Wednesday, August 30, 2006

What cheer?

My apologies for the lack of updates, folks. I've spent most of the last week putting the finishing touches on a home built PC. Why didn't anyone tell me these new dual core Pentium 4 processors get so hot? I found myself having gone to somewhat extreme lengths to bring temperatures down to an acceptable level. Memo to everyone: factory heatsinks and heatsink fans are garbage.

On the serious tip, a friend told me about the sad and outrageous case of Anthony Maini of Johnston, who was arraigned on Friday on one count of second degree child molestation, after which, he took his own life on Sunday. What the news accounts apparently fail to mention is that the charges had been dropped after the police determined that the victim fabricated the accusation.

When, exactly, did child molestation start carrying a heavier social stigma than murder? If someone had accused him of murder, society could live with it, but the stigma attached to the mere accusation proved to be a fate worse than death, even when he knew he was innocent. Words fail to convey the tragedy that's taken place here.

164 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why has it not been publicized at all that the charges were dropped? If an innoncent man lost his life because of false accusations, shouldnt that be well publicized for the sake of his family and friends?

Anonymous said...

Innocent people do not hang themselves for no reason, at least without clearing their name first and if he was such a "stand up" man why would he leave an innocent wife and stepdaughter. He obviously is a very selfish man and if he was so innocent then stick around and let the judicial system do its work......coward

Anonymous said...

I absolutely agree that innocent people DO NOT commit suicide.Does anyone realize what the steps are to arrest someone for child molestation? THE ATTORNEY GENERAL makes thAt decision, not your local police department. Obviously the attorney general felt that there was sufficient evidence for an arrest warrant!! This man was a monster who ruined a childs life and I find it disgusting that anyone would say anything positive about him at all!!!!!!!

Roger Williams said...

Agreeing with your own comments is in very, very bad form. Sock puppetry is for cowards, my friend.

What's more, the police do, in fact, have the authority to arrest and drop charges. The state attorney general also has the prerogative to seek an indictment. No grand jury was convened to indict Anthony Maini, however. Do you somehow imagine that every single arrest in Rhode Island is instigated by the attorney general?

Feel free to come back, but here's some advice: don't post anonymously if you want anyone to take you seriously.

Anonymous said...

o.k. Only the last comment is mine and I didnt say that the police did not have the authority to make arrests. Of course they do however when it is an issue such as child molestation the attorney general is brought in to make sure there is enough evidence to warrant these kind of charges which obviously they did.

Anonymous said...

You are a very ignorant man and if you look that up in the dictionary you see that its definition is: to have little or no knowledge! Kathy is right. However when something like this happens it is no longer a town issue it goes to the state due to the fact the VICTIM is a minor so police dont have the right to drop this kind of a charge. Now if you have so much knowledge on Mr.Maini, do you know that his previous wife divorced him,was awarded SOLE CUSTODY of his children,and he WAIVED his right to any VISITATION! THIS IS ON PUBLIC RECORD at the JUDICIAL RECORDS CENTER IN PAWTUCKET RI FOR EVERYONE TO SEE but to make it easier for you I will give you the case # 97-0667. I did my homework unlike you Mr.Williams so if you want people to take you seriously ,I suggest you use your real name.

Roger Williams said...

I fail to see what that late Anthony Maini's divorce, or custody status, has to do with the veracity of the charges that were leveled against him. My source was identified in this post, and until disproven, I'm going to stick by it.

Cases involving minors are not automatically handled by the state: local police will often refer cases to the state, but the procedure is by no means automatic. In fact, I can find no evidence whatsoever in any of the news that's been left behind that the case was even referred to the state, as often, this step would take place after the arraignment (Mr. Maini killed himself before his second court date). There is absolutely no evidence that this case ever left the care of the Johnston police department (whose conduct I am in no way condemning, incidentally).

Given your hysterical tone, insults, use of ALL CAPS, and overly intimate knowledge of the deceased's marital status, may I infer that you're the late Mr. Maini's ex-wife> Or am I simply supposed to be bowled over by your online hysterics, or ... what, exactly?

Anonymous said...

No I am not his ex-wife, but I URGE you to call the Johnston Police because you are WRONG. Charges were filed on August 22. He was arrested after the Attorney Generals Office conducted their interview and then the decision was made BY the Attorney Generals Office.He was arrested Thursday Evening at his home,arraigned on Friday Morning released on 1,000 cash bail which anyone could have come up with and sent home to his cushy home in Clearview Estates.It was his choice to do what he did,and your right I am close to this case, close enough to know that I am much more accurate than you are.I highly doubt that his ex-wife would have reason to speak out now and not when this happened Im sure he did not want "the flood gates to open"and have people find out what he is really capable of.Have you forgotten that not only is the Maini and Fortune Families suffering in their own greif,but a childs life has been FOREVER changed due to his actions.That family is now left with no closure and answers just as the Maini and Fortune families have been.His selfishness is inexcusable. You should really retrieve accurate information out of respect for the people involved. Your web-site, how ever entertaining you may think it is, is just hurting these people more. I do agree with you in the sense that child molestation should not carry a higher stigma than murder.Because murder under ANY circumstanses is not the answer.But when this crime is done to a child a part of themselves and their parents do die. I really think you are upset because facts speak volumes and hes not speaking at all. With this information being public record you are completely negligent in your version of the events that took place and you cant know these people to well because I didnt see you at their wedding! I however was and I know how close these two families were but then again child molesters are usually family members or family friends. Ponder that and let me know if you feel differently. I wish I could shout this out for everyone to hear but that child needs to be protected the way you are trying to protect Mr.Maini's reputation.You should be more concerned with that.I hope you will sleep well this evening because I will knowing the TRUTH is being written.Shame on you.

Roger Williams said...

You've got your story, my source provided another one. I know and trust my source. I don't know who the hell you are. That source, who is close to friends and family of the deceased, provided me with a version of events that, until disproven conclusively, I have no reason do doubt. I don't lose any sleep over any of this because I'm not close to the alleged victim or the late alleged assailant.

As for hurting the feelings of the family of the alleged victim (I'm not sure why you name dropped the Fortune family - was it unintentional?), the man is dead with a stain on his reputation. My source (again - linked to in the post!) has never steered me wrong, and from the account provided, the deceased has been cleared of wrongdoing. I have never pretended to be close to Anthony Maini or the family of the alleged victims. You won't see me at their wedding(s), divorces or fourth of July barbecues because I'm not close to them. Start to get the picture?

When I asked The Man over in Johnston for comment, they declined (as is their privilege), but once the paperwork is completed, it's a matter of public record. If my source is wrong, you can expect a public retraction printed right here. Until then, what is it, exactly, you expect me to do? Take your version of events over that of my source? On what grounds? Pity for an alleged victim I don't know? Concern over child abuse in general? What is it, exactly, you think you're entitled to here?

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Williams,

I came across your web-site this morning while searching the internet for my students who will be doing reports on the State Of Rhode Island. As I scrolled down your web page, I clicked this story and started to read the comments written by people who feel that they have proper information for your web page. You seem to feel like you have all the correct information but have you bothered to contact the Johnston Police to see if in fact the charges were dropped? Did you call to see if the reports are ready? Do you know a child who has been molested by an adult? I work with children everyday from all backgrounds. Some have problems that I would not wish on anyone. Maybe you dont need to have pity, but maybe compassion and concern for other peoples feelings is a great place to start. You can put out a informative web page with all types of comments and reactions but I do feel the correct information should first be written not other peoples accounts of the story. I am going to leave you with something my grandmother told me many years ago, Anything done in darkness will always come to light. I hope for everyone involved the truth is written by an authority who has had first-hand knowledge of this case. I thank you for the oppurtunity to have my comment posted. Keri

Anonymous said...

Bravo to you Mr. Williams, you have proven yourself to be not only cold but also completely uneducated in cases such as this. I would imagine people such as yourself dont lose sleep over calling an eleven year old little girl a liar. Why would you? You said yourself that you dont know her. If you cant figure out for yourself why his divorce and custody status has to do with this case then you obviously need help figuring it out. You dont find it strange that this so called "wonderful man" would have no contact with his children? Trust me when I tell you that there is a reason for that. This man was a child molester!!
I saw no hysterics in Melissa"s comment at all,it was a comment that was not only accurate but not based on lies and heresay like all of your comments. I dont understand why you would be trying to save the reputation of a man who was charged with child molestation and in the same breath try to ruin the reputation of a little girl. Mr Maini was NEVER cleared of any charges. Your source (Aimee)has no idea what she is talking about!

Roger Williams said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Roger Williams said...

I know Rhode Island's public schools have problems, but I thought we beat states like Arkansas and Louisiana when it came to reading comprehension. I guess this isn't the case.

For the record, I've never claimed that Anthony Maini was a "wonderful man". I don't really give a shit about his divorce. More than half of all marriages end in divorce, and women get custody more than 80% of the time. Do you infer from that statistic that 80% of divorced fathers are child rapists? I don't.

