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Defense Attorney Anastassios Manettas was arrested in court for carrying pills without a prescription but maintains he is innocent by law.
The YSL RICO trial has become a case that is almost better than scripted television. As we speed towards May and the halfway point of the year, the case is still in jury selection. Reportedly this case was already expected to be the longest trial in Fulton County history without delays. Now that the ball is rolling in the RICO case everyone doesn’t know how to act which is causing massive delays. Jurors have been arrested for filming, skipped out on duty, and even leaked information to reporters. Earlier this week the defensive attorneys took center stage due to their lack of professionalism. One defense attorney told Judge Glanville he was “cappin” aka lying. Then another was threatened with contempt after refusing to buy lunch for all the lawyers.
Yesterday the drama continued when defense attorney Anastassios Manettas was arrested while going through security to enter the courthouse. Allegedly Manettas tried to bring prescription pills into the courthouse and was caught while going through the security checkpoint. Sheriffs also claim he tried to throw a cell phone at one of the captains. Manetta’s attorney Brian Tevis denied all the allegations brought against his client in a statement to WSBTV.
I’m outraged and every other member of the defense bar I’ve spoken to is outraged by what took place in court today. The people enforcing the law should actually know law before arresting somebody. Yes, OCGA 16-13-75 does say you have to keep some prescription medications in their original containers. But, you have to read the whole statute where it says “other than the individuals specified in Code Section 16-13-35 or 16-13-72″. And 16-13-35(c)(3) says the person who was has a lawful prescription is exempt.
That’s how I was a able to buy attorney David Wolfe one of those Sunday-Monday pill organizers for his 70th birthday. They sell them at Kroger, Amazon, the Gas station. Everyone’s grandparents have them because it is perfectly legal to keep your own prescriptions in a different container.
Further, they can’t even know what the medication is until they send it off to the GBI for testing – which usually takes months. So they’ve put the cart way before the horse here. At least they had the sense to dismiss the nonsense of battery on a police officer. The witnesses I spoke to said that was an absolute fabrication on the part of the officer.
This whole thing is unbelievable. Attorney Manettas’ arrest was an illegal arrest, and I look forward to our day in court if it even gets that far.” – Brian Tevis
A witness also told WSBTV’s Michael Seiden that Manettas didn’t throw his cell phone at an officer on purpose.
“I asked him if he wanted to give me his phone, and he tries to toss it at me, but the officer that has him in handcuffs, yanks him so as he tosses the phone, instead of going my way, it goes to the officer standing to my right and taps her on the shoulder,” attorney Suri Chadha Jimenez said. “It was an accident.”
At this point, the trial may never officially get underway as every delay or disruption you can think of has happened. With reportedly 300 witnesses set to take the stand, this could last years. You can watch the footage of Manettas’ arrest below.