns and constant delays of Vogtle Reactors 3 and 4, the relationship between Southern Company and the three other co-owners has soured.

All three have sued Southern Company. They have had enough of the bull.

We are sure Ogelthorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities won’t like the fact that Southern Company is using a tarnished and embattled law firm and an alleged participant in a criminal RICO enterprise to represent Vogtle’s interests before the NRC.

Michael L. Smith, the CEO of Ogelthorpe Power, will surely not want to be associated with a law firm tied to bribery, money laundering, and sex crimes against children.

And we are sure the commissioners and staff at the NRC are stunned that Southern Company has allowed an alleged unscrupulous law firm with two convicted felons in (or headed to) prison to make presentations and appear before the NRC on behalf of Southern Company.

The NRC should immediately revoke any and all nuclear licenses held by Southern Company since the criminal RICO enterprise is a threat to national security.

The Espy case even could have implications for one of the most prominent individuals in the energy sector, a former head of the NRC:

And former NRC Chair Kristine L. Svinicki should resign immediately from the Southern Company Board of Directors and quickly distance herself from Espy and the child-pornography scandal.

Svinicki is an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan which settled a massive sexual-abuse case last year for $490 million. More than 1,000 former students, mostly men, claimed they were sexually abused by a former sports doctor.

Does Svinicki really want to be associated with this racket of pedophiles and money launderers?

The Espy file reveals some shocking numbers, Forbes reports:

Espy, who is now a registered sex offender, was arrested by local authorities in August of 2021 for soliciting a child. The online “child” actually was an undercover local law-enforcement officer.

According to authorities, there were approximately 69 videos and four images of child sexual abuse material located on Espy’s cellphone, including two involving toddlers, 20 depicting penetration, three depicting humiliation, and 29 involving masturbation.

The total number of child sexual abuse material images for sentencing purposes was 5,178.

Espy’s plea deal described the repulsive, graphic, and disgusting images and videos. (We wanted to literally throw up when we read the document last fall.)

The CDLU did its part to make sure authorities were fully briefed on the Espy matter, Forbes writes:

In August of 2021, when Espy was arrested, we, the CDLU, reached out to the U.S Department of Homeland Security, which investigates child trafficking and exploitation.

We debriefed them on how Balch & Bingham had changed its WiFi IP address just weeks before Espy was terminated in September of 2020.

Balch foolishly announced that they had terminated Espy almost a year before he was arrested. Espy had worked at Balch & Bingham for eight years.

Did Balch know about Espy’s sick perversion? Was there a possible cover-up? During his eight-year tenure, were any children exploited by Espy while he was working at Balch? Did Espy solicit children or download kiddie porn using Balch’s Wi-Fi, or Balch servers or computers at any time during those eight years?

We believe, after reading the plea deal, that this was not Espy’s first time at the rodeo. We hope and pray he never actually made physical contact with any young victims.

Now the NRC, Vogtle co-owners, and Professor Svinicki need to rise to the occasion and shut down the appalling behavior and alleged criminal misconduct tied to Southern Company’s criminal RICO enterprise and their paid stooges and goons, which at one point included a sexual predator of children. Good Lord!

Balch & Bingham law firm reportedly made changes to its Internet service and computer systems, shortly before accused child predator Chase T. Espy was fired

Chase Espy

Chase Tristian Espy, a former Balch & Bingham attorney now facing a child solicitation charge, was fired at the firm last September, according to a report at banbalch.com. Adding to the growing intrigue around the story is this: Balch & Bingham last summer, reportedly in June or July, changed its wireless IP address and computer operating system, just weeks before Espy was terminated.

Espy went on to work as a staff attorney for Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey before being fired there after his arrest last week. The incident that led to Espy's arrest occurred around midnight on March 25 of this year, according to Ban Balch. From Publisher K.B. Forbes' report at banbalch.com, under the headline "Alleged Balch Pedophile Scandal Grows; Is Federal Probe Next?":

With embattled law firm Balch & Bingham admitting they fired attorney Chase T. Espy last September after eight years at the firm, advocates have reached out to federal law enforcement authorities requesting a probe.

Espy was arrested last week for allegedly seeking to have sex with a child online. However, according to news reports, the alleged criminal incident occurred on March 25 near midnight.

The bottom line is children need to be protected from pedophiles and sexual predators, no matter what powerful positions or connections they may hold or have.

Balch & Bingham appear to be habitual liars who look like they may have obscured the ugly truth.

Balch admits they terminated Espy last September. What did Balch uncover and why would an eight year veteran of the firm be abruptly fired?

