April 18, 2013 Former Judge Baumgartner "Ready" To Do Prison Time

Although he has appealed his federal conviction on charges of misprision of a felony to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, disgraced former Knox County Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner has decided to go on and serve the 6-month prison sentence that was meted out by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer.

Baumgartner was convicted in November 2012 of multiple counts of misprision of a felony for lying to officials to cover up his mistress's drug dealing.  His mistress Deena Castleman was a graduate of Baumgartner's Drug Court. In addition to supplying Baumgartner himself with pills, she was involved in a prescription painkiller network.

Baumgartner eventually resigned from the bench during a probe of his activities. In the state case, Baumgartner admitted to charges of official misconduct, received diversion, and was able to keep his $4900/month state pension.

The subsequent federal conviction resulted in loss of his state pension. Baumgartner is appealing the decision by the state retirement system (TCRS) to take his pension away. Click here.

The News-Sentinel has a report and links to other information here.

Previous blog posts are here.

January 6, 2013 Baumgartner Wants His Pension

Disgraced Knox County Criminal Judge Richard Baumgartner is trying to get the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) to reinstate the $4900/month state pension that he lost upon his conviction in November 2012 on federal charges.

Here's the tale in a nutshell:
1. Baumgartner presided over the series of trials of the various defendants in the horrific Channon Christian-Chris Newsom kidnap, torture, rape, and murder trials.
2. Baumgartner was taking drugs and having Deena Castleman, his mistress and ex-Drug Court graduate, procure drugs for him.
3. A TBI probe resulted in charges against Baumgartner, and he resigned.
4. Baumgartner was charged with public misconduct.
5. He entered into a plea agreement in March 2011 where he pled guilty in return for diversion--which meant that if he kept a clean slate during the two-year probation period, there would be nothing on his "record" and he could keep his $4900/month state pension.
6. Federal officials came in in May 2012 and indicted Baumgartner on federal charges--misprision of a felony.
7. He was convicted in federal court in November 2012 and lost the pension.
8. He is scheduled to be sentenced in March 2013 in connection with the federal conviction.

Now, Baumgartner is trying to get that pension back. Baumgartner's argument in his appeal of the pension decision is that his crimes did not arise out of his "official" duties as judge. Baumgartner maintains that his pension can only be taken away for crimes connected to his role as a judge.

Click here for the N-S article on the TCRS pension.
Click here for posts and links to articles on Baumgartner.

November 3, 2012 GUILTY: Jury Convicts Baumgartner on Five Felony Counts

Ex-Knox Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner was convicted in federal court in Knoxville yesterday on five felony counts for lying about his pill-supplying mistress (Deena Castleman) to two judges, a Knox County child support referee, a state prosecutor, and a transitional housing director in order to cover up a drug-trafficking conspiracy involving Castleman.

Castleman was a graduate of the Drug Court that Baumgartner founded. She testified during the early part of the trial that she was using drugs again, fell on hard times, and came to see "Judge B," as she called him, for help in May 2009.

She said that "Judge B" admitted his own use of opiates at that meeting and asked her if she could help get them for him. She agreed. A drug and sexual liaison between Baumgartner and Castleman ensued. According to prosecutors and other trial testimony, Baumgartner subsequently lied to various officials to help Castleman.

Prosecutors maintained that Baumgartner lied to cover-up a drug trafficking conspiracy to keep the drugs and sex flowing. Defense attorneys said the lies, if any, were simply out of concern and affection for Castleman.

A recent News-Sentinel article is here,

Baumgartner's sentencing is set for March 27, 2013. He faces up to three years in prison on each count, and up to a $250,000 fine on each count.  Significantly, the federal felony convictions may result in a loss of Baumgartner's $4900/month state pension--- a pension that was spared when Baumgartner resigned from the bench in 2011 and later reached a plea deal with a special prosecutor in a prior state action. For more, click here and here.

Baumgartner presided over many high-profile Knox County cases--including the Christian-Newsom kidnapping, rape, and torture trials. New trials against the defendants in those cases have been ordered in the fallout over Baumgartner's pill use and actions.

More from the News-Sentinel is here.

November 2, 2012 Baumgartner Jury Asks Questions, Continues Deliberations

The jury that will determine the fate of ex-Knox County Criminal Judge Richard Baumgartner emerged yesterday to ask questions of District Judge Ronnie Greer.

One felony count against Baumgartner was tossed by Judge Greer.

The jury is considering the remaining six felony counts in which Baumgartner is charged with lying to judges, a prosecutor, nurses, and others in order to cover up a drug-trafficking conspiracy involving his pill-supplying mistress Deena Castleman.

First, the jurors asked what they should do if some of the panel believe that the prosecution has proven all of the elements of the crimes and others do not. Greer informed the jury that their decision must be unanimous.

Later, the jury told Judge Greer that they had reached unanimous verdicts on some counts but not others. At that point, Greer gave the jury two instructions. Reconsider and try to reach unanimity, or issue a partial verdict on some counts and resume deliberations on others.