I can also tell you this - until proven guilty by a jury of his peers, the man is, was, an accused child molester. Only a jury could have proven him one, but now they'll never get the chance. For someone so concerned about the feelings of children, you're awfully loose with the old taboo of speaking ill of the dead. C'est la vie.

As I have (apparently fruitlessly) repeated, my source has never led me wrong, but there's certainly a first time for everything. By all means, if you have startling evidence that counters the claim of my source, I trust you can figure out how to create your own blog. Blogger makes it just as easy as leaving a comment. I'm willing, nay, aching, to post a retraction once I find information contradicting my source that's even halfway reliable.

Anonymous said...

While I was very close to Tony, I never would have thought of him this way. Did, he do it? I don't know, I'd like to think not, but we'll never "Truely" know. With that said, I do want to clarify one thing that's been thrown around in this blog. And that is that Tonys wife got custody of her daughter because it wasn't Tonys kid. To use that against him I think is a bit unfair. You are making it sound like it was his child he abandoned. (This is my personal knowledge, not 100% Fact backed by scientific research and DNA studies)

Anonymous said...

I cant believe somebody is FINALLY getting it and at least admittng that he could have done it.(If you were innocent wouldnt you want to clear your name first?) But lets face it, people who knew and loved him are seeing him with "rose colored glasses" I guess if I was in that situation I would want to do the same. But to say that he could not have done it or that he isn't capable of it is not fair to the victim and keep in mind he IS NOT the victim here she is. He made his family and friends victims by his actions.I understand what your saying about his first marriage but I have seen the divorce papers myself and it says 1'The plaintiff is awarded sole custody of the minor children of the parties". (I believe adopted,step children or biological children are still your children when you have taken part in providing and caring for them.)2. It says "child support is left open" and 3 Defendant waives any rights to visitation.That says alot about a mans character. He would have NEVER have served ANY jail time with a first offense and with his brother-in-law being a lawyer, I'm sure he was already aware of that however had somebody else come forward well then that changes everything. Your honest comments were a great addition to this blog.

Anonymous said...

EXCUSE ME MR.WILLIAMS...WHY WOULD AN INNOCENT MAN KILL HIMSELF...HMMM...AFRAID MORE VICTIMS WILL SURFACE... YOU SHOULD PRAISE THIS VICTIM FOR COMING FORWARD AND SAVING OTHER CHILDREN.

Anonymous said...

I am sure that both sides are experiencing overwhelming emotions: anger, sadness, pain...but if he did not commit this horrible crime, why would he take his own life? He was obviously loved by his family and friends; was a happy newlywed; had a wonderful job...did I miss anything? Seems like he had the world by the balls-that must have been some serious guilt. Innocent until proven guilty...I guess he didn't want us to know. I feel sadness for both parties, the family grieving with so many unanswered questions, the family that is heartbroken because they were not there to protect their child, but most of all, the child whose innocence was taken from her, who will "statistically" struggle with fear and trust by being victimized at such a fragile age. So he took the easy way out, not taking into consideration how anyone else would feel with all of these unanswered questions. As far as I was informed, also by a trustworthy source, the case was never dropped. Or maybe the case is automatically dropped when the alleged molester suddenly dies?
Patty

Anonymous said...

"Innocent people do not commit suicide"? How would any of you react if you were in a situation like this and you were innocent? News crews banging on your door, advertising your address so every nutjob in RI can find you, your career over. It's your word against some little kid. Children lie all the time. Maybe her mommy and daddy got divorced and she felt she needed more attention.

And what kind of people surf the web for this man's name after he's dead? What is the point?? The man is dead. Why would any one look up his legal history? It's just sick curiousity.

I personally know two other people who have been falsely accused by screwed up little girls and both girls recanted. One of them accused a man of molestation, and the man had to go to jail. This man adopted the girl and took care of her and this is what he got for his efforts. Now he has this stain on him for life and he is innocent.

The point is that we'll never know since this will never go to court. No evidence will be presented and a man is dead.

Is it right to judge a man based on the fact that he cracked under the pressure and killed himself? He was human and he couldn't handle it.

Anonymous said...

OK first, her mommy and daddy are very happy.She comes from a good home,a loving family,she is well provided for and well taken care of.She DOES NOT lack for ANY attention.She is very mature,smart,well behaved,polite and well mannered little girl.Her mother did a wonderful job raising her. Secondly,if I were in this situation I would certainly not kill myself I would run to the highest of hills and scream my innocence and lastly if you leave people with no answers expect them to go looking for them! I have seen this beautiful girl grow over the course of many years and she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. I feel her parents should be commended for the relationship that they have with her! She obviously is very secure in knowing that she can go to her parents for anything and under any circumstances.Great job mom!!!

Anonymous said...

LET SET THIS RECORD STRAIGHT FOR THE LAST TIME IVE KNOW THIS LITTLE GIRL SINCE THE DAY SHE WAS BORN.....HER MOM AND DAD ARE TWO WONDERFUL PARENTS..WEATHER THERE ARE TOGETHER ON NOT....HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.. SHE IS VERY MUCH IN BOTH HER PARENT LIFE.. SHE HAS A WONDERFUL STEP DAD WHO CARES FOR HER AND HER SISTER JUST AS MUCH AS IF THEY WERE THERE HIS OWN BLOOD..I DONT THINK CHILD LACK ATTENTION AT ALL ..YOU ARE SO OUT OF PLACE SAYING THAT INTILL YOU KNOWN THE LITTLE GIRL AS LONG AS I HAVE..INSTEAD OF BASHING THE LITTLE GIRL WHAT A LAIR SHE IS WHY DONT YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE INTSTEAD OF JUST WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE...WHY DONT ASK AROUND HIS WORK PLACE AND LISTEN TO ALL THE WHISPERING OF THE OTHER 'ALLEGATION' PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT .... DONT SAY TO YOURSELF THAT PEOPLE ARENT TALKING ABOUT THIS OR PREVIOUS INCIDENTS BECAUSE IN EVERY WORK PLACE IT PEOLPLE TALK BEHIND OTHER PEOPLE BACK IT GOES ON EVERYWHERE...IVE HEARD STUFF AROUND THE WORK PLACE MYSELF....JUST REMEMBER SOME PEOPLE JUST LISTENING AND OBSERVICE..JUST A LITTLE ADVICE IN LIFE YOU WRITE OR OWN OBITUARY AND DONT TRUST ANYONE BUT THE PERSON YOU SEE IN THE MIRROR EVERYDAY...WITH THAT SAID I THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND MAYBE YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE MORE THAN JUST HIM AND HIS FAMILY THERE'S THE LITTLE GIRL'S AND HER FAMILY AFFECTED BY THIS..THE MRS.RJKR

Anonymous said...

Mrs.RJR says.... Please excuse me on my typing skills {it stinks} but I am very upset by this tragedy.If you only knew what this family is dealing with or could see what I see, you would understand my anger.I think Patty said it best, how heartbroken that the family is that they were not there to protect their child..If I had a child, I would never want to experience that kind of pain.... I know this family is hurting deeply.I feel taking his own life, left two families hurting in two very different way, for him the tragedy is over but for the two families it has just begun....

Anonymous said...

I am this little girls Aunt and I would like to set a few things straight.
This is a child that was going away on a four day vacation with her best friend! She was so excited to be going, WHY would she give up that opportunity? She wouldnt!To answer one question, No this little girl has never said anything like this nor does she have any reason to! She loved spending time with her best friend!
Also you cannot compare this little girls situation to someone who has accused someone of this and then recanted! Why would you, this is not the same.
As for killing myself because news crews were banging on my door... I dont think so. I would take that opportunity to tell everyone I could that I did not do such a horrible thing.I would do everything in my power to prove it! IF when all was said and done and people still did not believe me then I would pack up myself and my family and move to Conn. or someplace far enough to start over but not to far from my family.Trust me, this little girls family is also trying to make sense of things.
Killing himself was an act of cowardice! He left his family to hold the bag. If he loved his family so much why would he do that???
As for what kind of people surf the netlooking up his name, well let me answer that one....The kind of people that were left with no answers and were smart enough to find the answers themselves and find they did!! Lets face it, the divorce situation is extremely suspicious and the fact that rumors are running rampant at HIS workplace about prior allegations doesnt make him look innocent!! Where is that coming from? Are those people liars also?
I am sure his family will think so because they want to believe that he is not capable of this and if he was my family I am sure I would feel the same way ....but hes not and I can see without the rose colored glasses.
I hope to God that my niece NEVER feels one ounce of guilt for Tony taking his own life, why would she? SHE DIDNT DO ANYTHING WRONG! That statement is ridiculous!
Tony's family has been spreading insulting rumors that this little girl and her family are liars and white trash. Nothing could be farther from the truth and if that is the way they felt then WHY was this little girl and her family invited to many important family functions?? This family is making a bad situation worse by saying these things because the fact is they havent heard anything from this family until now and why do you think that is? Because we are sick of the lies that Tony's family is spreading. The charges were never dropped nor were they ever going to be!!!!!! He was guilty!!!!If you would like to call the Johnston Police Station and ask them if the charges were ever dropped they will give you a yes or no answer I was told...