Did Balch fail to report despicable behavior or criminal acts to law enforcement authorities?

Espy worked for former U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) before starting an eight-year run at Balch & Bingham (one of Sessions' longtime financial backers). After Balch fired Espy last September, he landed at Gov. Ivey's office, which raises one of many questions surrounding this matter: Did Balch know about problems with Espy and fail to alert the governor's office about them?

This leads to Balch's change in its Internet and computer set-ups, which reportedly took place in summer 2020 and raises its own set of questions. Writes Forbes:

Espy used the internet and online resources as he allegedly sought sex with a child.

Now sources at Balch tell us that the wireless IP address at the Balch offices in Birmingham was allegedly changed last year just weeks before Espy was fired.

Was this simply a coincidence or is there more to the story?

Balch sources also tell us a Balch VPN was utilized at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic for employees working remotely, and that in the fall of 2019, Balch had upgraded their computer systems in Birmingham from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

Forbes and the non-profit public charity he leads, Consejo de Latinos Unidos (CDLU), have dealt with these kinds of issues before. He writes:

Failing to report criminal acts or not investigating them is not unheard of when sex crimes are involved.

Several years ago, we, the CDLU, fought on behalf of the  victims of sexual assault at an adult day care center in California known as Healthy Start.

Healthy Start owners allegedly discouraged a traumatized employee from reporting a rape that she witnessed to law enforcement.

Putting her job at risk, she ignored their commands and went to local law enforcement and courageously reported the atrocious sex crime.

Sadly, these developmentally disabled adult children were raped and sodomized by sexual predator Juan Fernando Flores while inept government agencies did nothing for these children, even though parents complained that something was wrong for almost a full year. Adding to the horrific acts, Flores spread a sexually transmitted disease to his victims, both male and female.

If federal law enforcement officials are investigating the Espy fiasco, our sources at Balch say that they must first go to Level 3 Communications, Balch & Bingham’s internet service provider to track and see if any dark websites were visited or utilized.

Our duty is to protect children regardless of Balch’s apparent utter lack of honesty or integrity.

If Balch is asked again about Espy by the media, will they finally tell the whole truth or will Balch hide behind the cliché that “personnel decision are strictly confidential” including those of an alleged sexual predator.

Chase Tristian Espy, staff attorney for Gov. Kay Ivey -- and a former employee of Balch & Bingham and Jeff Sessions -- is arrested on child-solicitation charge

Chase Tristian Espy

 

A staff attorney for Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has been arrested on a child-solicitation charge and was promptly fired.

Chase Tristian Espy's ties to Alabama power brokers go well beyond Ivey. According to a report at banbalch.com, Espy, 36, joined the politically connected firm of Balch & Bingham in 2012. Before that, Espy was a legislative aide to former U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, who has longstanding ties to Balch & Bingham, which serves as the primary law firm for Alabama Power. From a report at al.com:

A staff attorney for Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has been arrested on a child solicitation charge and was immediately fired.

Chase Tristian Espy, 36, is charged with child solicitation by computer/electronic solicitation of a child, which is a Class B felony.

Espy, a Birmingham attorney and former deputy general counsel in the Office of Governor, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 9:28 p.m. Wednesday, according to jail records.

The Vestavia Hills resident was released from lockup at 1:56 a.m. Thursday after posting $30,000 bond.

Efforts to reach Espy for comment weren’t immediately successful.

Homewood police Sgt. John Carr confirmed the department’s Special Investigations Unit arrested Espy. No additional information was released, but Carr said the operation is part of an ongoing effort by the Homewood Police Department to combat crimes involving the exploitation of children.

Ivey’s office confirmed Espy was fired Thursday morning and released this statement to AL.com on Thursday: “The allegations against Mr. Espy are serious, tragic and shocking. While he was employed by our office for only a few months, Mr. Espy has been terminated. As this is an ongoing investigation, no further information is available at this time.”

Espy's arrest adds to a string of public embarrassments for Balch & Bingham. Here is more from banbalch.com: 

From alleged elderly exploitation to now accusations of child solicitation, what other scandals will batter Balch & Bingham’s reputation?

AL. com reports:

Chase Tristian Espy, 36, is charged with child solicitation by computer/electronic solicitation of a child, which is a Class B felony. Espy, a Birmingham attorney and former deputy general counsel in the Office of Governor, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 9:28 p.m. Wednesday, according to jail records.

For nearly a decade, Espy was an attorney at Balch & Bingham but left to work for the Office of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey just a few months ago.

