19 Nov 2008

Dick Cheney indicted for alleged abuse

A Texas grand jury has indicted US Vice President Dick Cheney and former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on charges connected to alleged abuse of inmates in a private prison system, a Texas newspaper has reported.

The Brownsville Herald reported that the grand jury in Willacy County, hearing evidence presented by District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra, returned several counts against Cheney and Gonzales as well as Texas officials including a state senator and state district judges.

The indictment cites Cheney's investment in the Vanguard Group, a major brokerage and mutual fund firm with financial interests in private prison companies that run federal detention centers, the newspaper reported.

It charged that Cheney had a conflict of interest and was responsible for "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees.  sify.com