Anonymous said...

jericho,
No the allegation was never recanted nor will it ever be beacause it happened. The only thing she has to live with is the fact that she was molested by that piece of shit you called a friend! As for his previous marriage it is all over the hospital that this was not the first time he was accused of this. I am sick of people trying to make this guy out to be the victim here. Everyone should be very proud of the little girl for having the courage to come forward, most children don't. Then they suffer for the rest of their lives. I personally know of a friends niece who was molested at the age of 7 then tried to take her own life at 18. As if she did something wrong. I would hope that you would have the courage to fight for your name and family if you were innocent. I would. Maybe he knew he was guilty and that was the embarrasement he was feeling. I completely agree that people are hurt by what has happened here but lets face it, He caused this and no one else and to say that she is lying is just a family trying to save face for a coward.We are supposed to raise our children to be truthful and honest. We are supposed to teach them that under any circumstances they can come to us as parents and we will believe them and protect them.Do you feel differently?You are a father with two girls you shouldnt be putting yourself in his shoes, you should be wondering what you would do if it happened to your girls.If your girls would come forward, if it happened to them would they tell you and how you would protect them.Obviously Tony cared more about himself than he did of any of you.And as for the safety of others as you put it,the terms of his bail were made VERY clear he was to stay away from the little girl and any other children pending the outcome of the situation.If you work in social services then you must be aware of the fact that these type of allegations are taken very serious before an arrest is made. It took days for an arrest to be made therefore this was taken VERY seriously as it should be!

Anonymous said...

There are many steps that are taken before an arrest such as this. The incident was reported on a Sunday.The child was then immediately taken to the police station. The child is then taken to the hospital for an extensive and invasive exam, then the child is taken to a child counselor that specializes in these cases and then the child is then again questioned by the district attorney. Then the district attorney holds a meeting where they go over the evidence and then decide where to go from there. These kinds of allegations are not acted on lightly and that is why it took 4 days to arrest and charge him.
As for the rose colored glasses comment being called unfair... I would say not half as unfair as insinuating that this little girl should ever feel any kind of guilt for Tony taking his own life!

Anonymous said...

jericho,
i just want to clarify this for everyone. the child called crying to come home at 9:00am sunday morning. she was picked up and brought right to the police station. the reason the police did not arrest maini right away is because the state does not allow the police to make an arrest until the AG's office interviews the child and determines if there is enough to make an arrest. after she was interviewed on thursday afternoon the arrest of maini was made on thursday evening at his home(same day). if there is any other info i can clarify for you please feel free to ask.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand how any of this could have allegedly happened if his step-daughter slept only a few feet away from the girl.

Anonymous said...

Well.. Maybe thats why when DCYF questioned the little girl on what she thought of her friend saying that about her stepfather her response was and I quote " My friend _______ (victims name)Doesnt lie"!!! Maybe she wasnt sleeping at all.

Anonymous said...

Dear Jericho,
I want you to understand that I have NEVER lied on this blog and the reason for that is that I dont have to. Everything I have written here is true and if Tony's family was a little bit more honest then maybe you wouldnt have to find out this information on this blog you would already know it. I have no doubt that you didnt even know that his stepdaughter was interviewed by DCYF. She was, and those were her exact words to the interviewer. I am in no way trying to be a "smart___". I truly understand that his family is suffering over the loss of a loved one under tragic circumstances and I do sympathize with their pain. The problem that I do have is the lies that they are spreading about an innocent child that their family member ruined! He ruined this little girl. Not a night goes by that she does not awake with nightmares, she lost her best friend and her whole life has been completely torn apart and that doesnt even begin to cover the anguish that her parents are feeling!
Imagine if you could feeling like you failed to protect your child because that is exactly what they feel. They TRUSTED Tony with their child! They thought that he was a stand up guy! Can you even for a minute imagine what their life is like right now? Their pain did not end with his death it got worse!
This child deserves respect and nothing less.
You are absolutley correct when you say that this will have a lasting effect on everyone involved. Do you have any idea the statistics on children who have been molested and the effect it has on their future relationships? Its not a pretty picture Mr. Jericho let me assure you and that is what my niece has to look forward to!Oh yes and dont forget the weekly counceling sessions for the rest of her life I am sure!

Anonymous said...

I find it hard to believe that this could happen with another person in the room.

Of course DCYF would be involved since there are children in the picture, but why didn't they take the step daughter away?

And since when does DCYF let people see their reports?

Anonymous said...

actually they did make the stepdaugther leave the home. he was not allowed to be around any children including his stepdaughter. check your facts. maybe the other child was afraid to say anything.

Anonymous said...

You really need to get your facts straight. Your opinions and your "source" are a joke and causing much undue stress for everyone involved. An innocent man does not kill himself, he defends himself. Your ranting on here shows you obviously have no children of your own. If you were wrongly accused of this would you kill yourself? Your “source” is wrong no charges were dropped or going to be dropped and if you put any faith in the police dropping a case…forget it, that is up to the Courts. You write like you are presenting facts but all you are doing is spreading rumors and slandering a victim.

Anonymous said...

Dear Roger....This is you quote "As I have (apparently fruitlessly) repeated, my source has never led me wrong, but there's certainly a first time for everything. By all means, if you have startling evidence that counters the claim of my source...."

Please post your "sources" factual, startling evidence. Right now you have nothing but hearsay at best which is worthless information.....why would you write anything with out any facts to back you up?

Anonymous said...

Any evidence aside from her word versus his? I don't believe his house was searched.

Anonymous said...

Ok, there is no slander, look up the definition. You mean libel and since no one knows the girl's name, THERE IS NONE. You do know why newspapers have to say "alleged" in front of the accusation, right? It's because they will be sued if they come out and write that so-and-so is a child molester. You can't say that til he's convicted or you too risk being sued. And the widow's family is chock full of lawyers.

Also, if the girl's family is so offended, why are they searching on this dead man's name? You are looking for stress.

Anonymous said...

That family should be chock full of lawyers! They will probably need them with all the needless slandering that they are doing against a child! THE FAMILY IS LOOKING FOR STRESS? What kind of assanine statement is that? They were looking for answers obviously not stress. What is the matter with you??? Honestly!

Anonymous said...

What answers are you looking for? The man is dead, you have labeled him a monster. What more do you need to know?

You're just looking to further vilify him.

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW!!

Anonymous said...

The only problem is that the court wont be given the chance because he took his own life! So the family doesnt get that opportunity now do they? Please..further vilify him? He did that on his own and left his family to try and put the pieces back together. Very nice of him!!!!!!
p.s if you are part of that family then you already know what they were looking for now dont you?

Anonymous said...

This back and forth mud slinging is pointless. There are two sides that are understandably upset by the events that occurred. You're all right, we're searching for answers. The family and friends of the little girl feel they knew her best; the family and friends of Tony feel they knew him best. We're trying to convince you that he didn't do it, and you're trying to convince us that he did. The thing is, we don't have access to any evidence. We don't have DCYF reports, forensic evidence, victim statements, defendant statments, police reports, or any type of first hand knowledge about what happened that Sunday morning. So, if you do, why don't you use that to convince us of his guilt instead of words like "Coward" and "Piece of Shit"? Facts would make a much stronger persuasive argument. Your withholding of the facts only gives us more belief that Tony was innocent. Do you have facts or are you in the same position we are; searching for facts? Where can we look at the facts that you talk about? Show me! If you can't then this blog is just a bunch of hurt people searching for answers and trying to protect the one's they love. We loved Tony, gulity or innocent, and you love your little girl, guilty or innocent. You want guilt, we want innocence, and we are all left without a court trial to present the facts, so we painfully and sadly search for ourselves, here, on an internet blog becasue we have no where else to go.
mibraga

Anonymous said...

If you would like the same information we have then look for it! Why should we hand anything over to you people after the way that you have all behaved. We dont want guilt AT ALL. In fact we wish this horrible nightmare had never happened. All you have to do is the same thing we did and that is to call the proper people for the answers. Its not that hard!

Anonymous said...

I would like to comment on the last blog left.You are absolutely right,its not that hard to get answers.However if you want the answers not only do you have to be willing to get them,you also have to be willing to accept the answers you find.The answers you recieve may not be the answers you are looking for.

Anonymous said...

Well Said!!!!

Anonymous said...

jerihco,
what info are you looking for? im sure if you called the police they would be glad to tell you that the charges were never dropped. they are well aware of all the rumors going around about the charges being dropped. as for the little girl recanting her story. i can tell you for a fact that is not true. i hope this helps you in some way.