Espy joined Balch in October of 2012 after working as a legislative aide for the Balch Zombie, former U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions.

Ivey fired Espy immediately this morning according to various news reports.

Espy’s alleged conduct is sickening. Really sickening.

And Balch is clueless as to why more and more clients are distancing themselves from the embattled law firm which appears to be tied to more revolting scandals as time goes by.

As for the string of embarrassments for Balch & Bingham, here is a scorecard -- at least a partial one:

* The arrest and conviction of partner Joel Gilbert in connection with the North Birmingham Superfund bribery scandal;

*  The apparent set-up of former Drummond Company executive David Roberson as the fall guy in the Superfund scandal;

* The alleged framing of Birmingham attorney Burt Newsome, apparently engineered by former Balch attorney Clark Cooper, in an effort to claim part of Newsome's banking practice;

* The apparent elder exploitation of the late Joann Bashinsky, Golden Flake heiress and beloved Birmingham philanthropist;

* Historic ties to the Ku Klux Klan;

* Historic ties to the segregationist policies of former Gov. George Wallace, including his "Stand in the School House door" to keep black students out of the University of Alabama;

* Gov. Ivey seems to have a taste for Balch & Bingham lawyers. In addition to hiring Espy, she hired Will Sellers as her campaign  chair and then appointed him to the Alabama Supreme Court -- even though his former firm is soaking in scandal.

Balch & Bingham has an accused child-predator problem, and it's leaving burn marks from the Alabama Governor's Office to the U.S. Supreme Court

Gov. Kay Ivey: "Burn, Baby, Burn" (banbalch.com)

Balch & Bingham's handling of former attorney Chase Tristian Espy, now facing child-solicitation charges, have left burn marks from the Alabama Governor's Office all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a report at banbalch.com. It all reminds us of the question many television viewers asked when actress Shelley Long departed the long-running comedy hit Cheers: "What was she thinking?"

In fact, Ban Balch Publisher K.B. Forbes asks a version of that question when writing about the Espy matter, under the headline "Fallout: Balch’s Alleged Child Predator Burns Governor Kay Ivey and Causes a SCOTUS Cringe":

What in God’s name was Balch & Bingham thinking by not warning Alabama Governor Kay Ivey about alleged child predator and former Balch associate Chase T. Espy?

After eight long years at the embattled law firm, Espy, according to Balch’s own mouthpiece, was terminated in September of 2020. In April, just days after the alleged online solicitation of a child, Espy was hired as Deputy General Counsel to the Governor.

Balch should have warned the governor. But then again, maybe Balch believes that the law firm “owed no duty” to tell the Governor or her staff the truth.

Ivey has longstanding ties to Balch & Bingham, but it might be time for her to rethink those:

Balch’s former partner Will Sellers was Ivey’s top political advisor until she appointed him to the Alabama Supreme Court.

His wife, Lee Sellers, is currently the Director of Special Projects and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor.

Balch is wrapped around the Governor like a warm blanket by Montgomery’s power couple.

For whatever reason Espy was terminated, Balch should have warned the Governor or her Deputy Chief of Staff.

Instead, Espy’s arrest created international headlines because the alleged sexual deviant worked for the Governor.

That casts an unflattering light on the highest office in Alabama politics, and it might be wise for Ivey to start asking some tough questions, suggests Forbes:

Now the Governor needs to ask, who recommended Espy for the job? Who provided references and glowing letters of recommendations?

From September through March, Espy was “self-employed,” according to LinkedIn. Was he given a generous severance package by Balch?

Balch, like always, has wiped Espy clean from their website and blogs, but Espy was no little minion above a paralegal.

Espy was a valued attorney for eight years at Balch who even appeared on pleadings before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Can you imagine that an alleged pedophile, an alleged sexual pervert who sought sex with a child was presenting before the Roberts court?

Cringingly embarrassing.

Balch appears to not have had the decency, the integrity to warn their closest political allies.

And the fallout has begun.

The Sellers need to distance themselves from the once-prestigious law firm, and no one in Montgomery should trust Balch, whose core value appears to be lying while burning their friends.

And the Espy fiasco proves so.

Burn, baby, burn!

