Justice for Victor.

About Victor

Victor Gates is a husband, father and retired law officer from Philadelphia . He has raised and supported two families. His dedication as a civil servant has earned him many commendations for bravery and heroism. He has always been very involved in his community and within his law enforcement family. He has been actively involved in fundraising for people in need — his compassion extending to anyone he meets who is in need — always ready to lend a hand, or open his wallet. His commitment to the letter of law is unwavering. His integrity is truly beyond question. He has never committed any form of crime, this would be his first time accused of an alleged crime and there were no victims in this alleged crime. Throughout his life he has overcome obstacles that would have broken a lesser man. But today, his ability to overcome obstacles is being challenged like never before.

The Injustice

There is nothing worse than knowing a person is innocent and never receive justice.

The crime he was accused of was bribery of another person in an auto recovery case.

Yes, anyone can read the public artcles regarding his case. But you will read a very one sided case. The reason for his sentence is because he did NOT receive a fair and unbiased trial.

Victor deserves to have his defense information presented and his witnesses to be heard. He was denied this at trial.

Corruption and fraud is a reality in so many areas of life, including our government and court system. Victor is the victim of it. Victor was accused and convicted and now incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. The attorney that he hired (as well as three other attorneys assured him, “There is no crime.” The crime is that he never received a fair and unbiased trial.

During the preparation for his trial and/or during his trial, his trial attorney:

1. Failed to make an opening statement, depriving the jury of understanding Victor’s explanation of what happened
2. Strongly advised against him testifying on his own behalf,
3. Refused to call any witnesses
4. Barely looked at the documents that the prosecution provided in Discovery which would have helped exonerate Victor
5. Incorrectly tried to submit documents that would have shown Victor was telling the truth — and as such, were thrown out
6. Brushed aside any offer of help from Victor or help from a seasoned investigator who would have worked for free
7. Didn’t act on advice and requests from Victor or the investigator
8. Simply said, with great arrogance, “Victor committed no crime and I will show that. You are not attorneys.”

Due to this suppression of vital information, a guilty verdict was handed down by a jury. To make matters worse an overly harsh prison sentence and increasingly harsh forfeiture was ordered by an inexperienced judge. This sentence was more harsh and worse than a violent criminal would have receive.

The prosecution knows their case is exceedingly weak and if Victor had had a competent attorney to begin with, he would not be in prison, he would not be having to sell virtually everything he owns to raise the completely unfair $600,000+ forfeiture that was asked for by the prosecution and granted by the judge. The prosecution has purposely crippled him financially so Victor cannot mount an effective appeal. And the judge, who could have allowed him to stay out of prison and to help with his appeal, ordered him to report to prison. He could have been incarcerated locally. Instead they sent him to a federal prison 400 miles away. It takes six hours to drive there. A further effort to break Victor.

Every financial resource has been stripped away from Victor. For this reason, we are asking for funds to help pay for his appeal, his new trial and to help overturn this heinous injustice.

Please help us see that Victor recieves justice. Any amount donated is appreciated as it will help to offset his huge financial burden. Let’s get Victor back home with his family, his friends (and his dogs).