The panel resumed deliberations and then went home for the day. Jamie Satterfield has the News-Sentinel report here.

This morning the jury will continue deliberations. Click here.

October 30, 2012 Closing Arguments and Now the Fate of Ex-Judge Baumgartner Is in the Jury's Hands (Updated 10/31/12)

One of seven misprision counts against ex-Judge Richard Baumgartner was tossed by District Judge Ronnie Greer as reported by the News-Sentinel here and here.

Closing arguments ended today, and Baumgartner's fate is now in the hands of the federal jury. The News-Sentinel report is here.

The prosecutor is trying to convince the jury that Baumgartner lied to a judge, a magistrate, a prosecutor, nurses, and others to cover up the actions/drug trafficking of his pill supplying mistress Deena Castleman.

The defense claims that the prosecution has not presented adequate proof and that Baumgartner has suffered enough with the very public exposure of his "personal" wrongs, his plea of guilty to official misconduct, and his resignation from the bench.

UPDATE: A brief summary of the testimony of each person to whom Baumgartner is alleged to have lied in order to cover up the drug trafficking actions of his pill-supplying mistress is reported by News-Sentinel court reporter Jamie Satterfield here.

October 29, 2012 Baumgartner's Mistress/Pill Supplier Takes the Stand

Deena Castleman, mistress and pill-supplier to ex-Knox Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner, took the stand last Thursday on the first day of Baumgartner's federal trial.

Baumgartner is accused of seven counts of misprision of a felony for lying to cover up a drug conspiracy involving Castleman.

Castleman, a graduate of the Drug Court established by Baumgartner, testified that she fell back into addiction and, facing financial problems, went to the person who had helped her before, "Judge B," to see if he could help her get a job.

According to Castleman, Baumgartner surprised her when he told her that he loved his opiates and asked if she could help him get them. She answered "yes."

The News-Sentinel account is here.

In a nutshell, Castleman supplied pills to Baumgartner and a sexual relationship ensued as well. Baumgartner helped Castleman with money, visited her in the hospital, and obtained pills from Castleman and her suppliers.

In the second day of testimony, two area judges to whom Baumgartner is accused of lying took the stand. Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Don Elledge testified about a call from Baumgartner in 2009 regarding Castleman. Knox Child Support Referee Stan Briggs testified about a call that he received from Baumgartner in 2010 involving Castleman.

Among others who have testified are Judge Baumgartner's assistant Jennifer Judy and nurses at St. Mary's where Castleman was hospitalized at one point and who saw and spoke to "Judge B" when he came to visit Castleman.

In order to obtain a conviction, the prosecution must prove that the statements made by Baumgartner to Elledge and Briggs and others were made with the intent to conceal Castleman's role in a federal drug conspiracy. The defense contends that any statements that Baumgartner made were solely out of "concern" and "affection" for Castleman and not for the purpose of covering up a drug conspiracy.

The News-Sentinel account of the second day of testimony is here.

The News-Sentinel site has an extensive archive of stories on Baumgartner. Click here.

October 24, 2012 Baumgartner Jury Selection; Defense Questioning Indicates Possible Defense Tactic

One-hundred twenty potential jurors have been summoned for the federal case against ex-Knox County Criminal Judge Richard Baumgartner.

Baumgartner is charged with seven counts of misprision of a felony (lying to various officials to cover-up a drug-trafficking conspiracy involving his mistress and pill-supplier Deena Castleman).  Castleman was a "graduate" of the Drug Court that Baumgartner founded.

Questions asked by Baumgartner's lawyers indicate that the defense may claim at trial that Baumgartner was addicted to painkillers and that his lies were to cover up his affair with Castleman.

The first 32 jurors were questioned yesterday and six were dismissed for "cause"---two were excused from jury duty for medical or other hardship reasons, and four were excused because of admitted bias. The remaining 26 will move on to the next round of questioning.

A second group of 32 is scheduled to be examined for possible dismissal for "cause" today.

The News-Sentinel article is here.

Previous News-Sentinel articles on Baumgartner are listed here.

October 23, 2012 Jury Selection in Baumgartner Case Begins Today

Jury selection begins today in the federal trial of former Knox County Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner. Baumgartner is accused of seven counts of lying in order to cover up a felony and protect his mistress Deena Castleman who was at the time supplying Baumgartner himself with illegal drugs.

Click here.

For prior posts on Baumgartner, click here.

October 20, 2012 Baumgartner Trial Moves Toward October 23 Start

As former Judge Richard Baumgartner's trial on seven felony counts looms on the horizon, the prosecution and the defense are arguing over what evidence comes in and what stays out.

The prosecution thinks that Baumgartner's fling with Drug Court graduate Deena Castleman is fair game since Baumgartner purchased pills from her and is accused of lying to various officials (misprision of a felony) in order to cover up the pair's drug trafficking conspiracy.

The defense is asking Federal Judge Ronnie Greer to exclude evidence of the romantic relationship between Baumgartner and Castleman. 

The News-Sentinel article is here.