Paul Bergrin, Accused Attorney in RICO Law Firm Case, Seeks Hearing Re Claimed Misconduct By Feds
A prominent New Jersey defense attorney who has spent the last several years jailed without bail, awaiting trial in a federal case that accuses him of running his Newark law firm as a criminal racketeering enterprise is now claiming it’s the feds whose conduct needs to be scrutinized.
Before Paul Bergrin’s prosecution can proceed, says his lawyer in a Tuesday filing, an evidentiary hearing should be conducted concerning claimed misconduct by the government in a related case in which Bergrin won a mistrial last year. The motion contends that witnesses were encouraged or coerced to lie under oath at Bergrin’s trial, in which he was charged with instigating an informant’s murder, reports the Record.
A former state and federal prosecutor, Bergrin is charged in another federal case with violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act concerning his law firm and other alleged business operations.
Bergrin was disbarred in the District of Columbia and New York, in 2010, according to the Blog of Legal Times. He is currently listed as suspended in New Jersey, in an action taken after his 2009 indictment, as the Star-Ledger notes.
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “No Bail for N.J. Attorney Paul Bergrin in Federal Racketeering Case”
ABAJournal.com: “Expanded New RICO Indictment Accuses Alleged Rogue Attorney of More Law-Firm-Related Crimes”
ABAJournal.com: “Pro Se Ex-Prosecutor Accused of Conspiring to Murder an FBI Informant Wins a Mistrial”
