watkins complaint against beck

2170 Highland Ave S., Suite 100 • Birmingham, AL 35205 • 205.558.4665 (Office) • 877.558.4670 (Fax) Email: [email protected]

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Donald V. Watkins, P.C. Attorney at Law

2170 Highland Avenue S., Suite 100 Birmingham, Alabama 35205

205-558-4665 (Office) 877-558-4670 (Fax)

[email protected] (Email) !

May!21,!2014! Delivered(via(Federal(Express(!Hon.!Robin!C.!Ashton!!!Counsel!!Office!of!Professional!Responsibility!United!States!Department!of!Justice!!950!Pennsylvania!Avenue,!N.W.,!!Suite!3266!!Washington,!DC!20530M0001!!Re:( Complaint(of(Prosecutorial(Misconduct(against(Mr.(George(L.(Beck,(Jr.,(U.S.(

Attorney,(Middle(District(of(Alabama(!Dear!Ms.!Ashton:!!This!letter!constitutes!my!formal!complaint!of!prosecutorial!misconduct!against!Mr.!George!L.!Beck,!Jr.,!United!States!Attorney!for!the!Middle!District!of!Alabama.!!Mr.!Beck!wrote!me!a!May!15,!2014,!letter!(attached!hereto!as!Exhibit(A),!which!was!disseminated!to!recipients!beyond!the!client!(Alabama!State!University)!I!represented!at!the!time,!and!which!denies!an!April!10,!2014,!offer!made!by!FBI!SSRA!Kelvin!King!on!behalf! of! the!FBI! to! assist! the!University! and! to! establish! a! close! intergovernmental! relationship! between! the! FBI! and!ASU.!!!This!offer!was,!in!fact,!made,!and!I!subsequently!conveyed!the!offer!to!my!client!both!privately,!on!April!10th,!and!publicly,!on!May!9th.!!Mr.! Beck! stated! in! his! May! 15th! letter! that! he! plans! to! disseminate! his! letter! to! “those!persons! most! likely! affected! by! the! content! of! [my! May! 11,! 2014]! email! and! proposed!action.”!!For!context!and!completeness,!I!have!also!included!a!May!19,!2014,!email!in!which!I!reply!to! Mr.! Beck’s! May! 15th! letter.! ! This! email! is! attached! hereto! as! Exhibit( B.! ! The! email!

Watkins!Complaint!of!Prosecutorial!Misconduct!May!21,!2014! of 7

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exchange!between!Mr.!King!and!me,!which!is!referred!to!as!an!attachment!in!my!May!19,!2014,!email!to!Mr.!Beck,!is!attached!hereto!as!Exhibit(C.!!The!allegations!of!prosecutorial!misconduct!fall!into!the!following!four!categories:!!

1. Mr.! Beck’s! May! 15,! 2014,! letter! to! Watkins! contains! false! and! misleading!representations! on! matters! of! great! public! interest! in! the! Middle! District! of!Alabama;!!

2. Mr.! Beck! deliberately! mischaracterized! both! ASU’s! correspondence! with! the!Department! of! Justice/FBI! and! ASU’s! actions! regarding! Governor! Bentley! as!!“raciallyMmotivated”;!!

3. Mr.!Beck!improperly!criticized!ASU!for!exercising!its!constitutional!right!to!counsel!in! connection! with! a! forensic! assessment! of! the! University’s! financial! books! and!records;!and,!

!4. Mr.!Beck!inappropriately!endorsed!the!soMcalled!FSS!“Preliminary!Update”,!which!is!

the!subject!of!pending!litigation!to!which!the!United!States!is!not!a!party.!!I!will!discuss!the!allegations!on!misconduct!in!the!order!in!which!they!appear!above.!!1.((( Mr.( Beck’s( May( 15,( 2014,( letter( to( Watkins( contains( false( and( misleading(

representations( on(matters( of( great( public( interest( in( the(Middle(District( of(Alabama(

