Was Mailed Mass Card a Veiled Threat? Federal Judge in Ohio Says Yes

Amy Welborn reports again on "The Great Ohio Mass Card Controversy", and notes that the federal judge presiding over the criminal case has ruled that it was an attempt at intimidation:

Michael Lewis tried to intimidate the former Bureau of Worker's Compensation administrator set to testify against him in a bribery trial by sending the official a Mass card, a federal judge said Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge David Dowd said he could see no other reason why the 71-year-old broker would send Terry Gasper a notice that a Roman Catholic Mass had been arranged for him besides intimidation.

"It's hard for me to view it as anything but some form of, 'We know where you live, we're thinking of you and you better be worried,' " Dowd said during at hearing at the U.S. District Courthouse in Akron.

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Lewis denied trying to intimidate Gasper. Lewis said he has sent at least 15 Mass cards to Gasper over the years.

"Mr. Gasper is faced with a difficult period of time in his life," Lewis said. "As a Christian and a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, I'm told to pray for my enemies, quote, unquote."

Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Was Mailed Mass Card a Veiled Threat?