Anonymous said...

How about some evidence, some proof of the allegations.

None has been shown here and of course we don't have access to any reports.

Anonymous said...

hears an idea. how about you show us some evidence that it did not happen.

Anonymous said...

No, that's not the idea...
In America the burden of proof rests with the prosecution and a person is innocent until proven guilty. And, as this case will never see the inside of a courtroom, this blog will serve as our court.
The prosecution has failed to present evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime has been committed or that the accused committed the crime. Therefore, a jury of the defendants peers finds the accused innocent of all charges. Case dismissed.
The Honorable Judge Mibraga.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Honorable Judge Mibraga!

Without proof, there is no case.

Anonymous said...

You people are making light of a child molestation case and I find it disgusting!! If you are not privy to the information then you dont deserve to know it and that is the bottom line! Why dont you all go find something better to do with your time! What a bunch of childish comments you have entered "judge mibraga"!! You should be ashamed of yourself! Just remember, what comes around goes around and you better hope that one day you dont find yourself in a position to defend YOUR CHILD and have no one believe you!!

Anonymous said...

How horrible that you would wish a molestation on someone's child. But what can one expect from sickos who search on a dead man to further attack him and his friends.

How would you like it if someone blamed a molestation on YOU and you felt that nobody believed YOU.

We will continue to believe in our friend, we certainly have no reason not to.

Anonymous said...

If someone blamed me for something I didnt do I wouldnt take my own life and leave my family to try and explain my actions!! I am not a coward and a weak person! I NEVER wished anything on anybody but I guess I should expect such twisting of words from people who are either to lazy to take the time to find the answers they so obviously need or dont want to face the answers when they get them!
I have wasted enough time on Anthony Maini and this blog. I have made myself clear on what I think of his actions which include taking the easy way out for himself and the hardest way for his family, but he obviously wasnt worried about that was he?

Anonymous said...

For all you people insisting that innocent men do not commit suicide, I submit the following article.

http://tinyurl.com/z6tvr

They were treated like they did something wrong. They committed suicide. Are they guilty??

Anonymous said...

can someone please answer why he was arrested if there was no evidence against him. i guess its not as quiet as you would like it to be.

Anonymous said...

i've already explained that the state dosen't allow the police to go and make an arrest until the AG office interviews the child. i agree with you that is an unspeakable act to leave a child in the home, but i don't make the laws.

Anonymous said...

Must everything be explained to you Jericho. Tony's stepdaughter did not accuse him of this her friend did, however don't you find it odd that after DCYF interviewed the stepdaughter she was then removed from the home???? HMMMMM

Anonymous said...

I'm sure they'd have to arrest him if a child accused him of something like that. And Missy, you have access to DCYF's reports?

Anonymous said...

Ok Jericho,
If you know everything else then you must know Tony was out of the state for 4 days!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

You know the answers as well as I do. You are not going to punch holes in anything I say, as far as I am concerned I think they gave you too many answers already If you want answers find them yourself. You just keep going back and forth to see just how much information you can get well you won't get anything else from me.

Anonymous said...

thats nice so because you posted that article that means the little girl is lying. come on now your just reaching. face the facts jerhico this could have happened!

Anonymous said...

jerhico,
you seem to know so much about the laws and dcyf. dont you think maybe the family may have been told by police not to have contact with his family?

Anonymous said...

It would be awesome if we can get VOCAL to look at Tony's case. If there was any actual evidence, I'm sure the girl's family and friends would be shouting it from the rooftops into this blog and since they aren't, and Tony's home was never even searched, we are forced to assume there isn't any.

They could look into some family history, maybe this girl knows of this sort of abuse to a family member or friend, that would make her accuse someone? Like someone she looks up to, maybe an older sister? Hmmm... I don't know why someone would falsely accuse another of such a thing but it has to happen for a reason.

Anonymous said...

Jericho,
You obviously feel that you know all the answers but if that is the case why do you continue with your nonsense questions? The problem is you just keep repeating yourself!! We already told you why it took 4 days to arrest him so stop asking that one! Your getting boring and monotonous now! I mean really. The bottom line here is the police did not drop the charges and the attorney general felt that there was enough evidence to arrest him and they did!
As for Tony's stepdaughter staying in his presence do you mean next door at her grandmothers house?
Oh yes and one more thing..The mother didnt tell Tina because she was told by authorities not to!!!
Do us all a favor Jericho and go find something useful to do with your time instead of trying to convice people that this little girl lied and that the only reason Tony killed himself is because he couldnt take the news crews knocking and people not believing him! I wonder what Tony thought people were going to be led to believe when he took his own life. Should we all be saying "oh poor Tony couldnt take the pressure"
Sorry, not on this side of the fence! The only thing we are worried about is how this little girl is going to pick up the pieces and try to continue to lead the normal life that she had before this nightmare happened to her! Now if you feel the need "to shoot holes" in that knock yourself out.

Anonymous said...

thats it try to push the blame onto someone else.

Anonymous said...

Thats right, keep coming out with more assanine statements! Your getting very good at them! You have no problem making light of a child molestation case jericho. "Swiss cheese" are you really serious with that one? Do you find this in some way amusing? If you have nothing of importance to say, dont say anything at all and keep in mind that you people are the ones that started this blog not the family of the VICTIM. As I said before find something better to do with your time then making jokes about a little girl being SEXUALLY MOLESTED!!

Anonymous said...

Do you seriously feel that this childs family should in detail write down what this man did to their child? Just what kind of proof are you looking for? Do you want to know the disgusting things he may have said to her or are you just looking for in which way he touched her? Or maybe they should tell you what their child was feeling when this assault was going on. I am sorry to seem graphic but that must be what you people are looking for when you are asking for proof and I find it extremely disturbing! What do you want from this family?
From someone whos been there and I send out my sympathy to all involved!

Anonymous said...

You want to convince us of Tony's guilt yet you steadfastly refuse to provide proof of it. Do you make it a habit to accuse people of things and not back them up?

Also, you haven't answered if any of this is in her family or friends' histories.

Anonymous said...

Jericho was making an analogy with the Swiss cheese comment. It obviously wasn't intended to be funny. See, it was comparing your holey story with a cheese famous for its holes.

Oh, and as for Roger, he was not friends with Tony or his family, as he has repeatedly pointed out.

"Recovering", the family isn't balking at providing proof because it's too graphic, they just don't have any to provide, or else they would have said some small part of it at least.

Anonymous said...

If you are so sure he didn't do it why are you trying so hard to get proof he did?

Anonymous said...

To accuse someone of something, you have to have proof.

Where is it again??

And as to any official followup, the case has been dismissed.

http://tinyurl.com/pk7ed

Anonymous said...

what small detail would you like the family to provide. you shouldn't know anything unless you were there to witness the crime. so what kind of details would you like please be specific. one other thing lets keep to the people involved, because everybody has skeletons and im sure you don't want yours to come out. the terrell owens situation may ring a bell.

Anonymous said...

Case dismissed... Innocent until proven guilty... My job here is done. Peace out...

Anonymous said...

Of course it is dismissed because he is not here to prosecute or it would not be dismissed!

Anonymous said...

So there have been other accusations of a similar nature in the girl's family/friends, eh?

I smell a big fat rat.

Why do you bring up Mr. Owens, was he too falsely accused of molestation?

Anonymous said...

i just want to clarify my last comment. there has never been any allegations made by the sister. i should have specified that, but i was on my way out. the terrell owens reference will be understood by certian people. i don't feel at this time i need to go into further details. i apolligize if i got anyones hopes up that there were other alligations made by the sister. i know some of you people are sick like that.

Anonymous said...

No there has not been any accusations of family or friends in the little girls family. But if you want to bring it up I heard Tony was accused about 2 years ago maybe he didn't want that to be brought up huh!

Anonymous said...

Thanks to society today and the fact that some people are unscrupulous in nature, false allegations are made to help people (in their favor) to get certain things. That is in regards to past allegations. That was what they were too- allegations. Charges were dropped and there was no proof there either. It is truly a travesty for someone to have to go through something like this twice.

Anonymous said...

I knew him two years ago and there were no such allegations. Do you any proof of this or are you spewing baseless accusations again.

Anonymous said...

Ohh.. so you are FINALLY admitting to the past allegations that we already knew about. o.k. let me guess, that child was lying also. Am I the only one seeing a pattern here? This childs sister never accused anyone of any kind of child molestation before! You people are really reaching here! I believe if you are close to the family you will realize what is being referred to by the "Terrel Owens" situation. You know... trying to OD with pills because life isnt going your way! Oh yeah and didnt she (you know who she is) just get custody back of her child because of this suicide incident? Just remember... you are the ones that started the mud slinging in the first place. We never would have said any of these things if you hadnt started the bull---- in the first place!! None of you have any right to trash talk this child and her family so quit now before we really air all of your dirty laundry because there is plenty more where that came from!!!
F.Y.I. of course the case is no longer going on.. I dont believe the state wastes its time taking dead people to court! Seems a little silly doesnt it?
Oh and I think Recovering's statement was well said! Just what kind of information are you nutty people looking for please be specific!!

