Miell says he did not cheat renters or insurance company

Robert Miell took advantage of his right to speak to the judge in his federal sentencing hearing this afternoon. During the nearly three hours he spoke, he claimed he was not guilty of any of the charges he has been convicted of including those he pleaded guilty to. He said he had been coerced into pleading guilty.

Miell, 55, pleaded guilty in January 2009 to 20 counts of mail fraud and perjury in connection with a scheme to defraud American Family Insurance of $336,000 on 145 hail-damaged properties. He was found guilty by a jury of three additional charges -- two of filing false tax returns and one per perjury. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count.

Miell said he was a victim of bad lawyering by all five of the attorneys who have represented him during both his civil and criminal trials.

Lawyers who were supposed to be defending him withheld evidence, obstructed justice and failed to file documents in a a timely manner, Miell said. In addition he said they failed to call witnesses on his behalf.

For most of the afternoon Miell read from a hand written document on a yellow legal pad. He said he had not cheated his renters out of their deposits and did not cheat American Family Insurance out of money following a pair of hail storms in 2001. He said he received only money due him for damage to the roofs of about 300 of his rental properties. And withheld deposits only from renters who  left property in disrepair or had to be evicted for nonpayment of rent.

Des Moines attorney Alfredo Parish, Miell's fifth attorney, strongly advised Miell not to testify. But Miell ignored him and told Judge Mark Bennett he “cherished the opportunity to speak and answer the judge's questions.”

Miell asked to offer a full day of testimony and Bennett agreed to allow him to speak his piece so long as it didn't descend into a filibuster.

Miell is expected to be testify again tomorrow when the hearing begins at 8:30 a.m.