AGE 2
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013
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PAGE 3
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Friend of Tsarnaev faces 8 years in prison
From left, Lisa Taurasi, Lucy Rodriguez and Luis Barbosa hold protest signs as they stand across the street from Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parliars in Worcester, Mass. on Sunday evening. They are upset about the possibility that Boston marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev may be buried in the United States.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WORCESTER, Mass. — A magistrate judge on Monday agreed to release a friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from federal custody while he awaits trial for allegedly lying to federal investigators probing the bombings.
Robel Phillipos, 19, was charged last week with lying to investigators about visiting Tsarnaev's college dorm room after the bombings. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth student faces a maximum of eight years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors initially asked that Phillipos be held while he awaits trial, arguing he poses a serious flight risk. But both sides said in a court motion filed Monday they agreed that Phillipos should be released on $100,000 bond, face home confinement and wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.
"We are confident that in the end we will be able to clear his name," defense attorney Derege Demissie said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Capin said documents filed over the weekend by Phillipos' defense attorneys, including many affidavits showing support from family and friends, might be viewed as indirectly questioning the government's case against Phillipos.
"The government stands by its allegations." Capin said.
Defense attorney Susan Church described Phillips as a well-liked, honor roll student with many friends. At least 50 relatives, friends and other supporters attended the court hearing.
Church emphasized that Phillipos is not accused of helping Tsarnaev and his brother plan or carry out the bombings.
"At no time did Robel have any prior knowledge of this marathon bombing," she said.
Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler agreed to the strict house arrest during a hearing Monday afternoon. She told Phillipos he was allowed to leave the house only for meetings with his lawyers or true emergencies.
It was not immediately clear when Phillips would be released.
Meanwhile, a funeral director
trying to find a cemetery to take the body of Tsarnaev's older brother and alleged accomplice, Tamerlan, pledged to ask the city of Cambridge to allow him to be buried in a city-owned cemetery because the brothers lived in Cambridge for the last decade.
Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy said he is urging Tsarnaev's family not to make the request.
"The difficult and stressful efforts of the citizens of the City of Cambridge to return to a peaceful life would be adversely impacted by the turmoil, protests, and wide spread media presence at such an interment," Healy said in a statement Sunday.
Worcester funeral director Peter Stefan said he hasn't been able to find a cemetery in Massachusetts willing to accept the remains of Tamerlan, who was killed following a gunbattle with police after the bombings. He said if Cambridge turns him down, he will seek help
from state officials. Stefan said Monday he is looking outside of Massachusetts and does not think Russia will take the body.
body is a family issue" that should not be decided by the state or federal government. He said family members had "options" and he hoped they would make a decision soon.
Gov. Deval Patrick said Monday the question of what to do with the
He declined to say whether he thought it would be appropriate for the body to be buried in Massachusetts.
stepping back and let the family make their decisions", the governor told reporters.
Phillipos is accused of lying to investigators about visiting Dzokhar Tsarnaev's college
"We showed the world in the immediate aftermath of the attacks what a civilization looks like, and I'm proud of what we showed, and I think we continue to do that by
"We are confident that in the end we will be able to clear his name."
DEREGE DEMISSIE Defense attorney
Tsarnae's dorm room All four had studied at UMass Dartmouth.
dorm room on April 18, three days after the bombings. Two other friends were charged with conspiring to obstruct justice by taking a backpack with fireworks and a laptop from
Phillipos' attorneys said in court documents their client had nothing to do with the deadly bombings and isn't a flight risk.
In letters filed with the motion, friends and family members urged the court to release Phillips on
bail, describing him as peaceful and non-violent.
"I was shocked and stunned when I heard the news of my arrest. I could not control my tears," wrote Zewditu Alemu, his aunt. "I do not believe that my beloved Robel crosses the line intentionally to support or assist such a horrendous act against us the people of the USA. By nature he does not like violence. He loves peaceful environment."
Phillipos' resume, filed in court, shows he was majoring in marketing with a minor in sociology at UMass Dartmouth and expected to graduate in 2015.
The Tsarnaev brothers are accused of carrying out the bombings using pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails, ball bearings and metal shards. The attack killed three people and injured more than 260 others near the marathon's finish line.
At last week's KU employee recognition, 7 people were honored for 45 years of service and 16 were honored for 40 years. That's a total of just under 1,000 nonpharmed services.
to KU!
POLICE REPORTS
- A 23-year-old female was arrested yesterday on the 3900 block of Harvard Road on suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence. A $500 bond was paid.
- A 21-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the intersection of 19th and Haskell Streets on suspicion of no valid driver's license and no insurance. A $200 bond was paid.
- A 21-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 1200 block of Ohio Street on suspicion of no valid driver's license, transporting an open container and no insurance. A $800 bond was paid.
- A 24-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 2300 block of Kasold Drive on suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence, transporting an open container and suspended tag. A $700 bond was paid.
Emily Donovan
STATE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas Medicaid cuts provide funding for in-home services
TOPEKA, Kan. — Advocates for the disabled Monday praised Gov. Sam Brownback's plan to use projected savings from the state's Medicaid program to pay for in-home services and said they also will push for a long-term plan to end waiting lists for such assistance.
The Kansas Developmental Disabilities Policy Group's endorsement of the Republican governor's plan came even as advocates for the developmentally disabled remained at odds with Brownback's administration over including their services next year in an overhaul of Medicaid, which covers health care
for the needy and disabled.
State officials said last month that the overhaul of Medicaid would save the state $62 million more than previously anticipated during the current fiscal year and the fiscal year beginning July 1. The overhaul turned administration of most of the Medicaid program over to three private health insurance companies this year and renamed it KanCare.
Brownback predicted that the overhaul not only would lower the state's cost but provide better-coordinated health care for participants. The governor has proposed using $8 million from the state"s "KanCare dividend" savings on in-home
services for the physically and developmentally disabled, plus $10.5 million in federal funds, to move about 600 people off of waiting lists during the next fiscal year.
Coalition members said the governor's proposal, if adopted, would represent the most significant progress in years toward reducing the waiting lists. But they said they'd like to see Kansas go further and commit to eliminating its waiting lists, which contained about 5,400 people as of last month, according to the state.
"The previous administrations never addressed it at all," said Ronda Klein, a Topeka resident and the mother of a 19-year-old son, Curtis, who is autistic, developmentally disbled and prone to seizures. "It's a great first step."
Kansas legislators plan to reconvene Wednesday after a spring break to wrap up business for the year. Lawmakers must finish a state budget of roughly $14.5 billion for the next fiscal year, and Brownback's proposal on Medicaid savings is among the major issues facing House and Senate negotiators.
Some families wait years for inhome services that can include an attendant to help a disabled child with daily tasks. The state has separate waiting lists for people with developmental disabilities and people with physical disabilities,
and some people with development disabilities are receiving some but not all of the services they sought. According to the state, as of April, in-home services cost an average of $1,765 a month for the physically disabled and $3,534 a month for the developmentally disabled.
Tim Wood, manager of the Disability Rights Center of Kansas' "End the Wait" campaign, said the coalition isn't specifying how quickly it wants the state to eliminate the waiting lists but added, "We need to have an effectively working plan."
Advocates of the developmentally disabled were among the most vocal critics of the Brownback administration's overhaul of Medicaid and won a year's reprieve in having their in-home services administered by the private health insurance companies. They're seeking a permanent "carve out", arguing that private companies aren't well-equipped to deal with ongoing services.
But Angela de Rocha, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, noted that the administration projects that carving out services for the developmentally disabled would cost an additional $9 million during the next fiscal year and "jeopardizes the state's ability to address the waiting lists."
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