!I! am! filing! this! complaint! with! the! Department! of! Justice’s! Office! of! Professional!Responsibility!in!my!individual!capacity!because!I!am!the!ASU!attorney!to!whom!Mr.!Beck!addressed!his!May!15th!letter.! ! !This!letter!contained!false!and!misleading!representations!on!matters!of!great!public!interest!in!the!Middle!District!of!Alabama.!!If!not!corrected,!Mr.!Beck’s! false! and!misleading! representations! will! cause! irreparable! reputational! harm! to!ASU!and!to!me.!!At!all!times!during!the!course!of!my!representation!of!ASU,!my!professional!services!have!been!rendered!on!a!pro!bono!basis.! !This!complaint!arises!from!prosecutorial!misconduct!Mr.!Beck!directed!at!me!in!my!capacity!as!ASU’s!special!counsel.!!My!professional! interaction!with!Mr.!Beck!commenced!on!December!23,!2013,!when!ASU!referred!suspected!criminal!conduct!to!Mr.!Beck’s!office!and!requested!an!investigation.!!To!my! knowledge,! an! investigation! into! the! referred! matter! was! commenced! and! remains!active.!!


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The!factual!background!relevant!to!the!false!and!misleading!representations!contained!in!Mr.!Beck’s!May!15th!letter!is!presented!below.!!

ASU’s(April(10,(2014,(Meeting(with(FBI(SSRA(Kelvin(King(!At!Mr.!Beck’s!direction,!Mr.!Kenneth!Thomas,!who!is!ASU’s!general!counsel,!and!I!met!with!Mr.!Kelvin!King!on!April!10th! to!discuss!the!criminal!matter!ASU!referred!to!the!FBI.! !Mr.!Beck!was!not!present!during! this!meeting.! !The!discussions!expanded! to!additional!ASUMrelated! topics,! including:! (a)! the! soMcalled!Medicaid! reimbursement! issue,! (b)! the! alleged!“conflicts!of!interest”!by!Elton!Dean!and!Marvin!Wiggins,!who!are!two!of!ASU's!trustees,!(c)!the!nature!and!scope!of!contracts!relating!to!the!construction!and!operation!of!the!new!ASU!stadium,! (d)! a! short! history! of! the! Knight' v.' Alabama' case,! (e)! the! significance! of! U.S.!District! Judge!Harold!Murphy’s!March!17,! 2014,! letter! to!University! trustees,! and! (f)! the!Forensic!Strategic!Solutions!(“FSS”)!“Preliminary!Update”.!!!!It!was!near!the!end!of!the!April!10th!meeting,! following!an!open!and!frank!discussion!on!the!topics!listed!above,!when!Mr.!King!made!an!offer!on!behalf!of!the!FBI!to!be!of!assistance!to! ASU.! ! He! stated! that! the! FBI! did! not! want! an! adversarial! relationship! with! ASU.! I!responded!that!ASU!did!not!want!an!adversarial!relationship!with!the!FBI.!!Mr.!King!wanted!to!know!how!the!FBI!could!be!of!assistance!to!ASU!and!how!the!two!agencies!could!work!together! to!make! ASU! a! better! institution.! ! I! told! him! that! ASU!would! welcome! a! close!intergovernmental!relationship!and!that!I!would!brief!the!appropriate!ASU!officials!on!his!outreach!initiative.!!Mr.!King!offered!to!visit!the!ASU!campus!for!the!followMup!meeting!or!to!make!himself!available!for!another!meeting!in!his!office.!!!

ASU’s( Understanding( of( Mr.( King’s( Offer( of( Assistance( and( Offer( for( a( Close(Intergovernmental(Relationship(

