Charles H. Turner (attorney)
Encyclopedia
Charles H. Turner is a former United States Attorney
for the District of Oregon
. Prior to his presidential appointment as U.S. Attorney, Turner worked under his predecessor, Sidney I. Lezak, for 14 years. He was appointed as Lezak's replacement by President Ronald Reagan.
As U.S. Attorney, Turner investigated sham marriage
s and immigration fraud
organized by followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
(now known as Osho) in Rajneeshpuram
, Oregon
, as well as other illegal activities including the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
in The Dalles, Oregon
. In 1985, high-ranking followers of Rajneesh plotted to murder
Turner, carrying out steps including assembling a team, purchasing weapons, and performing surveillance on his office, home and car. Seven followers of Rajneesh were later convicted of conspiracy
to assassinate
him.
While U.S. Attorney, Turner hired prosecutors Michael Mosman and Mark Bailey; both would later go on to serve as U.S. Attorney for Oregon. He retired in 1993, and was succeeded by Kristine Olson, who he had previously supervised as U.S. Attorney.
, but as of 1981 he was registered as an independent voter. In December 1981, Turner was favored by the Reagan Administration to replace Lezak, and was successfully appointed by President Ronald Reagan
. By 1982, Turner was the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
s organized by the Rajneeshees (followers of charismatic leader
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
, now known as Osho) in Rajneeshpuram
, Oregon
, as well as other illegal activities including wiretapping, immigration fraud
, and the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
in The Dalles, Oregon
.
In 1985, high-ranking followers of Rajneesh plotted to murder
Turner. The perpetrators carried out steps including assembling a team of conspirators, creating a hit-list of individuals to assassinate including Turner and other Oregon officials, acquiring false identification, purchasing weapons out-of-state, and performing surveillance on Turner's office, home and car. Seven followers of Rajneesh were convicted of conspiracy
to assassinate
Turner. Turner later commented on how the assassination plot against him by followers of Rajneesh had affected him: "This was a lying-in-wait conspiracy to murder me, a presidential appointee, and for a long time I slept with a loaded gun beside my bed."
In 1988, Turner hired attorney Michael Mosman as a prosecutor related to illegal activities on tribal lands in Oregon – Mosman would go on to be confirmed by the United States Senate
as U.S. attorney for Oregon in 2001. Turner commented of hiring Mosman: "He had excellent skills beyond his age and was going to be a first-class lawyer." Turner hired another attorney who would go on to become U.S. Attorney for Oregon, Mark Bailey, who had previously worked out of the U.S. Attorney's office in Houston, Texas
. Turner served as a federal prosecutor for 17 years, and retired in 1993. Kristine Olson succeeded Turner as U.S. Attorney for Oregon; she had previously worked under Turner but resigned in 1984 after disagreement with Turner over her methods.
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the District of Oregon
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union...
. Prior to his presidential appointment as U.S. Attorney, Turner worked under his predecessor, Sidney I. Lezak, for 14 years. He was appointed as Lezak's replacement by President Ronald Reagan.
As U.S. Attorney, Turner investigated sham marriage
Sham marriage
A sham marriage or fake marriage is a marriage of convenience entered into with the intent of deceiving public officials or society about its purpose. Arranging or entering into such a marriage to deceive public officials is itself a separate violation of the law of some countries...
s and immigration fraud
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
organized by followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
Osho , born Chandra Mohan Jain , and also known as Acharya Rajneesh from the 1960s onwards, as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh during the 1970s and 1980s and as Osho from 1989, was an Indian mystic, guru, and spiritual teacher who garnered an international following.A professor of philosophy, he travelled...
(now known as Osho) in Rajneeshpuram
Rajneeshpuram
Rajneeshpuram, Oregon was an intentional community in Wasco County, Oregon, briefly incorporated as a city in the 1980s, which was populated with followers of the spiritual teacher Osho, then known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.- History :...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, as well as other illegal activities including the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
The 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack was the food poisoning of 751 individuals in The Dalles, Oregon, United States, through the deliberate contamination of salad bars at ten local restaurants with salmonella...
in The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
. In 1985, high-ranking followers of Rajneesh plotted to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
Turner, carrying out steps including assembling a team, purchasing weapons, and performing surveillance on his office, home and car. Seven followers of Rajneesh were later convicted of conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to assassinate
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
him.