Balch & Bingham's "unholy trinity" of racism, child-sex charge, and elder abuse should prompt Southern Company to immediately sever ties with the law firm

Chase T. Espy connects child-sex charge to Balch

Should Southern Company, parent firm of Alabama Power, distance itself from the Balch & Bingham law firm -- given Balch's unsavory stew of PR headaches, which include racism, a child-sex charge, and elder abuse? The answer is "yes, pronto," according to a post at banbalch.com. Writes Publisher K.B. Forbes, under the headline "Unholy Trinity: Pedophilia, Elderly Exploitation, and Racism. Southern Company Needs to Terminate Balch Now":

When we met in 2018 with Southern Company’s Jim Kerr, who serves as Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel and Executive Vice President, he flatly told us he does not need to use Balch & Bingham and has plenty of other law firms he can utilize who could do the same work as Balch.

Of course, Kerr’s words were lip service to us.

Even though Southern Company’s CEO Tom Fanning has distanced himself from Balch, subsidiaries like Mississippi Power and Alabama Power continue to utilize the embattled law firm.

With the pedophilia debacle, alleged elderly exploitation scandal, and alleged racism rocking the once-prestigious firm, Fanning needs to rise up and terminate the law firm, and put the uncontrolled and unsavory conduct to a quick and necessary death.

Is there any reason for Southern Company to maintain ties to a law firm with a trifecta of ugly associations? Forbes can't think of one:

Misery loves company, they say, but Southern Company no longer needs to accompany Balch or put up with their alleged filthy baggage.

Balch, which has lost millions and dozens of money-making partners, appears to live in a fantasy world of public relations fluff and feel-good advertising campaigns.

The reality is ex-Balch partner and Balch-made millionaire Joel I. Gilbert is going to prison before the end of the year for money laundering and bribery in a criminal scheme to suppress African-Americans in North Birmingham from having their toxic property tested by the EPA.

The reality is Balch & Bingham has been rocked by ex-Balch attorney Chase T. Espy who was arrested last month for soliciting a child online last March. Espy was terminated by Balch after eight long years. Was there a cover-up? Investigators have been briefed, we are told.

The reality is the estate of Mrs. B, the elderly grandmother who recorded Amy Davis Adams, a Balch partner making alleged unsubstantiated and fear-mongering statements in an attempt to control her $218 million fortune, has allegedly spurred interest from investigators at the U.S. Department of Justice, we are told.

So far, Southern Company has largely brushed off questions about its ties to Balch. But one must wonder how long that strategy will hold up. Writes Forbes:

Kerr was also the same executive at Southern Company to foolishly tell us that the alleged racism in North Birmingham was a “hypothesis.”

After the murder of George Floyd and the unrest in Atlanta, Southern Company issued a statement promising to fight racism and to work to end injustice.

This past May, at their annual shareholders meeting, Fanning stated, according to news reports, “We are seeing that the business community, not the government, will be the lead change effort for this movement. I don’t want our work to be reactive, a one-off event or some short-term episode.”

How ugly is Balch's record on race?

Balch & Bingham appears to be the epitome of an institution that allegedly contributes to the gross injustice against poor African-American communities and allegedly is rooted in promoting systemic racism.

About 1 percent of Balch partners are non-white, while 92.5 percent of the residents in North Birmingham that were targeted by a criminal scheme born at the offices of Balch & Bingham are African-American.

Is this not a shining example of blatant racism and injustice?

Shareholders and SEC investigators do not want to believe Fanning provided misleading statements.

And now with an alleged pedophile and elderly exploitation scandal tied to Balch, termination should be easier than ever, and Kerr, who now also serves as Chief of Staff to Fanning, has other firms waiting in the wings.

Well then, Tom, terminate Balch, now.

Why is McWane Inc. risking its image by clinging to Balch & Bingham, with its history of dubious actions on race -- not to mention ties to a child-sex case

McWane Science Center

Birmingham-based McWane Inc. is one of the most well-known and respected members of Alabama's business community. Is it wise for McWane to risk it's stellar reputation by associating with the Balch & Bingham law firm, which has a dubious history on matters of race -- not to mentions ties, of more recent vintage, to a case of child solicitation for sex? 

As for Balch's past, it includes involvement in a highway-funds scandal that included ties to an imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), along with support for George Wallace's infamous "stand in the schoolhouse door" to prevent Blacks from enrolling at the University of Alabama.

Should McWane risk sullying its reputation by being aligned with the sordidness surrounding Balch & Bingham? In a post today at banbalch.com, which operates under the CDLU public charity and advocacy group, K.B. Forbes (blog publisher and CEO of the CDLU) answers with a resounding no. Forbes even raises this unsettling question: If McWane is going to connect itself to Balch's pedophilia scandal, should the company's name be removed from the children's science center in Downtown Birmingham?

