Prosecutors

Pro Se Ex-Prosecutor Accused of Conspiring to Murder an FBI Informant Wins a Mistrial

Updated: Saying that the jury was hopelessly deadlocked in its sixth day of deliberations, a federal judge today declared a mistrial in the case of New Jersey attorney Paul Bergrin, the Star-Ledger reports. The former state and federal prosecutor could have faced a life sentence if he was convicted on…

Nov 23, 2011 6:30 PM CST

Lawyer’s Son Among 20 Charged in SAT Cheating Case; Lawmaker Points Finger at Some Parents

At least one lawyer’s son is among 20 individuals charged in a widening criminal case focused on New York high school students who allegedly paid ringers up to $3,500 to take their standardized college entrance exams for them. The 13 most recently charged include both four who were allegedly paid…

Nov 23, 2011 2:19 AM CST

Longest Serving U.S. Prosecutor Dies at 89, a Year After His Retirement

Correction: A Justice Department lawyer who was the longest-serving federal prosecutor in U.S. history has died at the age of 89. John “Jack” Keeney retired last year after working for the Justice Department for 59 years, the Washington Post reports. Keeney worked on organized crime cases under Attorney General Robert…

Nov 22, 2011 4:57 PM CST

Despite Feds’ ‘Pervasive’ Concealment of Evidence, No Contempt Charges in Sen. Stevens Case

Despite a special prosecutor’s finding that a federal prosecution of former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens was “permeated” by the government’s concealment of evidence favorable to the defense, no criminal contempt charges will be brought against the prosecutors involved. Reiterating what had been leaked earlier by unidentified sources, an order today…

Nov 22, 2011 12:13 AM CST

County Prosecutor Protests, to No Avail, Being Called as Witness in Child Sex-Abuse Case

Despite a top Lafayette County prosecutor’s argument that sitting in on an investigative meeting years ago didn’t make her a witness in a criminal case, a Missouri judge has refused to remove Kellie Wingate Campbell from the witness list. She and two assistants will potentially be called to testify in…

Nov 21, 2011 11:18 PM CST

Jury Still Deliberating in Criminal Case Against NJ Lawyer Accused of Plotting Witness Hit

It’s going to be a long weekend for New Jersey lawyer Paul Bergrin. A federal jury in Newark has deliberated for three days without reaching a verdict in a criminal case that could put the well-known criminal defense attorney behind bars for the rest of his life, report the Record…

Nov 19, 2011 1:33 AM CST

DNA Test Wins New Trial for 4 Jailed as Teens in Murder Case, But Top Chicago Prosecutor Has Doubts

A top Chicago prosecutor said she wasn’t convinced by DNA evidence that excluded four convicted men and seemingly pointed to a convicted murderer as the culprit in the 1994 strangulation slaying of a prostitute in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. “DNA evidence in and of itself is not always…

Nov 16, 2011 10:16 PM CST

Triple-Murderer Oba Chandler Executed in Fla., 22 Years After ‘Angels & Demons’ Slayings

A convicted triple-murderer who a top prosecutor called a “poster child for the death penalty” was executed this afternoon in Florida. Oba Chandler’s death came 22 years after the slayings of Joan Rogers, 36, and her daughters Michelle, 17, and Christe, 14. Murdered after accepting a ride on his boat…

Nov 15, 2011 10:46 PM CST

Sex-Crimes Unit Portrayed as ‘Freewheeling Fraternity’ in Rape Case Against Prosecutor

A sex-crimes unit in suburban San Francisco is portrayed in an unflattering light in a case against one of its prosecutors. The California Attorney General’s office brought the prosecution against Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Michael Gressett, who was accused of raping a fellow prosecutor during their lunch hour.…

Nov 15, 2011 1:48 PM CST

Book by Casey Anthony Prosecutor Is ‘Relentless, Scathing and Blunt’

Casey Anthony prosecutor Jeff Ashton says in a new book released today that the acquitted defendant is a liar who offered differing versions of what happened to her daughter. Defense lawyers bought the fourth version—that Casey Anthony’s father killed Caylee Anthony, Ashton writes in Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony. The…

Nov 15, 2011 12:34 PM CST

Former Phila. DA to Represent Charity Founded by Ex-Penn State Asst. Coach Charged with Child Abuse

Among a number of individuals and organizations apparently bracing for civil litigation after news that a former assistant football coach at Penn State has been charged with multiple counts of child sex abuse is the child-oriented charity that the coach founded in 1977. The Second Mile has retained Lynne Abraham,…

Nov 14, 2011 6:43 PM CST

Ex-US Attorney Admits Leaking Memo Intended to Make ‘Fast and Furious’ Whistle-Blower Look Bad

A former U.S. Attorney for Arizona who resigned in August after a botched federal probe of gun-running for Mexican drug cartels came to light has admitted leaking a memo intended to cast aspersions on a whistle-blower who went to Congress about Operation Fast and Furious. In the probe, agents of…

Nov 9, 2011 9:12 PM CST

News Coverage of Prosecutor’s Supreme Court Grilling Gets Snarky

Supreme Court justices had little patience Tuesday for a New Orleans prosecutor’s argument that exculpatory evidence in a criminal case was not “material” and didn’t need to be turned over to defense lawyers. According to the National Law Journal (reg. req.), justices took the prosecutor’s office “to the woodshed” for…

Nov 9, 2011 2:45 PM CST

Prosecutor Served Search Warrant on Defense Lawyer During Trial to Get His Documents

In a San Antonio courtroom packed with lawyers attending as spectators, a Texas prosecutor testified today that she had a search warrant served on opposing counsel and his client during a trial in an embezzlement case early this year. The reason why was because she feared he was withholding stolen…

Nov 9, 2011 2:46 AM CST

Judge’s Recusal Postpones Contempt Hearing for 2 Texas Prosecutors in Runaway Grand Jury Case

A Texas judge has granted a recusal motion by a veteran prosecutor and stepped aside from determining whether he and another senior member of the Harris County district attorney’s office should be held in contempt. Judge Susan Brown’s action postponed a scheduled 9 a.m. show-cause hearing today for prosecutors Carl…

Nov 7, 2011 7:32 PM CST