Prosecutors

Ethics Panel Too Lenient with Ex-Prosecutor Accused of Improprieties with Teens, Editorial Says

A former elected prosecutor in Illinois deserves more than a two-year suspension for improprieties with two underage women, a newspaper editorial asserts. A three-member hearing board of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission is recommending the suspension for former Rock Island County State’s Attorney Jeff Terronez, the Quad-City Times…

Aug 20, 2012 1:15 PM CDT

Reggie the Poodle Assists Vulnerable Witnesses in Sacramento Criminal Court

Some defense lawyers are giving the Sacramento County district attorney’s office a “ruff” time regarding a member of their victim witness unit, who happens to be a standard poodle named Reggie. Pets in court could influence the jury, say some, but there’s a growing trend in state courts allowing “comfort…

Aug 16, 2012 8:31 PM CDT

Appeals Court Affirms Vacation of Virginia Man’s Conviction, Death Sentence in Murder-For-Hire Case

A federal appeals court has affirmed a lower court ruling vacating the conviction and death sentence of a Virginia man in a 2001 murder-for-hire scheme. The lower court found that prosecutors had suppressed evidence and knowingly used false testimony against Justin Wolfe, who has spent 11 years on Virginia’s death…

Aug 16, 2012 8:11 PM CDT

Immediate Suspension Sought for Ex-Prosecutor Accused of Using ‘Spy Pen’ to Film Women at Courthouse

A longtime Connecticut prosecutor recently fired from his $129,000-a-year job due in part to allegations that he secretly filmed women’s legs in and around the courthouse at which he then worked now has a new problem to deal with. Contending that David M. Holzbach “cannot be trusted to avoid voyeurism…

Aug 15, 2012 4:12 PM CDT

NYT: Prosecutorial Misconduct a ‘Legal Sore in Plain Sight’

In recently disclosed witness protection records, information has surfaced that New York prosecutors paid the hotel bill of a key homicide witness for months, despite testimony to the contrary. Yet after a decade-long records battle and with the help of a private investigator, the defendant Petros Bedi—who is serving more…

Aug 14, 2012 11:06 AM CDT

House Committee Sues AG Holder for Civil Contempt, Asks Judge to Nix Obama Executive Privilege Claim

Setting the stage for a constitutional showdown during a presidential election year, an expected effort has begun to enforce a historic contempt citation of a sitting U.S. attorney general by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this summer. On Monday, the House Oversight Committee filed a federal civil contempt lawsuit…

Aug 13, 2012 6:30 PM CDT

Prosecutor Loses $129K Job, Is Accused of Creating Hostile Work Environment via ‘Spy Pen’ Photos

A longtime Connecticut prosecutor accused of creating a hostile work environment for female colleagues and court workers by secretly videotaping their legs with a “spy pen” in and around court and at his office was fired Friday from his $129,000-a-year job. Senior Assistant Danbury State’s Attorney David Holzbach, 52, had…

Aug 9, 2012 8:44 PM CDT

Top Federal Prosecutor in South Dakota Takes Over Review of 56 Tribal Reservation Homicides From FBI

Stepping into the middle of a long-simmering tension between the Oglala Lakota Nation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that has ignited strong feelings for decades, the top federal prosecutor in South Dakota is reviewing 56 homicides on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson has taken over…

Aug 7, 2012 10:14 AM CDT

Former US Attorney to Review U of Colo Actions re Ex-Grad Student Charged in Movie Theater Shootings

A former United States attorney for the District of Colorado has been retained by the University of Colorado to conduct an internal review concerning its handling of a former graduate student who is accused of killing 12 people in a movie theater shooting spree last month. Robert N. Miller, who…

Aug 6, 2012 10:39 AM CDT

Illinois Law Taking New Approach to Sex Slavery Should Be Praised, Says Cook County State’s Attorney

Legislation adopted in 2010 by the Illinois General Assembly points the way toward how states can become more effective in fighting the growing national problem of human trafficking, said Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez today at the ABA’s 2012 Annual Meeting. The Illinois Safe Children Act points to the…

Aug 3, 2012 7:06 PM CDT

Ex-Judge Pleads to Misdemeanor in Criminal Case Over Altered Conviction Dates in DWI Cases

A former North Carolina judge tearfully took a misdemeanor plea Monday in a controversial case involving altered conviction dates in drunk-driving cases heard before other judges. Kristin Ruth, 55, said she had been too trusting of a defense attorney she has known since they were classmates at Campbell University’s law…

Jul 31, 2012 10:12 PM CDT

Ex-Special Prosecutor to Pay $157K to Settle Suit Claiming Hidden Evidence, Perjured Testimony

A former special prosecutor in Illinois who filed charges against the state’s attorney in McHenry County has agreed to pay $157,500 to settle a wrongful prosecution suit. Henry “Skip” Tonigan III agreed to the deal without admitting wrongdoing, report the Chicago Tribune and the Northwest Herald. The suit by State’s…

Jul 30, 2012 12:42 PM CDT

Justice Department Is Training Prosecutors to Help Battle Cyber Threats

The U.S. Justice Department is training about 400 prosecutors in an effort to battle terrorist cyber attacks and computer espionage. The department added the training after an internal review found gaps in its ability to identify and respond to cyber security issues, the Washington Post reports. The newspaper spoke to…

Jul 26, 2012 3:28 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor Faces Prostitution-Attempt Charge After Cellphone Search in Domestic Violence Probe

A former Washington state prosecutor is facing a misdemeanor charge of attempting to patronize a prostitute following a search of his cellphone by deputies investigating a domestic violence complaint by his ex-girlfriend. Jeffrey W. Holmes, 31, had worked since 2006 as an assistant Clark County prosecutor and focused on felony…

Jul 25, 2012 10:19 PM CDT

After Blasting Prosecutors, Federal Judge Releases Piracy Case Defendant, Axes 2 of 4 Charges

After blasting prosecutors in a Friday hearing, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday released a defendant in a Somali piracy case while the government appeals some of her pretrial rulings and dismissed two of the four counts he faced. The appeal could delay the trial of Ali Mohamed…

Jul 24, 2012 9:53 PM CDT