Staffers at the Scene were sad to learn last November that our favorite federal public defender (and stand-up comedian), Hugh Mundy, was leaving Music City to take a job in the Manhattan federal public defender's office. Mundy, as you may remember, was featured in the Scene's 2007 Lust List. Though we were disappointed to see him go, we understood his desire to further his career with a higher-profile position. But we doubt that even Mundy himself had the slightest idea exactly how high-profile he'd be. Just a few short months after arriving in Gotham City, he landed one of the biggest cases a public defender is likely to see this year: Norman Hsu, the Democratic fund-raiser accused of scamming investors out of more than $60 million, then funneling much of it into various political campaigns, including $850,000 to Hillary Clinton. (Clinton has since returned the money, though the situation cast a cloud over the early days of her presidential bid.) Check Mundy out on New York's WNBC-Channel 4. (You may have to sit through a brief Xanadu commercial.) Anyway, we're wishing Hugh the best, and we're taking up a collection in the office to send him a case of Rolaids and hire him a publicist (and a book agent, and maybe a movie agent). And before you Karl Dean haters start going on about what vermin public defenders are, just remember: One of the things that makes this country great is the phrase, "innocent till proven guilty." Not to mention, they turn down high-paying corporate jobs to provide the destitute with the legal representation they're entitled to. Nothing like stepping out of the frying pan and into the fire. We're betting he may be missing those Middle Tennessee crack-and-gun cases right about now. But we wish him the best.
