Jonathan Lee Riches

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Jonathan Lee Riches is a prisoner known for the many lawsuits he has filed in various United States district courts.[1] Riches is incarcerated at Federal Medical Center (FMC) Lexington Kentucky, for wire fraud under the terms of a plea bargain.[2][3][4] His projected release date is March 23, 2012.

[edit] History

Since January 8, 2006, he has filed over one thousand lawsuits in federal district courts across the country,[5] some of which have received considerable press attention.[6] Among the more famous defendants of his lawsuits are New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick,[7] former President of the United States George W. Bush,[8] entrepreneur Martha Stewart,[9] NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon,[10] Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick,[11][12] entrepreneur Steve Jobs,[13] celebrity blogger Perez Hilton,[14] Somali pirates,[15] and pop star Britney Spears.[16] He also sued the late Benazir Bhutto, Pervez Musharraf, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service on November 7, 2007, to prevent him from being deported to Pakistan upon his release from prison in March 2012 so that he will not be tortured.[17]

On April 9, 2008, Riches filed a request for a temporary restraining order in a US District Court against Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two, developer Rockstar Games, FCI Williamsburg, and Grand Theft Auto itself, claiming that the defendants "put me in prison." The inmate stated, "Defendants contributed to Plaintiff committing identity theft. Defendant's games show sex, drugs and violence which offends me." Riches continued, "Defendants put me in prison. I face imminent danger from violent inmates who played Grand Theft Auto who will knock me out and take my gold Jesus cross."[18]

Riches has also attempted to intervene as a plaintiff in the Madoff investment scandal, claiming that he "met Bernard Madoff on eharmony.com in 2001" and taught Madoff identity theft skills.[19]

In May 2009, Riches filed for an injunction against the Guinness Book of World Records, seeking to stop them from naming him as the most litigious individual in the history of mankind.[20]

Some of Riches' defendants are not even people or potentially suable. These include "Adolf Hitler's National Socialist Party" and the "13 tribes of Israel".[21] One lawsuit, which includes George Bush, also includes another 783 defendants that cover 56 pages. They include Plato, Nostradamus, Che Guevara, James Hoffa, "Various Buddhist Monks", the Lincoln Memorial, the Eiffel Tower, the USS Cole, the book Mein Kampf, the Garden of Eden, the Roman Empire, the Appalachian Trail, Plymouth Rock, the Holy Grail, the dwarf planet Pluto, and the entire Three Mile Island.[22]

A number of Riches's lawsuits have been dismissed as being "frivolous, malicious" or failing "to state a claim upon which any relief could be granted".[11] Willis Hunt, the U.S. District Court Judge who dismissed Riches' suit against Vick as "farcical," opined that his lawsuits were clearly self-promotional.[11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ South Caroline inmate hits Michael Vick with '$63,000,000,000 Billion Dollar' lawsuit alleging Al Qaeda ties Fox News. (August 15, 2007) Accessed October 2, 2007.
  2. ^ Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator Accessed October 3, 2007.
  3. ^ Transcript: CNN presents 'How to Rob a Bank' (May 20, 2006). Accessed October 3, 2007.
  4. ^ Feldstein, Dan. (June 27, 2004). Identity thieves stealing attention / Horror stories help crime gain notoriety Houston Chronicle. Edition 4 Star; Section A; Page 1. Accessed October 3, 2007.
  5. ^ US Pacer US Party/Case Index Website maintained by the federal courts; search for Jonathan Riches prisoner cases on March 3, 2008 returned 1017 cases.
  6. ^ "Man of Many Suits", Emil Steiner, The Washington Post
  7. ^ TSG
  8. ^ Howard, Brian. (April 13-19, 2006). Trial of the century. Philadelphia City Paper. Accessed October 3, 2007.
  9. ^ Prisoner known for suing celebrities takes on Martha Stewart Boston.com, in connection with The Boston Globe. (September 19, 2007). Accessed October 3, 2007.
  10. ^ Saxon, Eric. (2007). Inmate files federal complaint against NASCAR star Jeff Gordon wsoctv.com. Accessed October 3, 2007.
  11. ^ a b c Rankin, Bill. (August 17, 2007). Inmate's bizarre lawsuit against Vick thrown out of court The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Accessed October 3, 2007.[dead link]
  12. ^ Transcript: 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for August 15 MSNBC. Accessed October 3, 2007.
  13. ^ Jade, Kasper. (September 25, 2007).Inmate's suit claims O.J. Simpson is "hitman" for Steve Jobs. Apple Insider. Accessed October 3, 2007.
  14. ^ "An Embarrassment Of Riches". http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/1018071riches1.html. Retrieved October 19, 2007. 
  15. ^ 2008 West Law 612788
  16. ^ "Contactmusic.com". Prison Inmate Seeks Spears Restraining Order. http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/prison%20inmate%20seeks%20spears%20restraining%20order_1046490. Retrieved October 12, 2007. 
  17. ^ http://news.justia.com/cases/featured/california/caedce/2:2007cv02394/169550/
  18. ^ Inmate Files Restraining Order Against 'Grand Theft Auto' Makers FoxNews.com. Accessed April 20, 2008.
  19. ^ Motion to Authorize to intervene under Rule 7042 & Rule 24(A)2, 24(B) filed by Jonathan Lee Riches. Madoff Trustee Site. Accessed March 26, 2008.
  20. ^ Clouse, Thomas (May 23, 2009). "Man sues book over most-litigious crown". The Spokesman-Review. http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/may/23/man-sues-book-over-most-litigious-crown/. Retrieved 25 May 2009. 
  21. ^ Emil Steiner, Man of Many Suits, Jonathan Lee Riches Sues Everyone and Everything, Washington Post, August 23, 2007
  22. ^ [http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2006-04-13/NC_FP_Lawsuit.pdf Case #: 2:06-cv-01055-LP
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