!Mr.! Thomas! and! I! believed! that! Mr.! King's! offer! of! assistance! to! ASU! was! sincere! and!genuine! at! the! time.! !We! had! no! reason! to! believe! otherwise.! !We! reported! this! offer! of!assistance!to!the!appropriate!ASU!officials!in!the!spirit!in!which!it!was!made!to!us.!!I!wrote!Mr.!King!an!email!on!April!11th!confirming!the!relationship!offered!by!him!during!our!meeting.! !A!copy!of! this!email! is!attached.! ! I!also!sent!Mr.!King!a!copy!of!U.S.!District!Judge!Harold!Murphy’s!March!17,!2014,!letter,!which!was!discussed!during!the!meeting.!!A!copy!of!Judge!Murphy’s!letter!is!attached.!!On!May!8,!2014,!I!advised!Mr.!King,!in!writing,!that!I!would!brief!the!ASU!board!of!trustees!on!his!offer!of!assistance.! ! !A!copy!of!my!May!8th!email! to!Mr.!King! is!attached.! !With!no!objection!voiced!by!Mr.!King,!I!gave!the!ASU!board!of!trustees!a!briefing!on!May!9th.!!

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Mr.(Beck’s(Denial(of(Mr.(King’s(Offers(!On!May!19,!2014,!Mr.!Beck’s!office!claimed! that! the!now!disputed!FBI!offer!of!assistance!and! the! close! intergovernmental! relationship! extended! by! Mr.! King! had! been! “heavily!investigated”!and!that!no!such!offer!had!been!made.!!!!If!Mr.!Beck!conducted!any!legitimate!investigation,! it! did! not! include! interviews!with!Mr.! Thomas! or!me,! nor! did! it! include! a!review! of!my! correspondence! to!Mr.! King! or! the! pertinent! correspondence! to!my! client.!!There!were!only!three!individuals!in!the!meeting,!and!two!of!them!were!not!contacted!in!connection!with!Mr.!Beck’s!soMcalled!“investigation”.!!Instead,!Mr.!Beck!contacted!Mr.!David!Byrne!to!get!his!version!of!what!had!transpired.! !Mr.!Byrne!is!not!an!attorney!for!ASU,!he!was!not!in!the!April!10th!meeting,!he!was!not!a!member!of!my!legal!team,!and!he!represents!a!client!(Governor!Bentley)!whose!interests!are!often!adversarial!to!those!of!ASU.!!Prior! to! receiving! Mr.! Beck’s! May! 15th! letter,! I! had! never! received! any! oral! or! written!communication!from!Mr.!King!suggesting!that!the!intergovernmental!relationship,!which!I!summarized! in!my!April! 11th! and!May!8th! emails! to!him,!was! inaccurately!described!or!mischaracterized.!!At!no!time!between!April!10th!and!May!9th,!did!Mr.!King!notify!me!that!the!FBI!was!withdrawing!its!offer!of!a!close!intergovernmental!relationship!with!ASU.!!!Mr.!Beck’s!May!15th!letter!is!the!first!and!only!indication!that!I!have!received!stating!that!the!FBI!has!no!such!interest!in!this!regard.!!!I!understand!that!Mr.!Beck’s!office!now!publicly!claims!that!neither!his!office!nor!the!FBI!responds!to!emails!like!the!ones!I!wrote!Mr.!King.!!This!is!not!true.!!Both!Messrs.!Beck!and!King!have!responded!in!writing!to!emails!from!me!when!they!wanted!to!address,!correct,!or!clarify! various! positions! taken! by! me! on! ASUMrelated! matters.!! ! I! have! correspondence!available!to!your!office!to!support!my!statement!in!this!regard.!!To!be!clear,!I!have!never!made!any!representation,!publicly!or!privately,!suggesting!that!the!U.S.! Attorney’s! office! has! sought! or! desired! any! type! of! collaborative! relationship! with!ASU.! !The!offer! of! assistance! and! close! intergovernmental! relationship! related! to! the!FBI!only.!!Mr.!Beck!made!it!clear!in!his!prior!communications!with!me!and!in!his!May!15th!letter!that!he!did!not!want!this!type!of!intergovernmental!relationship.!!It! is!one!thing! for!the!FBI!to!change! its!mind!and!withdraw!Mr.!King's!April!10th!offer!of!assistance!to!ASU.!!It!is!another!thing!for!Mr.!Beck!to!make!false!and!misleading!statements!about!a!matter!of!great!public!interest.!!The!attached!emails,!as!well!as!other!emails!which!have! not! been! publicly! disclosed,! support!my! version! of!what! transpired! in! the!meeting!with!Mr.!King.!!!Additionally,!Mr.!Thomas!has!corroborated!my!version!of!what!was!said!in!the!April!10th!meeting!on!multiple!occasions.!!I!have!interfaced!with!scores!of!FBI!agents!around!the!country!over!the!past!40!years!of!law!practice.! !I!believed,!at!the!time,!that!Mr.!King!represented!the!best!of!the!best!in!the!FBI.!!His!April!10th!commitment!to!establishing!a!collaborative!association!between!ASU!and!the!


