Can a DA impanel a Grand Jury to Probe a National Organization?

As a disclosure, this writer for MHProNews as the latest installment in this "Reality Check" series for this Patch has been testing and using on a near daily basis various artificial intelligence (AI) programs. These have included, but have not been limited to, Microsoft Bing’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini, and more recently xAI’s Grok. Like millions, this writer likes a good "whodunit" or mystery. Some are written by attorneys or have attorneys for consultants, which doesn't mean that they don't take literary license. They do. But 'based on a true story' or purely fictional tales alike have at times fueled insights that various writers may have intended.

That said, in my experience, a bit like a good attorney isn't supposed to ask a question that they don't already know (or at least suspect) the answer to, it is useful to know or have a pretty good idea of what the truth or correct answer is before you ask AI a question. Otherwise, the bias built into an AI system can misguide you.

1) That said, I asked Google's AI powered Gemini the following headline question. The answer is shown below the inquiry.

Can a local DA impanel a grand jury to probe a national organization or corporation that impacts their district?

AI Overview

+8

Yes, a local District Attorney (DA) can empanel a grand jury to investigate a national organization or corporation that impacts their district, as long as the investigation falls within the scope of the court's jurisdiction and the grand jury's authority.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

• Grand Jury Authority: Grand juries are judicial bodies with the power to investigate potential criminal activity within a specific jurisdiction, and to issue indictments, which are formal charges that lead to a criminal trial.
• DA's Role: The DA, as a prosecutor, can request that a grand jury be empaneled and present evidence to the grand jury for their consideration.
• Jurisdictional Scope: A local DA's grand jury's authority is generally limited to crimes committed within the geographic boundaries of their district.
• National Organizations: Even if a national organization or corporation operates nationally, if its criminal activities have a direct impact or take place within the DA's district, the grand jury can investigate.
• Example: If a national company is accused of defrauding residents within the DA's district, the DA can use a grand jury to investigate the company's activities and potentially seek indictments against those involved.
• Independence of Grand Jury: The grand jury is an independent body, and its decision to indict or not indict is separate from the DA's recommendation.
• Special Grand Juries: In some cases, a court may empanel a special grand jury with broader authority or for a specific purpose, which may allow for investigations that extend beyond the typical scope of a regular grand jury.
• Secrecy: Grand jury proceedings are generally secret, and only authorized individuals (grand jurors, prosecutors, etc.) are allowed to be present.

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2) The linked results included the following.

FLORIDA GRAND JURY HANDBOOK

The grand jury is answerable to no person or agency of government except the court that empanels it and, even then, only to the ex...

Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office

• Grand juries in the United States - Wikipedia
• Handbook for Federal Grand Jurors - U.S. Courts
• 158. Impaneling Special Grand Juries - Department of Justice

Special grand jury ... United States law also provides for the formation of special grand juries. While a regular grand jury prima...

Wikipedia

(1) The Grand Jury's Tasks As stated above, the federal grand jury's function is to determine whether the person being investigate...

District Court Middle District of Florida (.gov)

§ 3331.) District courts are authorized under 18 U.S.C. § 3332(b) to impanel additional special grand juries when the special gran...

Department of Justice (.gov)

3) A slightly different version of the question above was asked from AI powered Copilot.

4) Grand juries are citizen bodies. They are part of the keen wisdom of what at its best is supposed to be the American system of checks and balances in government.

There are famous cases when a local DA failed in their hoped for goal, but nevertheless fueled attention to serious issues. One such example was DA Jim Garrison. The following is from left-leaning Wikipedia.

"James Carothers Garrison (born Earling Carothers Garrison; November 20, 1921 – October 21, 1992)[3] was the District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, from 1962 to 1973 and later a state appellate court judge. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best known for his investigations into the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the prosecution of New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw to that effect in 1969, which ended in Shaw's acquittal. He wrote three published books, one of which became a prime source for Oliver Stone's film JFK in 1991, in which Garrison was portrayed by Kevin Costner, while Garrison himself made a cameo appearance as Earl Warren."

No, I'm not focused on Garrison, but rather on what Garrison and later Oliver Stone attempted to do. Namely, to draw attention to a big issue - the murder of a president of the United States - and to expose the claims of a federal coverup.

The point for this topic is that a local DA of whatever political party could arguably be part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis (and who knows how many other serious problems facing the U.S.A. today). There are few if any places in the U.S. where a lack of affordable housing isn't an issue.

5) You don't have to be a Democrat, a Republican, the member of a minor party, or an Independent to care about the lack of affordable housing in the U.S.

It is tragic that hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens are living on the streets. While some may indeed be drug or alcohol addicted, it is simply a fact that singles, couples, and married people are living in tents, vehicles, or other forms of shelter because they can’t afford or qualify for a rental.

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

Those economists and others like them have made the case that a big cause of economic inequality is the lack of affordable manufactured homes. I've messaged with one of the Federal Reserve system linked economists several times. It is my impression that we see many of the same concerns.

6) I've spoken to two different state level antitrust officials personally as well as to a former federal antitrust official about my concerns that antitrust, RICO, and possibly SEC or other laws are being violated by predatory brands that seem to be using the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) and multiple state associations for their own interests in arguably illegal ways. Two of those conversations resulted in the state officials saying, yes, they see the concerns and they saw others too, based upon evidence I supplied them at the time. The former federal official initially deflected my question, but when pressed said: "elections have consequences." He is now working for a private and prestigious law firm. I took that remark to mean that had that election gone differently, yes, his department was asked to probe specific manufactured housing related issues.

https://www.manufacturedhomeli...

