2 Lawyers Convicted in Witness-Tampering Case, Could Face Life in Prison
After nearly a week of deliberation, a federal jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., today convicted two lawyers in a witness-tampering case that reportedly could put them in prison for life.
Robert Simels sat back in his chair at the defense table and looked furious as his associate, Arienne Irving, put her head down and cried, reports the New York Daily News.
Simels, 62, who is a well-known criminal defense lawyer, was convicted of 12 of 13 counts, winning acquittal only on a charge of making false statements to the government, reports Bloomberg.
Testimony in the case made headlines, especially when a tape made by an informant was played of Simels discussing a need to “eliminate” or “neutralize” witnesses against a client in a major drug case. He testified that the terms were just hyperbole and he never meant to suggest that witnesses should be harmed.
Irving did not testify in her own defense.
Additional coverage:
Associated Press: “NY attorney convicted in witness-tampering case”
New York Law Journal: “NY Attorneys Facing Life in Prison Wait—and Wait—for Jury’s Verdict”
New York Post: “Lawyer Convicted of Witness Tampering”