While U.S. Attorney, Turner hired prosecutors Michael Mosman and Mark Bailey; both would later go on to serve as U.S. Attorney for Oregon. He retired in 1993, and was succeeded by Kristine Olson, who he had previously supervised as U.S. Attorney.
Assistant to prior U.S. Attorney
Turner served as an assistant to his predecessor, Sidney I. Lezak, for 14 years. He was once registered as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, but as of 1981 he was registered as an independent voter. In December 1981, Turner was favored by the Reagan Administration to replace Lezak, and was successfully appointed by President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. By 1982, Turner was the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
U.S. Attorney
As U.S. Attorney, Turner investigated sham marriageSham marriage
A sham marriage or fake marriage is a marriage of convenience entered into with the intent of deceiving public officials or society about its purpose. Arranging or entering into such a marriage to deceive public officials is itself a separate violation of the law of some countries...
s organized by the Rajneeshees (followers of charismatic leader
Charismatic authority
The sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority as "resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him." Charismatic authority is one of three forms of authority laid out...
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
Osho , born Chandra Mohan Jain , and also known as Acharya Rajneesh from the 1960s onwards, as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh during the 1970s and 1980s and as Osho from 1989, was an Indian mystic, guru, and spiritual teacher who garnered an international following.A professor of philosophy, he travelled...
, now known as Osho) in Rajneeshpuram
Rajneeshpuram
Rajneeshpuram, Oregon was an intentional community in Wasco County, Oregon, briefly incorporated as a city in the 1980s, which was populated with followers of the spiritual teacher Osho, then known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.- History :...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, as well as other illegal activities including wiretapping, immigration fraud
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
, and the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
The 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack was the food poisoning of 751 individuals in The Dalles, Oregon, United States, through the deliberate contamination of salad bars at ten local restaurants with salmonella...
in The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
.
In 1985, high-ranking followers of Rajneesh plotted to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
Turner. The perpetrators carried out steps including assembling a team of conspirators, creating a hit-list of individuals to assassinate including Turner and other Oregon officials, acquiring false identification, purchasing weapons out-of-state, and performing surveillance on Turner's office, home and car. Seven followers of Rajneesh were convicted of conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to assassinate
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
Turner. Turner later commented on how the assassination plot against him by followers of Rajneesh had affected him: "This was a lying-in-wait conspiracy to murder me, a presidential appointee, and for a long time I slept with a loaded gun beside my bed."
In 1988, Turner hired attorney Michael Mosman as a prosecutor related to illegal activities on tribal lands in Oregon – Mosman would go on to be confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
as U.S. attorney for Oregon in 2001. Turner commented of hiring Mosman: "He had excellent skills beyond his age and was going to be a first-class lawyer." Turner hired another attorney who would go on to become U.S. Attorney for Oregon, Mark Bailey, who had previously worked out of the U.S. Attorney's office in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Turner served as a federal prosecutor for 17 years, and retired in 1993. Kristine Olson succeeded Turner as U.S. Attorney for Oregon; she had previously worked under Turner but resigned in 1984 after disagreement with Turner over her methods.
Personal life
Turner is a longtime close friend of Michael Schrunk, the chief prosecutor in Multnomah County, Oregon since 1980. In 2007 Turner resided in Washington.See also
- 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attackThe 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack was the food poisoning of 751 individuals in The Dalles, Oregon, United States, through the deliberate contamination of salad bars at ten local restaurants with salmonella...
- 1985 Rajneeshee assassination plot1985 Rajneeshee assassination plotThe 1985 Rajneeshee assassination plot was a conspiracy by a group of high-ranking followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh to assassinate Charles Turner, the then-United States Attorney for the District of Oregon...
External links
- Oregon State Bar Bulletin, opinion piece by Turner (June 2002)