Anonymous said...

I have known Tony for quite some time and I am not aware of any previous allegations of child molestation. There were allegations made from his previous marriage but that was not one of them. So I would personally appreciate you being honest. Accusing someone that is deceased of something that wasnt done is morally and ethically wrong. I don't believe "your side of the fence" has said anything that disturbing. The person isn't even alive to debunk that. Whoever you are you will be judged...

Anonymous said...

Ok, now that we know none of you went to work today,let me get this right.Your still insisting that he is the vicim here.He is not the victim here she is.Making him the victim is ridiculous.Now I will give you the facts one last time.The Police Dept. did not drop the charges,the girl did not recant her story nor will she.She has never known anyone who has been a victim of child molestation nor does she know anyone who has ever been accused of child molestation.So to blame a sibling for this is ridiculous!The basic facts are not hard to get.If you call the Police Dept and ask them if the charges were dropped against Mr.Maini they should tell you because it is just a yes or no answer you are looking for.The information is public information not the little girls name.If they do not give you the information over the phone, go there and get it.If you want the answer bad enough you will take the time to do it.Your right innocent people do kill themselves but more guilty ones do too.If he was so innocent as you all claim him to be,then he should have stuck around to clear his name.Dont tell me he killed himself out of embarrasment.If he cared about himself,his family or his stepdaughters future, he should have stuck around and tried to clear his name. If this little girl was such a liar or troubled why did Tina and Tony allow their daughter to hang around with her?I doubt if she was that bad they would not have.Why was she a great girl but now all of a sudden she is a liar and white trash? Because she is saying something they dont want to hear or believe.Even if this child did not come from a good home does that make the accusation less valid?I dont think child services would feel that they were.If you look up child molestation on the internet,you will be surprised not only by the statistics but by the people WHO ARE child molesters in our society.Now referring to the Terell Owens comment didnt he just try to kill himself by taking pills? Wasnt it less then a year ago someone else tried to do the same thing but was not successful ?? Want to sling??Because we can sling all day long.Now referring to the "LOOKING UP A DEADS MAN NAME" Not all info comes from the internet.You would be surprised as to how loosely people talk about the dead.and I think the Terrell Owens comment proves that.

Anonymous said...

The person that admitted to Tony being accused of this before is from "your side of the fence" and I thank them for at least admitting that it happened.
As for being honest, the problem is that we are the only ones being honest!
If you dont know about the other allegations then apparently you didnt know him as well as you thought because more than half of the people at his workplace new about it.
Oh and by the way the only one that will be judged is Tony!!

Anonymous said...

I know of a previous incident but never allegations of child molestation. If that was the case how could he of retained his job at a hospital especially Hasbro? You are listening to rumors and hearsay.

I know of an incident from several years ago when he was in a previous relationship with someone that ended in divorce but there were never any charges like what you are saying.

Please stop backing up your answers with "People are talking about it at work". There are so many employees at the hospital its like when you were a kid and said the word "rice" to the person sitting next to you. By the time the word comes back to you its "horse"... Know what I mean? Or do I need to simplify it.

Tony has been judged.... and one day you will too

Anonymous said...

No need to simplify but Thanks anyway for the offer.
I hope that we are done here because I believe that this has been played out enough.

Anonymous said...

You sure you're done bashing a dead man who can't speak for himself? You know they says it's not good to speak ill of the dead and you certainly have done plenty of that.

Why can't you just leave him, his friends and family in peace instead of searching for him on the Internet just to cause further pain to those who loved him. And he was well-loved. The funeral service was packed with people who believed in him and when his father-in-law spoke of how much he loved Tony, how Tony helped bring him back to his faith and when he declared Tony an innocent man, everyone in that church got up and gave him a standing ovation through their tears.

Haven't you got the ultimate "justice" for your allegation?

Anonymous said...

Boo hooo!!

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah He thanked Tony for bringing him back to his faith, faith that someone finally came along and took responsibility for his daughter and grandaughter and as for the standing ovation Im sure it was well overplayed like this blog

Anonymous said...

instead of bashing why dont you guys actually write something with some sort of intelligence? Boo hoo? I mean come on... I hope you arent religious because one day you will be judged yourself. I heard its pretty hot down there so don't forget to bring a fan.

Anonymous said...

One of my closest friends works for DYCF. You would be shocked by the amount of child molesations that happen with other children sleeping in the same room. Unfortunately this is something that happens more often than not. I hope you never have your daughter be put in the situation of being called a liar.This can happen to anyone at anytime no matter how protective you may think you are of your children.How sad that she is the one on trail instead of him.

Anonymous said...

AS FOR YOUR COMMENT....BRING A FAN NO THANKS .. WE ON THIS SIDE OF THE FENCE...ALREADY HAVE RESERVATIONS IN THE BIG RED ROOM WITH A/C......

Anonymous said...

Ok...I've read all the comments on this page and I have not yet made a comment. I think its sad that this comment page has turned into childish arguing. I have a hard time believing that all these comments are coming from adults. All i have to say to both sides involved is start from the beginning and look how ridiculous these comments are. Obviously there are alot of hurt people here but it needs to be stated in a mature way if you want anyone to take you seriously. There is always going to be a difference in opinion here and i dont see why this comment page isnt just ended. If you look at the comments on this page, both sides are just repeating the same thoughts over and over again. Nothing new is being said and now it has just turned into insulting each other and is moving further away from the two "individuals" originally involved in this. I have to say, I did work with Tony and as far as rumors about his actions in the past...I have yet to hear that at work. Also, I did not know Tony very well but i can say i witn essed his work ethic which was suburb and I ndo know he was very well liked. Now...as far as the most recent allegations go, I think it is wise that everyone leaving comments on this page just stop. I have to say I was very suprised when it happened and I want to not believe it, but the truth is noone but Tony and that girl will ever know the truth. Of course Tony's family want to think they know him best and believe him. As I'm sure the little girls parents feel the same way. But the truth is, Ton'ys family and the girls parents were NOT there so no one really knows. It's a very sad story and as a mature adult I choose not to speculate or bash either party invoved beacuse no matter how vocal you are on thsi page...the truth is that noone can be 100% sure. Please stop this childish behavior and write something intelligent if you are going to say anything at all. I refuse to take sides because its just a horrible situation for everyone involved but i think both sides need to stop. Like i said it has gone from bashing Tony and the little girl to now bashing each other. There are so many other things to care about. For those who cared about Tony.... chersih his memories and for those who care about the little girl and herv family....help her thru what she has on her plate right now. I really hope this stops. The saddest part about thsi blog now is seeing how immature it has caused adults to become.

Anonymous said...

Amen

Anonymous said...

So because she is a child she doesnt have a voice,or what voice she does have shouldnt be heard or better yet because she hasnt lived as long as he has, it makes her claim inaccurate or incorrect.That is ignorance at its finest!This isnt a claim against another child,this is a claim against an adult.Framed? Framed for what?Because the Six Flags trip they were offering wasnt good enough so she thought she'd frame him. Give me a freakin break, you've got to be kidding me, right? And to answer your other question,yes, if you did moon a group of children,you would be charged with 2nd degree child molestation and remember one thing, people only allow you to know them as well as they want you to know them.Shall I give the name of a good counselor? Sounds like your parents never thought you may have needed it after such an ordeal. Had they of known what a bitter and angry adult you would become, they would have handled your childhood differently.Now for the comment of Tony being at the end of his rope, sounds more like the end of his charade.As for the news crews,for once they reported with a little accuracy- they got his name,address,employment,accomplishments,charges,terms of his bail and even the date of his death correct What else were you looking for? Because we are still waiting for them to report that the charges were dropped. Oh wait! Thats right,they werent.Sounds like they did a good job to me.

Anonymous said...

Here are some helpful web-sites for adults in denial about who exactly are child molesters in our communities:

www.yellodyno.com
www.childmolestationvictim.com
www.darkness2light.org

Hope this helps, it certainly did for me.

Anonymous said...

I will agree the news did report it on this story a little too much.However I'm sure it wasnt by choice of the families involved. But exactly who did release the pictures of Tony at his job and in his FEMA uniform? With friends like that who needs enemies?

Anonymous said...

good observation.. good question?

Anonymous said...

To whom it may concern...although I have no children of my own..I would have to ask myself and others, What would we have done if this was our child? In fairness to all the parties involved would you let authorities handle it the proper way or just sweep it under the rug? Im sure before making an arrest the state would have had to have conducted the proper interviews and investigation.Wouldnt that leave the state liable had they of made a mistake? Dont you think the professionals are trained well enough to see if this child is troubled or lying.... As unfortunate as it is im sure they see this often .. Im sure this wasnt their first case like this..
rmr

Anonymous said...