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Bureau! was! a! refreshing! development! that! I! felt! needed! to! be! fully! embraced! by! the!University.!!!!!2.(((( Mr.( Beck(deliberately(mischaracterized( both(ASU’s( correspondence(with( the(

Department( of( Justice/FBI( and(ASU’s( actions( regarding( Governor( Bentley( as(being(“raciallyWmotivated”(

(In! addition! to! containing! false! and! misleading! statements! on! a! matter! of! great! public!interest,! Mr.! Beck’s! May! 15th! letter! was! malicious,! politically! motivated,! and! counterMproductive.! ! He! also! used! the! authority! of! his! office! to! defend! Governor! Robert! Bentley!against,!what!he!characterizes!as,!“racially!motivated”!accusations!by!ASU!trustees.!!!Nowhere!in!any!correspondence!between!ASU!and!Messrs.!Beck!or!King!has!ASU!charged!that! Governor! Bentley’s! actions! toward! ASU! are! racially! motivated.! ! In! fact,! Governor!Bentley’s!conduct!has!been!the!focus!of!only!three!emails!exchanged!between!Mr.!Beck!and!me.!!This!email!exchange!occurred!on!April!2,!2014.!!None!of!them!mentions!race!or!racial!motivation!in!any!way.! !The!sole!purpose!of!my!April!2nd!emails!to!Mr.!Beck!was!to!make!sure! that!his!office!was!aware!of!a! situation! in!which! the!Governor!made!political!use!of!certain!information!developed!in!the!course!of!an!investigation!arising!from!his!referral!of!the!FSS!“Preliminary!Update”!to!Mr.!Beck’s!office.!!!!!ASU! has! never! sought! to! be! drawn! into! a! political! battle! with! the! Governor! or! anyone!else.!!However,!ASU!had!a!right!to!expect!that!the!confidentiality!of!information!developed!during!the!course!of!state!and!federal!law!enforcement!investigations!into!the!University's!financial! affairs! would! be! strictly! enforced! acrossMtheMboard,! regardless! of! the! referring!governmental! agency.! !I! believed! on! April! 2nd! that! the! lead! agency! for! ensuring! the!confidential!nature!of!information!developed!during!the!courses!of!a!federal!investigation!was!Mr.!Beck’s!office.!!!!!!!Mr.!Beck’s!gratuitous! insertion!of!this!“racially!motivated”! language!in!his!May!15th! letter!mischaracterizes! the! nature! of! the! communications! with! his! office! and! was! apparently!designed! to! have! a! chilling! effect! on! the! right! of! ASU! officials! to! exercise! their!constitutionally! protected! free! speech.! ! ! Additionally,! this! “racially! motivated”! language!falsely!represents!the!nature!and!scope!of!my!body!of!correspondence!with!Mr.!Beck.!!3. Mr.( Beck( improperly( criticized( ASU( for( exercising( its( constitutional( right( to(

counsel( in( connection( with( a( forensic( assessment( of( the( University’s( financial(books(and(records(

(Mr.!Beck’s!letter!was!highly!critical!of!ASU’s!retention!of!private!counsel!to!interface!with!FSS! during! the! forensic! audit! process! in! which! ASU! gathered,! catalogued,! and! provided!millions!of!documents! to!FSS.! !During!my!41!years!of!practicing! law,! I!have!never!seen!a!large!corporate!entity!undergo!a! forensic!audit!assessment!without!being!represented!by!