Writes Forbes, under the headline "Subsidizing Racism and Pedophiles? McWane Funnels Over $1.1 Million to Balch & Bingham":

McWane, the cutting-edge and innovative iron pipe, plumbing, and waterworks company, has taken an enormous step backwards by hiring embattled law firm Balch & Bingham for lobbying services in Washington, D.C.

Starting in 2020, McWane has emerged as Balch’s largest federal lobbying client and Open Secrets reports that McWane has paid the alleged racist law firm more than $1.1 million.

In March, Chase T. Espy, an eight-year veteran of the Balch firm, who had pled guilty to possession of kiddie porn, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison.

Espy, a registered sex offender, was arrested by local authorities in August of 2021 for soliciting a child for sex. The online “child” actually was an undercover local law enforcement officer.

According to authorities, there were approximately 69 videos and four images of child sexual abuse material located on Espy’s cellphone including two involving toddlers, 20 depicting penetration, three depicting humiliation, and 29 involving masturbation.

The total number of child sexual abuse material images for sentencing purposes was 5,178.

Espy’s plea deal described the repulsive, graphic, and disgusting images and videos. (We wanted to literally throw up when we read the document last fall.)

No corporate client with a moral conscience should be using Balch & Bingham.

How many clients will end their relationship with Balch over its history of alleged child exploitation?

Will McWane, East Texas Electric Cooperative, Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative, Globe Life, O’Neal Industries, and others finally cut the ropes with Balch?

Should the McWane Science Center, a world-class facility where children gather to learn about the wondrous world around them, be aligned with the law firm where the hideous Chase Espy scandal took flight? That does not make sense, Forbes writes, and he adds more details about the Espy case, plus other instances where Balch has shown a lack of concern about the welfare of children:

Espy’s kiddie porn included revolting photos of young children less than 12 years of age, according to law enforcement officials.

But child exploitation is not new at the century-old law firm.

The young children in North Birmingham, an area that is 92.5% African American, were targeted and alleged victims of Balch & Bingham’s repulsive scheme in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal which suppressed and discouraged African American families from having their toxic and contaminated property tested by the EPA.

Handing out free coat gift cards to poor Black children to discourage EPA testing was one of the abhorrent acts spearheaded by Balch & Bingham’s convicted partner and criminal felon Joel I. Gilbert, now sitting in federal prison.

The idea to target the children of North Birmingham was born at the offices of Balch & Bingham.

But McWane appears not to care.

The ball now seems to rest in the court of McWane executive Jim Proctor. How will he respond? Forbes writes:

Jim Proctor, Senior Vice President of Legal and External Affairs at McWane, should immediately terminate Balch & Bingham.

McWane is paying Balch $30,000 a month or $360,000 a year. McWane spends about $800,000 a year on lobbyists. They should shift the $360,000 to one of their other firms or find another well-qualified firm without the baggage.

We have no bones to pick with McWane or Mr. Proctor, except to criticize their absurd decision to hire an embattled law firm that has two former attorneys sitting in federal prison right now.

According to a recent review of Balch’s website, people of color account for less than 9 percent of their professionals and only 2 percent of their partners. Critics are asking, “Will they remove McWane’s name from the children’s science center in Downtown Birmingham?”

Not a bad idea if McWane continues to subsidize a law firm that has yet to apologize to the residents and African American children of North Birmingham.

Advocacy group says appointment of Balch & Bingham partner to Jacksonille, FL, investment board should be tabled due to the firm's ugly history on matters of race

Jacksonville, Florida

 

The appointment of a partner at Birmingham's Balch & Bingham law firm to an investment board of the Jacksonville, Florida, City Council should be put on hold, according to a post today from banbalch.com. K.B. Forbes, publisher of Ban Balch and CEO of the blog's parent organization -- the CDLU public charity and advocacy group -- says Patrick Krechowski's appointment should be tabled due to Balch's history of troubling actions on matters of race (see here and here). Jacksonville's population is 30 percent Black.

Under the headline "Jax Axe? Balch Partner Krechowski “Old Enough to Know Better,” Forbes writes:

Civil rights champion Ernesto Pichardo, who won a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision for civil rights and religious freedom in 1993 against the City of Hialeah, Florida, demanded today that the Jacksonville, FL, City Council table the appointment of Patrick Krechowski to the Downtown Investment Authority Board of Directors.

