Prosecutors

No Supreme Court Appeal in Case that Put Prosecutor Tactics on Trial

Prosecutors have declined to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a ruling that threw out 13 indictments because the government pressured the defendants’ employer to stop paying their legal fees. The New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled in August that prosecutors violated the employees’…

Dec 2, 2008 12:00 PM CST

Keeping a ‘Snitch’ from Being Scratched

Witness intimidation is gaining even as the murder rate declines

Dec 2, 2008 3:00 AM CST

Over 2,200 Defendants Seek Hearings in Camden, N.J., Program; Officials Stunned

Criminally charged in 1995, after a police officer allegedly found marijuana in her car, Renee Felton didn’t show up for her court date and spent more than a decade dodging a subsequent warrant for her arrest. Now 48, she decided to come into court voluntarily after her niece saw a…

Nov 24, 2008 5:36 PM CST

Ex-Prosecutor Who Sued Over Alleged ‘Misogyny’ Loses Discovery Bid

A former prosecutor in Suffolk County, N.Y., has lost a bid to reopen discovery in a ruling that says she can’t take advantage of the allowances usually given a pro se litigant. Cameron Kenny claims in a lawsuit that she was unlawfully fired in 2005 because of “misogyny” in the…

Nov 24, 2008 1:27 PM CST

Deputy Calif. DA is Charged in Alleged Rape of Colleague

Michael Gressett, 51, who is a 20-year prosecutor assigned to the sex crimes unit of the Contra Costa County, Calif., district attorney’s office, has been charged and arraigned in the alleged May 8 daytime rape at Gressett’s home of a fellow deputy district attorney, according to news accounts. Gressett pleaded…

Nov 21, 2008 7:15 PM CST

Former Mexican Drug Czar Got $450K to Keep Traffickers Informed, Authorities Say

In a continuing shakeup in high-echelon Mexican law enforcement, a former drug czar has been accused of being paid $450,000 by drug traffickers, in exchange for providing them with information about police operations. “Noe Ramirez is the highest law enforcement official detained yet as part of Mexico’s sweeping effort to…

Nov 21, 2008 5:44 PM CST

Expert Slams Court’s ‘Blame the Victim’ Response to Judge-Prosecutor Affair

An appeals court in Texas has ordered attorneys for an inmate facing the death penalty to explain why they didn’t complain sooner about a now-admitted affair between the judge and the prosecutor in the case, sparking an angry response from an incredulous legal ethics expert News that the Texas Court…

Nov 20, 2008 9:03 PM CST

After Indicting Cheney & Ex-AG Gonzales, DA is No-Show in Court Today

A strange prisoner abuse case in South Texas involving indictments against Vice President Dick Cheney, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, two state court judges and a former federal prosecutor got a bit more bizarre today when the district attorney who brought it was a no-show in court. Judge Manuel…

Nov 20, 2008 1:48 AM CST

Vice President Cheney, Ex-AG Gonzales Indicted in South Texas Prison Abuse Case

A grand jury in South Texas has indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales—as well as a former U.S. attorney and two state court judges—concerning their alleged contribution to claimed prisoner abuse at federal detention centers in Willacy County. “Gonzales is accused of using his…

Nov 19, 2008 12:12 AM CST

New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney Resigns

New Jersey’s controversial U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie is resigning. The New Jersey Star-Ledger carried news of the resignation and said Christie is the leading contender for the Republican nomination for governor. He made a name for himself prosecuting public corruption, but he raised some eyebrows for awarding a no-bid contract…

Nov 17, 2008 5:31 PM CST

Federal Prosecutor Named Bailout Watchdog

A federal prosecutor in New York who has convicted white-collar criminals and narcotics traffickers has been named inspector general to oversee the government’s $700 billion Wall Street bailout. Neil Barofsky was nominated on Friday, the New York Law Journal reports. He is an assistant U.S. attorney who currently heads the…

Nov 17, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Moonlighting Prosecutor Must Repay $18K, Faces Investigation

A prosecutor in Muncie, Ind., who moonlighted as a lawyer for a drug task force and was apparently paid attorney fees in drug cases involving confidential civil forfeiture agreements, must repay $18,395 in legal fees, a Delaware Circuit Court judge has ruled. Plus, prosecutor Mark McKinney also faces possible criminal…

Nov 13, 2008 9:11 PM CST

Manhattan US Attorney Expected to Join Kirkland & Ellis

U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia of Manhattan is expected to announce that he is leaving government to join Kirkland & Ellis. The New York Times quoted lawyers familiar with Garcia’s plans as saying he will join Kirkland & Ellis. A Wall Street Journal story (sub. req.) hedges, saying Garcia is in…

Nov 10, 2008 5:28 PM CST

Mass. AG to Make First Supreme Court Appearance in Sixth Amendment Case

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley makes her first U.S. Supreme Court appearance today to argue that the state is not obligated to produce forensic scientists for courtroom testimony about their lab reports. The argument raises Coakley’s profile at a time she has indicated an interest in replacing Sen. John Kerry…

Nov 10, 2008 3:12 PM CST

Prosecutors Seek Recusal of Entire 9th Circuit in Porn Appeal

Prosecutors are seeking the recusal of every judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a pornography appeal because of an ethics investigation involving the circuit’s chief judge and his racy website. Matthew Friedrich, the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s criminal division, was among the…

Nov 7, 2008 12:04 PM CST