Dr. Elsebeth Baumgartner (born May 12, 1955) is a former attorney and
current CEO of Cleveland Genomics, Inc. (which provides DNA sequencing
services), and has doctorate degrees both in law and in pharmacy. Dr.
Baumgartner graduated first in her entering class from the University
of Toledo College of Law. She is a Christian and the mother of two
adult daughters by her husband, pharmacist Joseph Baumgartner. She is
currently facing criminal charges in the U.S. state of Ohio carrying
prison sentences of 66 years and 6 months in one case, and 42 years and
6 months in another case, for peaceful political speech. Currently she
is free on bail.[1][2]
The specific criminal charges against Dr. Baumgartner are intimidation,
retaliation, falsification and possession of a criminal tool (the
criminal tool being a laptop computer) for her criticizing Ohio
government officials and accusing them of corruption, such as against
retired Judge Richard Markus. [3] Note that Dr. Baumgartner isn't being
accused of making threats to aggress against anyone, but that the
intimidation and retaliation charges directly refer to her accusations
of corruption on the part of Ohio government officials.
Dr. Baumgartner previously had served 231 days in jail on the charge of
falsification for accusing Ohio government officials of corruption at a
Port Clinton City Commissioner's meeting (i.e., a city council
meeting). [4] Ten of those days were spent being held incommunicado,
having been denied access to legal counsel, visitors, clergy, the
opportunity to make a phone call, and not allowed to send mail out or
receive mail. [5]
In 2003, Dr. Baumgartner was permanently disbarred as an attorney for
accusing Ohio government officials of corruption in a hearing where she
was not allowed to be present and where the sole evidence against her
was those who had been accused of corruption denying the charges. [6]
In December 2005, Dr. Baumgartner was committed against her will for 39
days to the North Coast Hospital under court order for a mental
evaluation, even though Ohio state law requires that a person released
on bond, as Dr. Baumgartner is, be evaluated on an out-patient basis.
She was found competent. Two times previously she had been
psychologically evaluated, and each time found competent. [7]
A number of critics of the actions taken against Dr. Baumgartner by the
Ohio judiciary contend that she is being made a political prisoner in
order to silence her and punish her for speaking out on government
corruption by the very parties accused of corruption as a means to
protect themselves from the legitimate consequences of their crimes and
to make an example out of her by creating a chilling effect to
intimidate others from speaking out against their corruption.
[8][9][10][11] These critics note that she has already been jailed for
peaceful political speech and that the Ohio government is currently
attempting to imprison her for a total of 109 years for peaceful
political speech. Such critics further contend that even if all of her
accusations were false that a person ought not be made a criminal or
suffer imprisonment for mere peaceful speech (i.e., not threatening to
aggress against another), even if said speech is false, and that the
ultimate reason for the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is
precisely so that people can be free to criticize the government and
officials in government, and say things which said officals greately
dislike, without fear of retaliation by the government.
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