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legal!counsel.!!Likewise,!I!have!never!seen!a!sitting!U.S.!Attorney!criticize!a!public!entity!for!using!legal!counsel!to!assist!the!entity!during!the!audit!process.!!!!!Moreover,!the!State!of!Alabama!has!a!long!and!infamous!record!of!denying!accused!persons!of!color!the!right!to!counsel!and!the!right!to!effective!assistance!of!counsel.!!This!is!a!very!sensitive!subject!for!that!portion!of!the!state’s!population!that!has!historically!been!denied!its!Constitutional!rights!in!this!regard.!!4.(((( Mr.(Beck(inappropriately(endorsed(the(FSS(“Preliminary(Update”,(which(is(the(

subject(of(pending(litigation(to(which(the(United(States(is(not(a(party.((Mr.! Beck’s! letter! scolded! ASU! for! not! embracing! the! FSS! “Preliminary! Update”! that! was!released! to! the!public!before! it!was!provided! to!ASU! for!review!and!comment.! !Despite!a!bold!face!disclaimer!in!this!FSS!document!that!the!“update!is!not!a!final!report!and!is!not!intended!to!be!relied!upon!as!anything!other!than!an!update!on!FFS’!independent!financial!forensic! assessment! of! Alabama! State! University”,! Mr.! Beck! scolded! ASU! officials! for!treating!the!update!with!great!skepticism.!!!!The! report!was!prepared!by!a! littleMknown!Alabama! forensic!auditing! firm!with!no!prior!experience! in! conducting! such! a! forensic! assessment! on! the! financial! records! of! a!major!university.! !The! update! was! never! presented! to! ASU! officials! for! input,! comments,!clarifications,!or!corrections!prior!to!its!public!release.!!It!was!replete!with!material!factual!errors!and!fatal!flaws.!!All!suggestions!of!potential!waste!and!fraud!that!were!identified!in!the!update!were!subsequently!and!soundly!refuted!by!ASU!in!all!material!respects.!!!!Furthermore,!the!substance!of!the!update!and!the!manner!in!which!it!was!publicly!released!are!central! issues! in!pending! litigation! initiated!by!ASU!against!FSS.! !The!United!States! is!not!a!party!to!this!litigation.!!Mr.!Beck’s!ringing!endorsement!of!the!FSS!preliminary!update!and!his!attack!on!ASU!for!exercising!its!Constitutional!right!to!challenge!the!validity!of!the!update!in!court!suggest!to!the!public,!by!implication,!that!the!United!States!has!taken!sides!in!the!ASUMFSS!litigation!to!which!the!United!States!is!not!a!party.!!If!the!United!States!believes!in!the!FSS!update,!despite!FSS’s!boldMfaced!disclaimer,!then!the!government!should!formally!intervene!in!the!pending!ASUMFSS!litigation!on!the!side!of!FSS,!rather!than!using!the!inherent!authority!of!a!United!States!Attorney!to!editorialize!on!ASU’s!need!to!“embrace”!the!update.!!!ASU! does! not! know!whether! FSS!will! be! issuing! a! final! forensic! accounting! examination!report.!!The!Governor’s!office!commissioned!the!forensic!assessment,!but!has!referred!ASU!to! state! and! federal! prosecutors! to! address! the! question! of! when! a! final! report! will! be!issued.! !Both! agencies! have! been! contacted! in! this! regard,! yet! neither! one! has! answered!this!question.!This!state!of!limbo!is!hurting!ASU,!as!articulated!in!my!May!11,!2014,!email!to!Mr.!Beck.!!(See,!Exhibit!A!to!the!May!15,!2014,!Beck!letter.)!


