Jonathan Lee Riches

Jonathan Lee Riches is known for the many lawsuits he has filed in various United States district courts. [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293268,00.html 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.] Riches is incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Williamsburg in Salters, South Carolina, for wire fraud under the terms of a plea bargain. [ [http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Riches&Middle=Lee&FirstName=Jonathan&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=335&y=297 Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator] Accessed October 3 2007.] [ [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0605/20/cp.02.html Transcript: CNN presents 'How to Rob a Bank'] (May 20 2006). Accessed October 3 2007.] [Feldstein, Dan. (June 27 2004). [http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3776207 Identity thieves stealing attention / Horror stories help crime gain notoriety] Houston Chronicle. Edition 4 Star; Section A; Page 1. Accessed October 3 2007.] His projected release date is March 23, 2012.

History

Since January 8, 2006, Riches has filed over one thousand lawsuits in federal district courts across the country, [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.] some of which have received considerable press attention. [ [http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2007/08/man_of_many_suits_1.html "Man of Many Suits"] , Emil Steiner, "The Washington Post"] Among the more famous defendants of his lawsuits are New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, [ [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/1003072belichick1.html TSG] ] U.S. President George W. Bush, [Howard, Brian. (April 13-19, 2006). [http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2006-04-13/fineprint2.shtml Trial of the century] . "Philadelphia City Paper". Accessed October 3 2007.] entrepreneur Martha Stewart, [ [http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2007/09/19/prisoner_known_for_suing_celebrities_takes_on_martha_stewart/ Prisoner known for suing celebrities takes on Martha Stewart] Boston.com, in connection with "The Boston Globe". (September 19 2007). Accessed October 3, 2007.] NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, [Saxon, Eric. (2007). [http://www.wsoctv.com/nascar/14108729/detail.html Inmate files federal complaint against NASCAR star Jeff Gordon] wsoctv.com. Accessed October 3 2007.] Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick,Rankin, Bill. (August 17 2007). [http://www.ajc.com/falcons/content/sports/falcons/stories/2007/08/17/vicklawsuit_0817.html Inmate's bizarre lawsuit against Vick thrown out of court] "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution". Accessed October 3 2007.] [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20297008/ Transcript: 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for August 15] MSNBC. Accessed October 3 2007.] entrepreneur Steve Jobs, [Jade, Kasper. (September 25 2007). [http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/09/25/inmates_suit_claims_o_j_simpson_is_hitman_for_steve_jobs.html Inmate's suit claims O.J. Simpson is "hitman" for Steve Jobs] . "Apple Insider". Accessed October 3 2007.] celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, [cite web | thesmokinggun.com | title = An Embarrassment Of Riches | url = http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/1018071riches1.html | accessmonthday=October 19 | accessyear=2007] and pop star Britney Spears. [cite web | title=Contactmusic.com | work=Prison Inmate Seeks Spears Restraining Order| url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/prison%20inmate%20seeks%20spears%20restraining%20order_1046490| accessmonthday=October 12 | accessyear=2007] 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. [http://news.justia.com/cases/featured/california/caedce/2:2007cv02394/169550/]

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." [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351896,00.html Inmate Files Restraining Order Against 'Grand Theft Auto' Makers] "FoxNews.com". Accessed April 20 2008.]

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". [Emil Steiner, [http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2007/08/man_of_many_suits_1.html Man of Many Suits, Jonathan Lee Riches Sues Everyone and Everything] , "Washington Post", August 23, 2007] 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, and the entire Three Mile Island. [ [http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2006-04-13/NC_FP_Lawsuit.pdf Case #: 2:06-cv-01055-LP]

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". Willis Hunt, the U.S. District Court Judge who dismissed Riches' suit against Vick as "farcical," opined that his lawsuits were clearly self-promotional.

References