Well thank you Dr.Ignorant! That was all very informative,however your harsh comments did not piss people off. Instead gave us a well needed laugh! And only proved what lengths your side of the fence will do to prove a dead man innocent. If he only cared about his family and friends the way they did for him we would have ALL eventually gotten our answers.And to answer your question, I did not call him a monster someone else did.I hope he has on his raincoat. The ground is awfully wet this evening.

Anonymous said...

Jerico,

Well up until tonight you kind of had me feeling you had some sort of intellegence and knowledge. But I have to say not only was Rubicos comments harsh, uncalled for and unnessesary you agreeing with him only allows him to rant and rave some more. I really hope people STOP responding to this blog. People like him are just making a bad situation worse.

Anonymous said...

I am absolutely embarrassed to be reading this page. Do you see how you are acting???? That was the most disgraceful comment i have ever heard in my life and you should be embarrassed yourself to have such little class. When are you people going to get it??? You are acting like children. You are arguing against each other and not about the real story. When are you going to get it???? This page is a lose-lose situation no matter how you look at it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and you are not going to change anyone elses opinion given the sensitivity of this case. Grow up and be adults! With the exception of only a few comments on this page you should all be ashamed of yourself.

Anonymous said...

rubicon,
Alright now your starting to piss me off with your assinine comments. You have all this knowledge of pedophile. Are you one? As for the childs behavior its none of your business if she is sleeping or if she is having nightmares. I dont have a problem with you defending your friend, but you should really stick to the side of the story you know. You are really making yourself sound like a complete ass.

Anonymous said...

rubicon,
Stop trying to brighten our day with stories of your miserable childhood. Its working! As for degrees of child molestation, are you saying any of them are acceptable?(HMMM)

Anonymous said...

I was just about to commend jericho for showing class and doing the adult thing by also putting and end to this.....but apparently the rest of the writers on this page dont have the same level of class and intelligence. I ask anyone out there with any intelligence and class to no longer respond to any comments on this page. All you are proving is how childish and trashy you are. People..grow up. I dont care who's side you are on at this point. This page is an embarrassment. Anyone who further posts on this page just proves to everyone how ignorant they are. Jericho..thankyou for being the first to show some class along with myself who will not make a further statement here

Anonymous said...

While I appreciate Linsay's post please keep in mind that we tried to end this blog and say Good-by about 20 comments ago.(which I agree it really should have been about 50 comments ago) I really feel like Tony's family have so many unanswered questions(as do we) that they are taking their frustration and confusion out on this blog which would be fine thats what it's here for the only problem is the degree of ignorance and insulting comments that they felt the need to lash out with.
I really do feel the need to make a comment on the "only 2nd degree child molesation" comment. I am sorry but is this man saying that people shouldnt be arrested or punished for "only 2nd degree" child molestation?(and Tony wasnt charged with mooning the child and that comment is just as assanine as the rest of his comments). Lets face another point here and that Tony was not going to go to jail for "only 2nd degree" unless other children came forward with the same accusation so, a man who wasnt facing jail time and if he was found innocent as you all seem so sure he would have been then why take your life. He more than likely would have gotten his job back and when you have so many friends and family supporting you then who cares what other people think? Lets face it the news crews would have been on to something else really quick like they always are so why take your own life??

Anonymous said...

Regarding the "why would an innocent man commit suicide" comment, please remember than plenty of innocent people take their lives under pressure.

Just recently two Sago miners took their own lives because they were made to feel as though they were to blame.

http://tinyurl.com/gg2dw

Anonymous said...

I am not a close friend or family member of Tony's but if you read the comments on this page there were many ignorant and lack of class comments made by friends/family obviously of the other person involved. REsponsibility of how awful this blog has turned out really stands with both sides

Anonymous said...

katherine,
If this blog should have ended already why are you still writing. Why don't you let it go.

Anonymous said...

Katherine, i was responding to your accusations because obviously you cant let it go because you continue to write garbag.

Anonymous said...

for your information KATHERINE that was the first time I even wrote anything! GROW UP AND LET IT GO!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I'd just like to say you should take your own advice that you gave kathirine, and just let go. Or are you not a big enough person to do so.

Anonymous said...

oh my...It seems that I have upset people. So sorry!

Anonymous said...

people, move on. you will never change the opinions of each other, no matter who thinks they are the more correct. it's disgusting to see such cruel comments toward the dead (raincoats). if this guy were as guilty as everyone feels, you'd think there'd be something more than just finger pointing. and suicide is not evidence, although the peanut gallery wants everyone to think so because that's all they have to go on & they can't make an argument past their fifth grade remarks. no pun intended toward the kid. if he's guilty, something will pop up. if she's guilty, she'll grow up & continue to waste my oxygen & tax dollars.
nuff said. leave it be.

Anonymous said...

you want people to stop commenting, but you yourself keep coming up fifth grade remarks. the child will keep wasting your oxygen and your tax dollars. sorry GOD I didn't know you were commenting on this site. I will besure not to write anythig after this.

p.s. take your own advise idiot!

Anonymous said...

let's hug it out

Anonymous said...

Maybe if Mr.Williams showed a little responsibility and put accurate information instead of "reliable sources" information up on his web site, it would not have gone this far. The truth goes a long way. The right to free speech unfortunately has nothing to do with accurate & correct speech.As for the childish comments, whats worse, a group of adults trying to defend a little girl who cant speak out herself or a bunch of adults who should know better than to call a serious accusation as child molestation a "dirty" accusation? I hope it NEVER happens to their child or a relative in their family, but if it does maybe their postings will still be here for them to look back on. Ever hear the expression "you can dish it but you cant take it?" Well thats what we got here people. People dishing it out harder than the next person.Again it all goes back to putting out the accurate information for people to comment on.

Anonymous said...

looks like mr. rogers needs to comment... don't think that will happen.

Anonymous said...

Wow a whole 6 hours without a comment from anyone.. geez... guess everyone is running out of insults

Anonymous said...

no. not insults. but you are still breathing my air.

Anonymous said...

he he that was a good one high five!!!!

Anonymous said...

its ashame that your still breathing air period! he he thats agood one.

Anonymous said...

"Bump"

Anonymous said...

OK, everyone, I think the only one blogger who actually thought Tony was a guilty man, has finally bumped out!!

Anonymous said...

You are wrong as usual, there were a lot more then one but we are all smart enough to end it.

Anonymous said...

Alright, I agree, but you really should go back to school and get smarter in spelling and grammar ;o)

Anonymous said...

Bump

Anonymous said...

This is all interesting. You know what I find pretty interesting? How small Rhode Island is. How, if you keep your ears open, somebody always wants to tell you about some information they received from a friend of a friend. This is what I heard.



The grief counselor of the “victim” feels she wasn’t molested by Mr. Maini. The problem is thought to lie in the girls messed up family. I won’t tell you the other things I heard because none of it matters any more than what I just told you.



Do I believe it? Absolutely!! After listening to the ramblings on this blog, it’s obvious that that there are issues in the family.



Who am I? Someone who people feel the need to volunteer information to.



One of two things will happen as a result of this



The family will call this hogwash and say how ridiculous this is and leave it at that
The family will scream in outrage how this young innocent victims privacy was violated and contact the authorities


I’m hoping the latter happens. If there is truth in what I am told the grief counselor said, it will eventually come out.

Shark

Anonymous said...

To whom it may concern,

Well I have been sitting back and watching this web-site unfold and watching all of these so called "friends,family and insiders" on both sides making their comments.I feel now is the best time to respond to all of it.Your right, it is hogwash and ridiculous. Her privacy has and will continue to be violated by people that don't know her or people who think that they do.However,the authorities were contacted and we were told there is no way to prove who said what or who typed what, and as for this horrifying web site,we have a little something in this country that prevents us from taking legal action,they call it free speech.That is what we were told by authorities.We've tried, trust me, I know, I'm her mother.

Anonymous said...

dear shark,
people are entitled to there own opinions. to say the family has issuses without knowing the family is irresponsible on your end. do you always believe what you hear?
please give us facts, not a story that was passed down from friend to friend.I'm sure growing along the way. give us the name of this grief counselor, if you have so much info. if not please do not write anything else. just move on and let this website end.

Anonymous said...

Why do I not find it shocking that you have gone to the authorities to try and press charges against us... there's gotta be someone out there you can sue.

Anonymous said...

Going to the authorities is not about sueing someone.It is about putting an end to this very irresponsible web-site.That is why the authorities were contacted. Information going from person to person is not only inaccurate but unfair to everyone involved.
Sue for what? A child's innocence returned? Sue for her ability to trust adults again? Sue so that a family can go out in public or to work without hearing how they are being called white trash and liars by his family and friends? I highly doubt sueing is going to change anything. All it does is keep the wounds open.