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ASU!agrees!with! the!express!disclaimer! in! the!FSS!update.! !Until! and!unless!FSS! issues!a!final! report,! no! conclusions! or! inferences! can! be! reasonably! drawn! or! relied! on! by! any!institution,!government!or!law!enforcement!agency,!credit!reporting!agency!or!accounting!firm! as! to! the! accuracy! or! materiality! of! any! statements! that! were! contained! in! the!preliminary!update.!!!Conclusion((!I!am!prepared!to!fully!cooperate!with!your!office’s!investigation!into!the!matters!alleged!in!this! complaint.! ! Additionally,! I! am! requesting! that! the! FBI! preserve! any! audio! or! video!recording!of!the!April!10th!meeting!as!evidence!in!this!OPR!investigation.!!Please! call! me! if! you! have! any! questions! about! the! matters! referenced! in! my! formal!complaint!or!the!correspondence!attached!to!it.!!Thank!you!for!your!attention!to!this!matter.!!Respectfully!Submitted,!

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!Donald!V.!Watkins!

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EXHIBIT!A!!!!

Mr.$Beck’s$May$15,$2014,$Letter$to$Watkins$

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EXHIBIT!B!!!!

Watkins’)May)19,)2014,)Email)to)Mr.)Beck)

Wednesday,)May)21,)2014)at)12:07:13)PM)Eastern)Daylight)Time

Page)1)of)2

Subject: Alabama&State&UniversityDate: Monday,&May&19,&2014&at&2:43:30&PM&Eastern&Daylight&Time

From: Donald&WatkinsTo: Beck,&George&(USAALM)CC: King,&Kelvin&F.,&Kenneth&L.&Thomas,&President&Gwen&Boyd,&[email protected],&uwclemon,

[email protected]

Dear%Mr.%Beck:

Thank%you%for%your%letter%dated%May%15,%2014,%a%copy%of%which%is%attached.%%First,%let%me%say%that%I%was%surprised%by%the%tone%of%your%letter.%%Second,%as%a%matter%of%professional%courtesy,%I%would%have%expected%you%to%call%me,%not%Mr.%David%Bryne,%for%clariGication%about%media%statements%attributed%to%me.

Third,%and%perhaps%most%troubling,%is%your%suggestion%that%the%FBI%did%not%express%a%willingness%to%enter%into%a%new%relationship%of%close%intergovernmental%cooperation%with%Alabama%State%University%(“ASU”).%%As%you%can%see%from%the%attached%emails,%this%offer%was%presented%to%ASU%by%FBI%SSRA%Kelvin%King%during%an%April%10,%2014,%meeting%for%which%Kenneth%Thomas,%who%is%ASU's%General%Counsel,%and%I%were%both%present.%%You%were%not%present%during%the%meeting.%%We%%met%with%Mr.%King%per%your%directions.

Our%meeting%with%Mr.%King%covered%a%number%of%subjects,%including:%(a)%the%soXcalled%Medicaid%reimbursement%issue,%(b)%the%alleged%“conGlicts%of%interest”%by%Elton%Dean%and%Marvin%Wiggins,%who%are%two%of%ASU's%trustees,%(c)%the%nature%and%scope%of%contracts%relating%to%the%construction%and%operation%of%the%new%ASU%stadium,%(d)%a%short%history%of%the%Knight'v.'Alabama'case,%(e)%the%signiGicance%of%U.S.%District%Judge%Harold%Murphy’s%March%17,%2014,%letter%to%University%trustees%(a%copy%of%which%was%subsequently%provided%to%Mr.%King),%and%(f)%the%FSS%“Preliminary%Update”%that%you%quote%throughout%your%letter.%%Another%matter%which%ASU%referred%to%your%ofGice%was%also%discussed%but%will%not%be%disclosed%in%this%correspondence.%%It%was%near%the%end%of%the%meeting,%following%discussions%on%these%topics,%when%Mr.%King%offered%to%assist%ASU.

Mr.%Thomas%and%I%believed%that%Mr.%King's%offer%of%assistance%to%ASU%was%sincere%and%genuine%at%the%time.%%We%had%no%reason%to%believe%otherwise.%%We%reported%this%offer%of%assistance%to%the%appropriate%ASU%ofGicials%in%the%spirit%in%which%it%was%made%to%us.