7) I'm for manufactured homes. I've lived in and owned conventional housing, townhouses, and apartments. Some where in lovely new or newer neighborhoods. But I've personally found manufactured homes to be a huge advantage. I've owned several and in multiple different states. Some millionaires and even billionaires own and live in a manufactured home. Famous people like performer Kid Rock own or lived in a manufactured home. But I'm strongly opposed to market manipulation that hurts individuals, smaller businesses, or families. There is no contradiction in saying we are for a product or service that is honestly provided but opposed to abuses by specific individuals in a given field. Every profession has its bad apples.

https://www.manufacturedhomeli...

If the rich and famous can embrace manufactured homes for themselves, why not the rest of us?

8) I've made the argument that can be this simple. Either we as a nation embrace millions of more manufactured homes or we will have lots more homelessness. This is a mathematical certainty. Beyond the corruption often involved in many housing programs, there are not enough tax dollars to build enough conventional housing to keep the homeless sheltered. That may not be what politicians, certain nonprofits, and others want to see in digital print. But that's reality.

https://patch.com/florida/lake...

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

9) Some big scandals went on for years, operating in plain sight, because a system of cronyism and illusions were created around the individuals involved. That includes high profile people from both major political parties. That quoted statement by Danny Glover is from the award-winning and insightful docu-drama, Shadows of Liberty which tags members of both major parties and big name media and corporate interests.

The purpose of the linked articles is to indicate that other experts are keen on this topic too and often have been very specific about concerns within the manufactured home industry.

10) Cronyism and patronage are serious issues in the U.S. That may be keeping public officials who know that there are serious and credible evidence of corruption and predatory behavior involved in manufactured housing industry from acting as they should by using existing laws to criminally punish wrongdoers.

Fining wrongdoers is just a cost of doing business for them.

A local DA could impanel a grand jury to probe these issues.

See the linked reports for more details. Thanks for checking in.

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MHARR Calls on HUD Sec Turner to Address and Fix Federal MH Program

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Mark Weiss, JD-“The Good, The Bad And The Ugly” in Affordable Housing

Mark Weiss, J.D., is President/CEO of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) on MHI, HUD, and MH Industry Woes

Lakeland Study Test Frank Rolfe Claim "Mobile Homes" Lower Prop Values

Hybrid Expert Human Study Combined with Multiple AI Powered Fact Checks plus 3rd Party Research Expose Disputed Claims in Critical Reporting

VP Vance-Illegal Immigrants Squeeze U.S. Citizens from Home Ownership

New Manufactured Home Production Trend UP But Research Raises Concerns

Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) Released Jan 2025 data that reflects continued improvements since 2023 but...

GROK Affordable Housing Crisis Thesis-‘This Ain’t Theory—it’s a Heist’

Fact Checks by Grok-Copilot-Gemini Point to Problems at Manufactured Housing Institute that help Explain low 21st Century Manufactured Home Sales

HUD Sec Scott Turner Tension with HUD Research v Local Zoning Barriers

GROK reports on "Most Comprehensive" article on Sec Turner's recent remarks to WMAL, CPAC, and on challenges to solve affordable housing.

HUD Sec Turner-'Corporate Takeover of Housing—A Manufactured Crisis'

‘Endemic Mismanagement of HUD Manufactured Housing Program’ Nom Turner

'Restoring and Expanding Affordable Housing Role of Manufactured Homes'–MHARR Letter Cites 2000 Reform Act, "Enhanced Preemption" Much More

> ‘Endemic Mismanagement of HUD Manufactured Housing Program’ Nom Turner

'Restoring and Expanding Affordable Housing Role of Manufactured Homes'–MHARR Letter Cites 2000 Reform Act, "Enhanced Preemption" Much More...https://patch.com/florida/lake...

> Official Manufactured Housing Production from 1995-2023-Why it Matters

===

> Why do Liars Lie? Why do those Engaged in Paltering and Spin Palter?

> Controversy-Manufactured Housing Institute-Lesli Gooch-Mark Bowersox

> ‘Mobile Home Values Rising Faster Than Single-Family’ House-Wow Fact$

> Realtor-What Is a Manufactured Home? The Next Step Beyond Mobile Homes

> Orlando RE Agent Smith-Younger Adults Will Need $8500 Monthly for Rent

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> Lesli Gooch Ph.D.-Award, Coverup, Headfake, Scandal? Rest of the Story (Manufactured Housing Institute linked)

> Alice Carter-The Northern Forum-Deporting Immigrants & Housing Crisis

> Frank Rolfe-Special Interests ‘Don’t Want to Solve Affordable Housing'

> TARK-‘I’m a Teen and Know the Solution to Affordable Housing Crisis’

---> Renting? Rent too High? Odds Are DOJ Suit vs RealPage Matters to You

> New-Certified “Half Price Homes” - Affordable Housing Solution Redux

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> Solution: “Would-Be Homebuyers Need 80% More Income Than 4 Years Ago”

L. A. “Tony” Kovach is a publisher who has earned multiple awards in history. He and his family live in a manufactured home on private property in Winter Haven, FL. He is the co-founder of Manufactured Home Living News.com (MHLivingNews.com) and Manufactured Home Pro News.com (MHProNews.com), trade publications serving segments of the manufactured home industry. Having worked in several segments of the manufactured home industry for over 3 decades, Kovach is a widely acknowledged and often praised expert on manufactured housing. ###

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