“Patrick Krechowski is a partner at the alleged racist and embattled law firm of Balch & Bingham. Two former Balch attorneys are sitting in federal prison, now, today, this very moment: one for bribery and money laundering; the other for possession of kiddie porn. As a partner, Mr. Krechowski cannot say he doesn’t know about the deplorable misconduct at the firm,” declared Pichardo who serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Consejo de Latinos Unidos (CDLU), a public charity and national advocacy organization.

Pichardo added, “Just recently, the Town of Orange Park rejected the hiring of Mr. Krechowski and Balch & Bingham, a humiliating defeat for a seasoned attorney. Mr. Krechowski is old enough to know better and should have the wisdom to leave Balch & Bingham and their baggage behind. There are many other, more honorable law firms in Jacksonville.”

 What about the former Balch attorneys now residing in prison? Forbes has details:

In October of 2021, ex-Balch partner, Joel I. Gilbert reported to federal prison to serve a five-year sentence for bribery and money laundering in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal, which targeted low-income African American children and their families from having the EPA test their toxic and contaminated property. The bribery scheme was born at the offices of Balch & Bingham. North Birmingham is 92.5 percent African American, and Balch has yet to apologize or make amends with the community.

In March, Chase T. Espy, a long-time Balch attorney was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. In 2021, Espy was arrested for allegedly soliciting a child online. The CDLU immediately reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which investigates child trafficking and exploitation. CDLU’s advocacy led to the federal indictment of Espy in June of 2022.

Because of CDLU’s advocacy, Balch has seen 18 of 18 major clients in Washington, D.C. terminate them.  Balch & Bingham appears to have lost between $40 and $100 million in the aggregate as the firm has seen the departure of clients and legacy and money-making partners since 2017.

In 1993, Pichardo won a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision for religious freedom and civil rights after his Afro-Caribbean faith came under attack due to blatant intolerance and discrimination by racists and religious bigots. Pichardo has been a member of the board of directors of the CDLU since 2003.

In the wake of Birmingham attorney's shocking suicide, attention turns to possible obstruction of justice, criminal concealment, and civil RICO cases

 

The suicide last week of  Balch & Bingham attorney Bo Lineberry was a stunning and perhaps telling event in the years-long effort to unwind apparent scandal in the Alabama corporate, legal, judicial, and law-enforcement worlds. Where does attention turn next? Ban Balch Publisher K.B. Forbes provides clues, under the headline "After Suicide, National Media and Feds Zero in on Alleged Obstruction and “Criminal Concealment;” RICOs Coming?" The sub-headline -- "Suicide. Resignations. Internal turmoil. Corporate strife" -- provides insight into the unrest that seems to be roiling elite circles in Birmingham and beyond. Writes Forbes:

Since November, Birmingham is seeing what appears to be the collapse of the house of marked cards allegedly propped up by the deep resources of Alabama Power. The Three Stooges (Balch & Bingham, Drummond, and Alabama Power) have seen their dominance stumble.

High-level sources told us in late October that Mark A. Crosswhite, the Chairman and CEO of Alabama Power and a former partner at embattled law firm Balch & Bingham, was an alleged target of an obstruction investigation. 

Federal Judge Abdul K. Kallon resigned along allegedly with two Assistant U.S. Attorneys earlier this month, while Balch partner Bo Lineberry committed suicide last week.

What enormous pressure and worry caused Lineberry to end his life? Was he facing unbearable consequences? Was there an offer on the table that was too brutal for Lineberry to accept?

Seasoned law enforcement authorities tell us the Lineberry suicide spoke volumes about the depth and seriousness of the alleged federal probe.

Attention appears to be spreading beyond Alabama. Writes Forbes:

Now national media are focused on the alleged unsavory and criminal misconduct and alleged abuse of power surrounding the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal and the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. once run by disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town, who resigned in 2020.

Concurrently, federal investigators are allegedly looking at obstruction of justice and accusations of “criminal concealment.”

In what looked like sheer panic with the rebirth of the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal, the illustrious Mark White, Mark Crosswhite’s go-to criminal attorney, fumbled the ball and showed how concealment appears to be part and parcel of the work product and a standard operating procedure of the Three Stooges and their hired guns.

As we reported about the “Tale of Two Marks” in January of 2021:

[Alabama Power’s] team of attorneys at White, Arnold, & Dowd, led by white-collar criminal attorney Mark White, filed an avalanche of court pleadings in December [2020] at the courthouse office, over the counter as if it were 1950 not 2020. (We wonder if Mark White still uses a rotary phone, stencil duplicator, and Royal typewriter.)

