Prosecutors

Special Prosecutor to Investigate Government Lawyers in Sen. Stevens Case

As requested by the government, a federal judge today reversed the corruption conviction of former Sen. Ted Stevens and dismissed the case against him with prejudice. But the case is far from over. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan is appointing a special prosecutor to pursue a criminal contempt probe against…

Apr 7, 2009 4:52 PM CDT

Fed’l Judge in Sen. Stevens Case Puts Spotlight on Prosecution

Six days into a high-profile corruption trial of then-Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., knew they’d made a major mistake. A February 2007 document in the FBI file concerning the government’s chief witness could well be helpful to the defense. But the prosecution hadn’t turned it over…

Apr 6, 2009 5:42 PM CDT

Stevens Debacle Shows More Oversight of Prosecutors is Needed, Experts Say

In the aftermath of a stunning reversal of fortune for once-victorious federal prosecutors in the political corruption case against former Sen. Ted Stevens, experts—and, it appears, the U.S. attorney general—are calling for increased attention to the issue of government misconduct in other cases. The Alaska Republican’s initial conviction, based on…

Apr 4, 2009 12:44 AM CDT

Pa. Rape Victim Criminally Charged With Lying Loses Damages Case

A Pennsylvania woman criminally charged with making a false police report of being raped at gunpoint before authorities realized she was, in fact, telling the truth has lost her attempt to hold the municipality civilly liable. A damages suit filed against Cranberry and its police department by the woman has…

Apr 3, 2009 8:02 PM CDT

True Crime Helped Ex-Prosecutor Plot Latest Novel, ‘Lethal Legacy’

When Linda Fairstein is looking for a plot for her latest crime novel, the former career prosecutor finds the news to be a handy resource. Fairstein relied on an actual New York case when she opens her new book, Lethal Legacy, with a fake fireman ringing the doorbell of a…

Apr 1, 2009 7:02 PM CDT

U.S. Moves to Drop Charges Against Sen. Stevens

Updated: In a stunning development this morning, the U.S. Department of Justice moved to drop charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska. Justice Department officials are getting out of the case rather than continuing to defend the DOJ against accusations of prosecutorial misconduct. Indeed, the New York Times is…

Apr 1, 2009 1:10 PM CDT

5 Lawyers & Clerk Accused of Tampering With DWI Tix

Updated: Five lawyers, including a former district attorney in Johnston County, N.C., began surrendering this week after being charged with tampering with court records to secure dismissals of drunken driving cases. All face obstruction of justice charges, which were part of a yearlong investigation by state professional misconduct authorities. The…

Apr 1, 2009 9:58 AM CDT

Possible Bomb Today at Law Office of Calif. Civil Rights Attorney

The top four floors of a 12-story office building in Oakland, Calif., was evacuated today after a suspicious package was personally delivered to the office of civil rights attorney John Burris this morning by an unknown person. The incident is the latest in a series of disturbing developments as many…

Mar 31, 2009 9:43 PM CDT

Fed’l Judge in Pa. Backs ACLU, Bars DA from Charging Teens for ‘Sexting’

Siding with the American Civil Liberties Union, a federal judge in Pennsylvania has barred the Wyoming County District Attorney from pursuing threatened felony charges against teenage girls he has accused of sending explicit photographs over their cell phones. The controversial case over so-called sexting was filed by the ACLU in…

Mar 31, 2009 12:30 AM CDT

After Insanity Win in Murder One Case, Lawyer Accuses DA of ‘Incompetence’

A lawyer who won a rare insanity acquittal from a Massachusetts jury last week for a client charged with the first-degree murder of his own mother has blasted the district attorney for taking the case to trial. Despite three expert opinions that his 37-year-old client, Lee Chiero, is insane, Worcester…

Mar 30, 2009 6:51 PM CDT

Lawyer Challenges Former AG to Face Spanish Torture Charges

A human rights lawyer says former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and five other former Bush administration officials should come to Spain to face accusations that they approved the torture of terrorism suspects. Lawyer Gonzalo Boye helped bring the complaint before Spain’s investigative judge Baltasar Garzon, known for his pursuit of…

Mar 30, 2009 12:45 PM CDT

Critics: Boss of Top Prosecutor Charged in Perjury Conspiracy Case Should Say More

After news this week that a former top drug prosecutor in the Detroit area—along with a former local judge and two cops—had been criminally charged for allegedly helping present perjured witness testimony at a drug trial, some are now criticizing her boss. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy hasn’t been accused…

Mar 26, 2009 7:26 PM CDT

‘Sexting’ Cases Put Pa. Prosecutor on ACLU’s Litigation List

A Pennsylvania prosecutor’s aggressive approach to so-called teenage sexting of explicit messages on cell phones has put him on the American Civil Liberties Union’s litigation list. Siding with three female high school students and their mothers, in a dispute over the appropriate handling of racy photos being transmitted on teenagers’…

Mar 26, 2009 2:43 AM CDT

Judge’s Ultimatum to Prosecutors: Name Crime Victims, or Cases Will Be Dismissed

A Minnesota judge fed up with cases coming to her without names of crime victims has ordered prosecutors to produce fully identified. Initials won’t do. Excluded from her ruling are cases involving juveniles or victims of sex crimes. However, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Judge Margaret Marrinan, of…

Mar 25, 2009 5:30 PM CDT

Prosecutor, Judge & 2 Cops Charged By Mich. AG in Detroit Perjury Case

A retired Detroit area prosecutor and a retired Michigan judge have been criminally charged, along with two police officers, concerning an alleged conspiracy to conceal information about a witness in a 2005 drug trial in which all four of the defendants are accused either of participating or turning a blind…

Mar 25, 2009 1:24 AM CDT