Once again, assisted suicide is making headlines.  Four members of an organization, Final Exit Network, were arrested this week in Georgia for providing assistance to a man who wished to end his life.  There’s now a multi-state investigation into this group’s activities.  Eight states are looking into deaths they believe might have been assisted with one or more members from this group.  According to its website, this is a group that dedicates itself to serving those suffering from an intolerable condition. 

At least a few of the members are medical doctors, psychologists and other professionals.  They’re now being charged with assisted suicide, evidence tampering and there are other charges relating to racketeering.   The death they’re charged with providing assistance for was a man in northern Georgia who’d suffered from throat and mouth cancer.  According to his mother, he’d been in pain for awhile and was depressed.  He was still facing other surgeries and at least one more round of chemotherapy.  His 85 year old mother then went on to say she knew he was depressed and that although she was in pain, she respected his decision.

This group has over 3,000 members who pay dues each month.  Those who wish to end their lives are provided an exit guide that reveals information for successfully committing suicide.  They’re then told to obtain two helium tanks.  An “exit bag” - a hood that’s worn over the head is provided and once the date has been established, two members of the group arrive at the person’s home to oversee the event.  They insist they don’t participate, but are there to lend support and to ensure there are no problems. 

The eight states investigators have in their crosshairs are: Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Montana, Missouri and Colorado.  There’s at least one specific death being investigated in Arizona.  If the four who were arrested this week are found guilty, they could serve up to five years in prison.

A final note:  Betty Celmer, the mother of the man who successfully carried out his suicide and who the four are charged with assisting, said that she didn’t believe the organization should face charges and that it’s her belief they helped her son end his pain.  She said, “If someone helped him, I think that was in God’s hands”.

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“An extraordinary violation of trust” is how a U.S. District judge referred to an accountant who received only one year and a day in prison for stealing over five million dollars from his clients.  His lawyer negotiated this peachy sentence because of his cooperation in the prosecution of two former New York cops who were involved in mob killings and other crimes.

Stephen Corso agreed to wear a wire and serve as an informant for the federal government in 2004 and 2005.  The judge acknowledged the danger he allowed himself to be put into during sentencing.  Judge Janet Hall said she considered this sacrifice and said, “I can’t find the words to describe the value, at least in my judgment, of this cooperation”.

Risking his life with this testimony allowed his attorney to negotiate this reduced sentence.  He potentially could have served seven years.

New York detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa were said to have worked for the Luchese crime family and have been accused of being involved in one of the worst cases of police corruption in history.  They were found guilty in 2006 for several murders, conspiracy and racketeering, but their judgment was dismissed because of a statute of limitations that had passed for part of their convictions, namely the conspiracy charges.  A federal court reinstated the convictions last year.  These two former cops are now in prison.

Corso says he spent the stolen money on girlfriends and jewelry as he traveled back and forth to Vegas.  Many of the taped conversations that were a part of convicting the two former New York detectives were gathered in casino hotels.  Corso’s family friends weren’t safe either; he stole over $800,000 from them.  Part of his sentencing includes restitution from those he stole from.  His formal sentencing is scheduled for May 6^th and is expected to enter some kind of protection program after he’s released from prison.