The delay and “hiding the goods” tactic failed. The paper court pleadings were [immediately] scanned and uploaded by the clerk to Alacourt where we, the CDLU, were able to download them.

Concealment might be an unfamiliar legal term to the general public, but it seems to be central to the unfolding Birmingham story:

Concealment has been a consistent element.

• Concealment was discovered in January when Alabama Power’s multi-million-dollar secret contracts (no invoicing required) with obscure political consulting firm Matrix and its founder “Sloppy Joe” Perkins were exposed.
• Attorneys for “Sloppy Joe” attempted to call the secret contracts “trade secrets” and sent worthless demand letters to an environmental group and blog that published the concealed million-dollar agreements.
• Allegations of non-disclosure and concealed indemnity agreements tied to Alabama Power and Balch have swirled since 2017.
• Absolute concealment was achieved when ex-Drummond executive David Roberson’s $75-million civil lawsuit was sealed in its entirety in the Winter of 2021 in an attempt to hide alleged criminal misconduct. The secretive Star Chamber does not allow anyone to follow or read proceedings in the case.
• The conservative Alabama Supreme Court reinstated Balch as a defendant in Roberson’s civil case this past February. Bloomberg reported that Balch must face fraud claims due to “misrepresention and concealment.”
• Balch terminated an alleged pedophile months before he was arrested for soliciting a child online. Ex-Balch attorney Chase T. Espy had worked at the embattled firm for eight years. He then went on to work briefly for Alabama Governor Kay Ivey when he was arrested and immediately fired last August. What caused Balch to fire Espy? What did Balch conceal from the public and the governor regarding Espy?

The biggest concealment appears to be Alabama Power’s alleged secret deal during the North Birmingham Bribery Trial in which the company was “unmentionable” during the trial and criminal defense attorneys allegedly had to clear any mention of Alabama Power with Mark White.

The federal statute of limitations for obstruction of justice is five years. The timing of the alleged federal investigation makes sense. The trial happened in July of 2018. The statute would expire in the summer of 2023.

Those aren't the only worries likely knocking around Birmingham board rooms. Writes Forbes:

Now Alabama Power and their sister-wife Balch & Bingham appear to have even bigger issues coming.

If obstruction of justice indictments are handed down and/or alleged criminal information is disclosed related to the alleged federal probe and the Matrix Meltdown, expect a federal civil RICO lawsuit or two against Balch, Alabama Power, and others.

The first civil RICO lawsuit will be based on the Newsome Conspiracy Case, a travesty of justice in which an innocent man, Burt Newsome, was allegedly targeted, falsely arrested, and defamed by Balch in an attempt to steal his law practice providing legal services to banks.

Newsome was arrested by a cop who was the son of a now-retired Alabama Power executive. Ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town allegedly blocked four investigations related to the Newsome Conspiracy Case.

Another, separate civil RICO lawsuit could be filed on behalf of “fall guy”and ex-Drummond executive David Roberson.

Either way, the Three Stooges and their defenders are exposed in the open no matter how many concealed deals, secret smear campaigns, or Star Chambers they create.

Orange Park, FL, with about 8,400 residents, rejects Balch & Bingham's bid to serve as town attorney, hinting that Balch could be swirling down the drain

A Florida town of about 8,400 residents has rejected an opportunity to have Birmingham's Balch & Bingham law firm serve as town attorney, according to a report today at banbalch.com. The Town of Orange Park, FL, a suburb of Jacksonville, rejected Balch's bid, even though the firm offered unusually favorable terms. K.B. Forbes, publisher of the Ban Balch blog and CEO of its parent organization -- the CDLU public charity and advocacy group -- says Orange Park's rejection is another sign that Balch's ties to a string of scandals have left its reputation in tatters.

Under the headline "Third-Party Risk! Florida Town Council Rejects Balch & Bingham; Embattled Law Firm Offered to Work for “Flat Fee,” Forbes writes:

Can the situation get any worse for Balch & Bingham?

The Town Council of Orange Park, Florida, has rejected a bid from the law firm. Not a single council member voted for Balch, one of three firms contending to provide legal services to the town, according to local news reports.

Worse, Patrick Krechowski, a Balch partner, “said that the majority of services for Balch & Bingham would be covered under a flat fee…”

A flat fee for a law firm with more than 200 attorneys? Unheard of!

Could Balch be so desperate, or in such bad financial shape, that it no longer is billing hourly?

We heard of possible financial troubles at the firm when Balch partner William “Bo” Lineberry committed suicide last year by brutally hanging himself.