Furthermore,%in%your%letter,%you%mistakenly%claim%that%ASU's%retention%of%these%lawyers%was%made%to%aid%the%University%in%its%presentation%to%FSS.%%However,%the%retention%of%private%outside%counsel%for%certain%ASU%trustees,%ofGicers,%and%employees%greatly%aided%Mr.%Thomas%and%me%in%properly%preparing%and%presenting%ASU’s%information%to%Mr.%King.%%My%May%9th%report%to%the%board%of%trustees%in%this%regard%clearly%states%that%the%retention%of%outside%counsel%was%relatedto%the%matters%covered%in%my%April%10th%FBI%presentation.%%The%work%of%these%outside%lawyers%has%also%been%helpful%to%the%University's%preparation%of%FSSXrelated%presentation%materials%in%other%venues.

On%May%8,%2014,%I%advised%Mr.%King%that%I%would%brief%the%ASU%board%of%trustees%on%his%offer%of%assistance,%which%he%extended%during%our%April%10th%meeting%and%made%on%behalf%of%the%FBI.%%With%no%objection%voiced%by%Mr.%King,%I%gave%the%brieGing%on%May%9th.

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Prior%to%receiving%your%May%15th%letter,%I%had%never%received%any%oral%or%written%communication%

from%Mr.%King%suggesting%that%the%intergovernmental%relationship,%which%I%summarized%in%my%

April%11th%and%May%8th%emails,%was%inaccurately%described%or%mischaracterized.%%At%no%time%

between%April%10th%and%May%9th,%did%Mr.%King%notify%me%that%the%FBI%was%withdrawing%its%offer%

of%a%close%intergovernmental%relationship%with%ASU.%%%Your%letter%is%the%Girst%and%only%indication%

that%I%have%received%stating%that%the%FBI%has%no%such%interest%in%this%regard.%%

Additionally,%we%have%never%made%any%representation,%publicly%or%privately,%suggesting%that%the%

U.S.%Attorney’s%ofGice%has%sought%or%desired%any%type%of%collaborative%relationship%with%ASU.%%

Your%aggressive%defense%of%Governor%Bentley%and%the%FSS%“Preliminary%Update"%makes%it%clear%

that%you%do%not%want%that%kind%of%relationship.

It%is%one%thing%for%the%FBI%to%change%its%mind%and%withdraw%Mr.%King's%April%10th%offer%of%

assistance%to%ASU.%%It%is%another%thing%to%claim%that%I%misrepresented%the%statements%made%by%Mr.%

King%during%the%April%10th%meeting.%%The%attached%emails%and%Mr.%Thomas’%presence%support%my%

version%of%this%event.%

Finally,%your%letter%is%highly%critical%of%the%University’s%retention%of%private%counsel%to%interface%

with%FSS%during%the%forensic%audit%process%in%which%millions%of%documents%were%gathered,%

catalogued,%and%provided%to%FSS.%%During%my%41%years%of%practicing%law,%I%have%never%seen%a%

corporate%entity%undergo%a%forensic%audit%assessment%without%being%represented%by%legal%

counsel.%%Likewise,%I%have%never%seen%a%sitting%U.S.%Attorney%criticize%a%public%entity%for%using%

legal%counsel%to%assist%the%audited%entity.%%%Moreover,%the%State%of%Alabama%has%a%long%and%

distinguished%record%of%denying%accused%persons%the%right%to%counsel%and%the%right%to%effective%

assistance%of%counsel.%%This%is%a%very%sensitive%subject%for%that%portion%of%the%state’s%population%

which%has%historically%been%denied%its%Constitutional%rights%in%this%regard.

Please%call%me%if%you%have%any%questions%about%the%matters%referenced%in%my%email%or%the%

correspondence%attached%to%it.

Thanks%you.

Donald%V.%Watkins

Donald%V.%Watkins,%PC

Attorney%at%Law

2170%Highland%Avenue%S.

Suite%100

Birmingham,%Al%35205%USA

205X223X2294%(Mobile)

205X558X4665%(OfGice)

877X558X4670%(Fax)

Special%Counsel%to%ASU

!!

EXHIBIT!C!!!!

Email&Exchange&Between&Watkins&and&Mr.&King&

watkins complaint against beck

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