Anonymous said...

Jericho and Shark........
Watching a little too much CBS???

To everyone else this may concern..
Keep your "inside info" to yourself.If your going to discuss issues that are very personal, private, and difficult,be considerate to the people involved.Remember this may be a hot topic and gossip to us but for the people involved its probably a nightmare.I hope you can let this end like it should have weeks ago.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone stopped to think about the two little girls involved?
One on one side of the fence,one on the other.
Did anyone stop to think about how they have to go to school everyday,walk by each other,and make new friends at not only a new school but at such a difficult time in both their lives because their friendship has been torn apart? These two little girls are dealing with different losses besides the loss of a very special friendship.

Anonymous said...

I have something to say.....
Not all people are religious.Some people have religion in their lives, some people don't. Some have it a little,some have it alot.I,myself have it a little.Everyones level of religion and beliefs are not the same.But that doesnt mean those people dont read or have knowledge. Their knowledge on religion is apparently not as strong as yours,Does that make them stupid?
I doubt it.

Anonymous said...

maybe a good tv name would be T.J Hooker or how about Lolita

Anonymous said...

To Anthony's "so called other family". Show some respect and buy a headstone.

Anonymous said...

Buy a headstone, I doubt it! From what I hear his own mother and stepfather wouldn't even help him pay for an attorney.Why would his "so called other family" spend money on him when his own family wouldn't.By the way,this information is coming from his side- someone rambling on about his financial situation.Haven't any of you figured out it's a small town and someone always knows someone and people do not even realized who they(C.D.)are rambling on in front of and people do not know how to mind their own business.Thats how this whole blog started in the first place(some ass making a comment about something they heard from someone else).But I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed he doesn't have a headstone.

Anonymous said...

His headstone is coming. I know because I was going to pay for it until it was relayed to me that it can only be ordered by his wife. In its place I have placed an angel to watch over him, because he deserves respect until the stone can finally be placed in the spring when the ground thaws.

What I do not understand even more is why you are visiting the grave of someone you did not believe in. You, and all like you, are causing enough grief. Show YOUR respect to the girl by staying away from his sacred resting place.

RUBICON

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry, maybe I should have clarified. I am from Anthony's side.With that said,I do not believe people should be talking about the financial situation regardless of who they are.As far as his mother and stepfather whether it is true or not,they have to live with it.As far as the headstone, there has been ample time to get it up. The ground hasn't even froze yet.

Anonymous said...

Rubicon,

Anthony caused his own grief to himself,his family and his friends. To blame other people is very unfair. If he had more respect for himself and his family and the rest who cared about him none of this would be taking place.We can not blame other people for what has happened.He himself changed the course of events.

Anonymous said...

Tony didn't cause his own grief. His grief was caused by a bunch of scumbags. Other people in Johnston know them and they call them by this name. This is a small state and reputation gets around.

Anonymous said...

Well once again we are back to the name calling. That's fine, but no one can seem to answer the question, If they were such scumbags,why were they hanging around with them and allowing their daughter into their home? Doesn't say much about Tina and Tony and their parenting skills. Or are they just scumbags because their daughter came forward?If the attorney general did not feel that the child was telling the truth,the allegations would have never gone forward. I'm sure with them working in a hospital, and his father-in-law being who he was before his retirement,and his brother-in-law being an attorney, they know this and if and when their grief subsides, they will realize this.But the name calling is pathetic.

Anonymous said...

Your absolutely right, the name calling is pathetic. The only reason why the are now being known as scumbags is because that's what the family wants people to believe!They weren't scumbags when they were allowing their daughter to be in their home as well.Name calling is the last thing they should be doing right now. What they should be doing is getting that little girl the PROFESSIONAL help she needs to move forward and cope with all of her losses, her stepfather, her friend, and now her home.No thanks to Tony not worrying how they were going to remain there after what he did, but I guess you all will continue to blame everyone else for him taking his own life except for the one person who was responsible for it, himself.

Roger Williams said...

Since I installed StatCounter on this blog, I notice with some amusement that a small handful of people have been coming to this page multiple times per day for the past two weeks.

It almost makes me wish I had advertising here.

Anonymous said...

Mr Williams,

The fact that you would take any pleasure/amusement in what you have started is clearly not normal.You started this blog with no official or first-hand knowledge of this case. Knowing someone who knows someone does not qualify as first hand. Do you think people read this blog for entertainment purposes? Or do you think people read it to find out what other people are saying about the people they love and care about. I personally get sick to my stomach when I see another comment has been posted. Because it bothers me to think of what people will say or do.(in this case write)about someone I love and care about. I will no longer give you the satisfaction of adding another check to your little Statcounter, so I will no longer visit your site.Someone made a comment on this blog awhile ago and said "this is a small state and someone always knows someone".And someone will eventually either know someone who knows you or you will be reconized. I hope that day comes and they spit in your face the way you have spit in the faces of these people who are clearly hurting in one form or another.You truly are a piece of work. A very rotten person with no respect for other people and their feelings. Your mother must be VERY proud of you and your accomplishments.

Roger Williams said...

What's truly "not normal" is spending hours and hours a day coming back to a thread, obsessively scanning for updates, several times a day to see if anyone has responded to the fresh batch of insults you or someone else posted last week/month.

Since I own this blog, I receive an email with every new comment. To think that the same group of people who were yelling and screeching at each other spend hours a day looking for updates on this? Completely fucked up.

Nice try, but you can't blame me for your clearly obsessive behavior (hey, that's common to sex offenders, isn't it?).

Joe said...

Well, I see we can't let my brother rest in peace. No-one will ever know the facts. We can drive our-selves out of our own minds trying to figure it out, but I don't think we will get an answers.
All I can say is my brother devoted his life and all of his time to saving lives. He entered his field for the reasoning that children should not have to suffer. Anthony suffered most of his life due to his asthma. He vowed to help as many children as he could to have a better quality of life. I can't see him doing harm, not to a child.
Any major disaster that happened in this country was visited by my brother. at his exspense, at that.
Even I realize that suicide does not make sense, unless you knew Anthony. He worked a ton of hours to get where he was. The little bit of vanity he had in his life was not handed to him, he earned all of it. After his first marriage, my brother wasn't the same. His first wife wasn't after love, just money. And she got more then half of his money out of the bank while he was in jail facing false charges. I say false charges because it was proven to the police that the story was fabricated. Mike R. tried to make waves in every-ones life and did in my life as well as Anthony's. again, I can't stress enough that it was all made up, there was no proof, DCYF could not give any merit to any of it. And the charges were dropped. As for him not wanting visitation, he was scared that his ex would set him up again. Do you blame him????
My brother suffered in more then one way with this divorce. He could never trust a woman again. He said he would never get involved in a relationship again. he met his second wife Tina and that got thrown out the window. he was so taken by her that he had to make a move.
He loved his step-daughter so much. He wanted nothing more then to be a father. Anthony was a role model to her and her friends, So do not take that away from him.
All I will say now is, please let him rest in peace. For him to make the choice to end his life, I know he had to face a big demon. Our father killed himself when Anthony was just 5 years old. We lived with the pain that this event caused. He would not want to put his family through that experience that he and I endured. His choices were, face the charges (even if dropped it would show up on a BCI anyway.) His life was ruined just by a little girls word. His other option was, end his life and suffer no-more. What would you choose????
Even I would commit suicide with knowing my daughter would be living the same life I did.
There are no answers, so please stop asking the questions. If you feel you must vent your emotion to some-one, do it to some-one that can defend himself. Feel free to write me anytime. Liljoe429@yahoo.com

Those standing up for my brother, Thank you. You must have known the Tony I knew and loved. It is a shame that the others didn't get blessed with knowing him the same way.

Anonymous said...

I've read about as much as I can stomach. The fact of the matter is Tony's 2nd wife deserved to be left with nothing. When given the opportunity to believe and support her husband she left him in his hour of need and I hope she spends everyday for the rest of her life regretting this. As for his stepdaughter, she only has her mother to blame. The length people will go to to crucify inoccent people is disgusting.
It is easy to point your fingers and say that an innocent man would not kill himself but unless putten in that situation yourself you have absolutely no clue. Grow up and move on.

Anonymous said...

Tony was a very good friend of mine. I talked to the only witness, his stepdaughter. She told me everything. You know what? she watched every move. Nothing happened. She was next to the "victom" when this "happened" well, it didnt. It is a very devistating thing that Tony was acused of. May he rest in peace.

Anonymous said...

