Prosecutors

Ex-Crime Lab Supervisors Sue Texas DA, Claim Pointing to Booze Breath-Test Issues Led to Retaliation

Two former supervisors at a troubled police crime laboratory in Houston, Texas, have sued the local district attorney, contending that they suffered retaliation after blowing the whistle about problems with portable breath-alcohol testing stations. The Houston Chronicle reports that the plaintiffs, Amanda Culbertson and Jorge Wong, name three defendants in…

Dec 18, 2012 7:21 PM CST

Report: Law Prof, Other Critics Complain About DOJ Approach to ‘Too Big to Jail’ Bank Crimes

A record settlement of $1.9 billion with HSBC that was announced earlier this month as result of a federal money-laundering probe against the United Kingdom-based bank was hailed by some as a sign that the justice system is working. But others don’t see much benefit in the pact with a…

Dec 18, 2012 7:04 PM CST

Chicago Prosecutor Anita Alvarez Blasts ‘One-Sided’ Segment of ‘60 Minutes’ in Letter to CBS Chief

Skewered in a 60 Minutes segment about wrongful convictions that was broadcast Sunday, Chicago’s top state-court prosecutor complained in a letter to the chairman of CBS News that she was unfairly portrayed in selective clips from a lengthy interview that took place six months ago. The CBS news program segment,…

Dec 14, 2012 6:31 PM CST

DA Mulls Possible Juvenile Delinquency Case re Boy, 11, Accused in Armed Carjacking Attempt

Initially, it was reported that police planned to pursue no charges against 11- and 7-year-old boys who have been accused of attempting to carjack a vehicle at gunpoint in a church parking lot in Portland, Ore. But the Multnomah County district attorney’s office is now considering whether to pursue a…

Dec 11, 2012 6:01 PM CST

Ex-Neighbor Convicted of Plot to Murder Minn. Prosecutor

A former neighbor of a Minnesota prosecutor was convicted by a jury Friday of plotting his murder. Stephen Woodward was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the premeditated first-degree murder of Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom, the Lakeville Patch reports. Woodward apparently blamed Backstrom for a drug case that initially…

Dec 10, 2012 4:45 PM CST

New Orleans US Attorney Resigns Amidst Ethics Probe re Top Assistants’ Internet Postings

The nation’s longest-serving U.S. attorney announced his resignation Thursday at a press conference, effective in less than a week, but said he will stay on in a supporting role to help with the transition. Citing unidentified sources, the Times-Picayune said U.S. Attorney Jim Letten of New Orleans is in discussions…

Dec 6, 2012 10:54 PM CST

Judge Dismisses Child-Enticement Case Against Ex-Prosecutor

A judge has dismissed all charges against a former Alabama child sex-crimes prosecutor accused of sexually enticing an FBI agent posing as a 15-year-old girl. Special Judge Gaines McCorquodale ruled that the indictment against Steve Giardini had to be axed because there was no actual victim under age 16, as…

Dec 6, 2012 4:18 PM CST

Police Seize Electronic Tracking Equipment from Seattle Lawyer Accused of Multiple Rapes

Corrected: Police have confiscated electronic equipment, including a video camera and a GPS device, as they continue the investigation of Seattle-based attorney Danford Grant, who is accused of raping several Seattle-area massage therapists. The items were disclosed in a search-warrant affidavit filed this week, the Seattle Times reports. King County…

Dec 3, 2012 10:15 PM CST

Lawyer for Jill Kelley Says He’ll Sue US Attorney in Tampa if Leaks Continue re Petraeus Case

A lawyer representing Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, whose complaint about threatening emails wound up linking her name to a sex scandal that led to David Petraeus’ resignation from his position as CIA Director, has threatened to sue the U.S. Attorney in Tampa. Abbe Lowell wrote in a letter to W.…

Nov 28, 2012 5:52 PM CST

Prosecutor’s CLE-Entry Typo Leads to Mistrial Request in Child-Murder Case

Joshua Weintraub completed more than the required amount of continuing legal education credits to maintain his Florida law license. However, a typographical error in entering one of the CLE course numbers led to his law license being shifted to inactive status by the state bar. After a sharp-eyed newspaper reader…

Nov 27, 2012 11:55 PM CST

Ex-Prosecutor Convicted of Official Misconduct in Sex-for-Leniency Case Is Disbarred

Convicted earlier this year on a criminal official misconduct charge and sentenced to probation, a former Tennessee prosecutor has now been disbarred. John Douglas Godbee was accused by a female defendant and the woman’s mother of seeking a sexual relationship with the younger woman in exchange for favorable treatment in…

Nov 21, 2012 6:36 PM CST

Ex-Prosecutor Ditches His Monitoring Bracelet and Flees After Adverse Child-Porn Ruling

A former assistant attorney general in Maine cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet and disappeared last week after a federal appeals court upheld his conviction on seven of 13 counts for sending and receiving child pornography. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) in the appeal by…

Nov 20, 2012 3:33 PM CST

DA Calls News Conference to Admit His Adult-Film Past; Credits Include ‘Bedroom Bedlam’

A district attorney in upstate New York called an unusual news conference on Friday to respond to allegations he had acted in porn films in the 1970s. Cortland County District Attorney Mark Suben admitted that the charges are true, Associated Press, the Syracuse Post-Standard and WSTM-TV report. Suben called the…

Nov 19, 2012 12:45 PM CST

Ex-Kansas AG Kline Tells Judges His Office ‘Endeavored Forthright’ in Abortion-Provider Probes

Former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline told judges hearing his disciplinary case on Thursday that he never intentionally lied during his investigation of abortion providers. Kline is accused of misleading others, or allowing his subordinates to mislead others, including grand jurors, report the Lynchburg News & Advance, the Topeka Capital-Journal…

Nov 16, 2012 2:55 PM CST

Eye Contact with Gang-Rape Case Defendant Leads to 2-Year Jail Term for Potential Juror

After a prosecutor noticed that a man in the jury pool had made eye contact with a defendant in a Massachusetts gang-rape case, authorities apparently watched Jonathan G. Ngarambe closely. Although he told the trial judge last March that he didn’t know any of the parties in the case, an…

Nov 15, 2012 8:59 PM CST