The Orange Park decision comes as a sign that the financial problems are real. And, Forbes reports, the firm is in trouble on multiple fronts, making it unclear how it will manage to climb out of any financial hole:

The firm’s toxic reputation is tied to multiple factors including the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal, in which poor, African American children and their families were targeted in a bribery scheme born at the offices of Balch & Bingham. Once-esteemed Balch partner Joel I. Gilbert is currently serving a five-year prison term because of his involvement in the bribery and money laundering scheme.

Lineberry, incredibly, was the attorney who incorporated the entity through which the bribes were laundered. Chase T. Espy, another ex-Balch attorney, is serving an eight-year prison term for possession of kiddie porn. He was arrested in 2021 by local authorities for soliciting a child for sex online, and because of our outreach to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Espy was investigated and later indicted in 2022 for online child solicitation. He eventually pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.

Numerous clients and money-making partners have fled the embattled firm. Known as the sister-wife of Southern Company, Balch has even seen the utility reduce the firm's workload.

Having a former attorney connected to child pornography looks grim, but Balch's ties to unsavory activity do not end there, Forbes writes:

With two convicted ex-attorneys currently sitting in federal prison, who would want to have Balch, an apparent third-party risk, as their counsel of record?

Let us not only remember that Blacks and children were victims of Balch’s alleged misconduct, but also the elderly.

Balch partner Amy Davis was recorded by 88-year-old Joann Bashinsky (Mrs. B) telling Mrs. B that she could lose her house (even though it was paid off) if she didn’t allow Balch and others to represent her interests.

Mrs. B was worth a whopping $218 million, and that appears to be why Balch and others wanted to control the elderly woman and her assets. The alleged Elderly Exploitation Scandal is one of the many aspects that appears to have damaged Balch’s reputation and created an unsustainable third-party risk.

In recent months, other law firms have picked-off top partners from Balch, and insiders claim that Balch might be bought out by Bradley or another firm.

With flat fees, green-behind-the-ears attorneys, and minimal bonuses, Balch could be in an irreversible death spiral.

Former Balch & Bingham attorney Chase T. Espy pleads guilty to a charge in child-solicitation probe that produced almost 70 videos of child sexual abuse

Chase T. Espy

A former attorney at Birmingham's Balch & Bingham law firm has pleaded guilty to charges related to a child-solicitation investigation. Chase T. Espy will not be sentenced until January, but it appears he is headed to federal prison. Possession of Child Pornography carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. According to a press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will seek imprisonment of Espy consistent with the high end of the advisory United States Sentencing Guideline range as calculated by the Court at the time of sentencing.

The guilty plea was announced late yesterday afternoon. From a report at banbalch.com:

According to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama . . ., Chase T. Espy, 36, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. . . . 

The plea agreement filed states the investigation was initiated when Espy engaged in online chats with undercover law enforcement whom Espy believed was a 15-year-old girl. Upon being arrested, Espy’s cell phone was seized, and a search warrant was obtained. From this search, approximately 69 videos and four images of child sexual abuse material were found.

Recent years have not been kind to Balch & Bingham attorneys -- and it might get worse. Reports Ban Balch Publisher K.B. Forbes:

Espy will join ex-Balch partner Joel I. Gilbert in the federal prison system.

Gilbert was found guilty of six federal crimes including money laundering and bribery during the North Birmingham Bribery Trial.

Now insiders are telling us more Balch partners could possibly join the federal prison system.

Balch attorneys and stooges are allegedly being investigated and could be held accountable by the U.S. Attorney in the alleged Elderly Exploitation Scandal of 2020 that targeted Joann Bashinsky (Mrs. B), the grandmother who was worth $218 million and allegedly lied to by a Balch partner and allegedly abused by a probate judge who resigned abruptly in May of 2020.

Even a former Balch partner might not be out of the woods, Forbes writes:

The alleged federal investigation of ex-Balch partner and current CEO of Alabama Power Mark A. Crosswhite has been amplified by the foolish conduct of Matrix founder Sloppy Joe Perkins who outlined an alleged criminal enterprise involving the money laundering of over $50 million through 18 tax-exempt entities. Perkins is paid millions every year by the utility.

Other developments related to the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal continue to percolate:

Meanwhile, in a hidden, secretive Star Chamber, ex-Drummond executive David Roberson’s $75 million civil lawsuit is gaining strong interest of law enforcement officials since nothing is publicly available and potential criminal misconduct may have been intentionally obscured with these protective orders filed in early 2020.

The quiet before the storm. And the RICO lawsuits are still waiting quietly in the wings.