These comments are driving me crazy! I can't even believe after all this time I would even click on this site. What the hell was I thinking?? You believe anything that child says? She is as crazy as the mother. There is a reason as to why Tina didn't really have custody of her daughter and that child was seeing a counselor for a number of reasons before this all took place.How do I know??I worked with her aunt and pathetic enough, she had a very loose mouth not realizing who may have been listening or repeating.So if that child is telling you nothing happened, she is in as much denial as her mother. He made his choice to do what he did even after he knew how it would affect that child. Selfish yes but his choice to make while the rest of us suffer with an unfinished outcome.As for what I would choose, the lousy BCI check would be fine with me rather than devastate my family and friends with a horrific act. If he was as innocent as everyone claims he was than the BCI check would mean nothing with the support of his family and friends. As for Tina leaving him in his hour of need,that statement doesn't make much sense if you had the chance to read the "guestbook" on the ProJo web-site following his obituary, you would see the undying devotion written by her to her husband was enough to choke a horse.So it sounds to me, either she was protecting Tony's honor by standing by him(or making herself feel better)or his family and friends are throwing her to the wolves by saying she left him in his hour of need.And if I remember correctly didn't Tinas father stand up in church and claim him to be an innocent man? Doesn't sound like she would have left him in his hour of need according to that comment.Someone isn't being completely honest and it has nothing to do with that little girl.

Anonymous said...

If Tony loved that little girl as much as you say he did, then why would he do this to her?If he knew what it was like to live with that kind of death as a child why would he want her to go through that? I'm sorry but I'm not buying that. According to the other comment if his stepdaughter saw the whole thing then she could have spoken up,there would be nothing to be ashamed of, and he could have moved on with the rest of his life.If it was me,witness or not I would fight until the very end to prove I was innocent.Show my child to stay strong and believe rather than give up, prove bad things can happen to good people,and if you hurt yourself your not only hurting you but also the people who love you.Tony may have been able to help strangers in need, grief and pain but couldn't help himself and that itself is a whole other tragedy.

Anonymous said...

Does any-one have the courage to say who they are? I have made my e-mail address public and asked that you write to me with your questions or comments. I see that we must hide behind, "Anonymous said..." to have a sense of security otherwise, my mail box would be full to the rim.
My brother has been dead long enough for people to have moved on by now. What is the problem????
No-one will ever get the answers people. So to keep on rambling on and on about how you think he is guilty or innocent is not doing anything productive for any-one.
I strongly feel that after 2+ years you still have this anger inside of you towards my brother, please seek counseling, you need help.
P.s. Are you the person who removed the basket from my brothers grave site?

Anonymous said...

Hello anyone? Does anyone recall the fact that that little girl, the step daughter, was there the whole time? Does anyone recall they cannot ASSUME what happened? I am very close to that girl and she know's what happened that night. So to everyone who assumes that Tony molested that girl's friend, they're sadly mistaken. Get the facts before you make assumptions. Shame on you all.

Anonymous said...

hello, everyone. i am taylor, tony's stepdaughter. i am currently thirteen and it has been two years since he passed. i'd like to clairify the fact that i was about TWO FEET away from tory, the girl, at the time of the 'molestation'. i'd also like to point out that he didn't do CRAP to that girl. i was right there so don't you dare tell me he did when you weren't there. so thanks to eveyone who think's he did something, you're wrong. I have made an alternate e-mail just now for this reason only. it is awayfromthesun23 (@ hotmail.com)


PLEASE EMAIL ME FOR ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TOPIC, AND THIS TOPIC ONLY.

Anonymous said...

it seems to me that a truly innocent man would not commit suicide - but who am i to say? if this man had other problems in his life this may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. truth is we don't know. we will never know. i have prayed for his family.

Anonymous said...

Hello, everyone.
It's Taylor again, and I haven't commented in a while. Just for update purposes, I am almost fifteen and there is not one day that goes by where I don't think of Tony and the lie that took his life and changed mine forever.

First of all, (I'm not sure who said it) but for whoever said "the stepdaughter said 'my friend _________ doesn't lie'" I have something to say to you. Let me explain the situation I was in. I have never had any experience with police, and I have never been sat down and interviewed in such a way. Think back, when you were eleven years old. What meant most to you? Your diary? Your stuffed animals? Your best friend? Yes, she was my best friend. And being eleven, I was oblivious to the IDEA of a best friend lying. Why would they?

Because people like her lie. I knew her personally. She had told me many times about how she didn't like her stepfather (she never explained why). She wanted attention, and even today all she gets is attention. From the wrong people.

In fact, I CLEARLY remember this:
I was in the hallway, and awkwardly passed by the girl. She stopped me, pointed to a couple boys, and said "them two are child molesters." She throws that word like it is nothing. and that's what she did.

Anyway, enough of her. I am ABSOLUTELY SICKENED by the fact of you immature adults ASSUMING you knew what happened. ASSUMING! You were not even there.


I was.


And Tony did NOT do that. So don't think you know what you're talking about when you clearly don't. I knew him, for not too long, but I knew him. And I know what he would never do, and have never done. He never did what he was accused of. Reminder, I was right there.

A couple more things I would like to clear up. "innocent men do not commit suicide" Oh, really, now? Put yourself in his shoes instead of being an ignorant bystander that believes everything they hear from other people. He is an innocent man, and that is how it will remain. Let him rest in peace.

My life has been forever changed because of one lie. School has been difficult, walking by the girl and having to share classes with her. I moved several times, and the relationship between my mother and I have had its ups and downs. I always think of Tony and how it must feel being accused of something like this, something you didn't do.

Tony was my dad. No, not my stepdad. He raised me for a short time and we were close. Seeing people type such horrible things about him is a slap in the face. He doesn't deserve this, and he doesn't deserve being called guilty. why? He was not guilty.

Anyway, Tony still consumes my thoughts and I will never forget what a great dad he was to me. Shame on all of you that think differently.

Again, I still have that email (awayfromthesun23 @ hotmail . com). Rest in peace Tony.

Anonymous said...

He used to wear a long lab coat at the hospital. He didn't have to as he was only a respiratory therapist. Maybe he hid candy bars and lollipops under it?

Joe Maini said...

Can't believe we are still going on this...merry Christmas to you. and again, if you feel the need to continue on rambling (after this many years) feel free to write me and i will answer any questions you may have for my deceased brother the best i can. liljoe429@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

DIDLER

Anonymous said...

I read some of the comments here and i am quite disturbed with all the accusation. We need to be less judgemental.

I will pray for Tony's family and for the girl who said she was molested whether it is true or not. as for the daughter/step daughter I hope you find it in your heart to forgive your dad for committing suicide. He wasn't a coward he was just lost. I hope everyone can find peace in this comment....

Anonymous said...

To his family - I am so sorry for any hurt that my words have caused. We must remember that we are not to judge. We will all be judged someday by the King of kings . As Jesus said - he who has not sinned shall cast the first stone. No human is without sin. I am so sorry you and your family had to endure this. Please find it in your heart to forgive me. I will pray for you and your family.

Anonymous said...

I know this is a long time later, but it came up on the radio today and got me reading. First off, my sister accused my stepfather of molestation, it was all 2nd degree...ie: no penetration. When they found the man, he confessed to FIRST DEGREE, my sister (at the time in her early 20s) had blocked that part out. It started when she was 4 and continued until she left home at 14. As far as Maini, I was a co-worker friend of his for a time. He married a nice young woman w/2 young daughters. she made him part of her life, despite his young (23? at the time) age and her daughters soon called him dad. Less than 1 month after the wedding, she found him emailing someone and it scared her so much, for her little girls, that she immediately left him. He tried to explain that he was trying to catch predators himself. She got NO BENEFIT from that at all and she thanked god she found out early. Years later, he married another woman w/a young daughter. Lightning doesn't strike twice like that.

Unknown said...

"A nice woman?" Must be a friend of Melissa... She was not a nice woman. I tried to tell him I smelled something funny when I met her. This nice woman used the opportunity to remove our family heirlooms.
I have had all I can take from these posts. My email address remains public if you wish to proceed with this sad behavior.
Joe Maini

Unknown said...

It's an inability to handle matters that have the potential to be unrepairable . That become life of death and fight or flight.
Anthony was place on unpaid leave and knew his empire was ending within 2 weeks.

Unknown said...

Tina has the only authority to make it possible... I have begged for it myself.

Anonymous said...

These things can happen with other people just feet away. It may take a lifetime to come forward when you are a victim. It may take a lifetime to come forward if you are a witness. Mr. Maini may have taken his life to stop himself, or he may have been killed and not taken his own life, i don't know where this occurred, or he may have not been able to handle the stress. And by the way, DCYF left me in the home, after many reports, for many years, EVEN WHEN THEY TOOK THE OTHER CHILD OUT OF THE HOME, they didn't take me. I was too scared to go with them. So many variables here. But I will tell you what, I did not have good interactions with him, and I was an adult.

Anonymous said...

How do I delete my comments?

Anonymous said...

No matter what, may he be free from any pain and suffering that he experienced on earth. Peace be with every one.