Prosecutors

DOJ’s Race Bias Prosecution Team Mostly White

The criminal section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is lacking in diversity. Since 2003, the section has not hired any black attorneys to replace those who have left, according to internal records obtained by WJLA-TV in Arlington, Va. Only two attorneys within the 50-lawyer division are black. The…

May 7, 2007 4:59 PM CDT

Resignation of LA Prosecutor Questioned

Questions are being raised about the departure of U.S. Attorney Debra Wong Yang of Los Angeles. Wang resigned in October to accept a lucrative job offer from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher about two months before eight of her counterparts were fired. She says she left for personal reasons. At the…

May 4, 2007 5:58 PM CDT

Scammers Combine Stock, Computer Crimes

A fraud that targets computer users at hotels and Internet cafes has netted scammers tens of millions of dollars, according to FBI officials. The scammers use keystroke logging programs on hotel and Internet computers to steal passwords to brokerage accounts, according to Bloomberg News. Money in the accounts is used…

May 4, 2007 4:56 PM CDT

Ex-DOJ Official: Hiring Claims Most Serious

The Justice Department would suffer a severe blow if accusations are proven true that political loyalty was a basis for screening job applicants, according to a former deputy attorney general.

May 4, 2007 1:38 PM CDT

Comey Testifies 7 of 8 Fired U.S. Attorneys Great

In testimony today before a U.S. House judiciary committee investigating the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, a former top Justice Department attorney praised all but one of them. Jim Comey, who was number two in the department when he served as deputy attorney general from 2003 to 2005, said only…

May 3, 2007 9:52 PM CDT

Ex-Cops Admit to Prisoner Beating

Two former St. Louis area police officers have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a federal civil rights violation for their role in beating a jail inmate. In a plea agreement, former Sgt. Lewis A. McGee admitted he held down an agitated prisoner while Detective Mark Winger struck the man,…

May 3, 2007 4:25 PM CDT

Ousted Prosecutors: DOJ Discouraged Complaints

Several ousted U.S. attorneys maintain they were pressured to remain silent about their dismissals, in written statements released yesterday.

May 3, 2007 3:30 PM CDT

Senator Calls for U.S. Attorney Resignation

A Montana senator is calling for the resignation of the U.S. attorney in his state because of disclosures he sought to change a federal residency requirement for his benefit. The Washington Post reported yesterday that U.S. Attorney William Mercer helped insert a change into the USA Patriot Act that ensured…

May 3, 2007 2:18 PM CDT

Goodling Targeted re Possible Hiring Law Violation

A former top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales reportedly is being investigated to see whether she hired career lawyers at the Justice Department based on their party affiliation. Officials announced today that Monica Goodling, a former senior counselor and White House liaison for Gonzales, is under investigation for allegedly…

May 2, 2007 11:52 PM CDT

New Senate Subpoena, Hearing for Gonzales

Senate Judiciary Committee members want Karl Rove e-mails related to the investigation of the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

May 2, 2007 10:03 PM CDT

Former Deputy AG Unaware of Firing List

A former deputy attorney general says he was unaware the Justice Department was developing a list of U.S. attorneys to fire. James Comey told the Seattle Times that he remembers only two brief conversations about weak U.S. attorneys. “I answered twice off the top of my head,” Comey said. “During…

May 2, 2007 7:02 PM CDT

Low-Paid Fla. Prosecutors, Defenders Are Quitting

Prosecutors and public defenders in Florida are leaving their low-paying jobs at alarming rates, according to the offices that employ them. The Miami Herald cites statistics from the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office. It lost 126 out of 291 attorneys in 2005 and 2006. The public defender’s office there lost 63…

May 2, 2007 6:33 PM CDT

Patriot Act Changes Gave DOJ Control

The same day that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales assured a federal judge that a Montana U.S. attorney who worked in Washington was not violating federal law, that Montana prosecutor had a GOP senate staffer insert a provision to eliminate residency restrictions into a bill. The Washington Post says the incident…

May 2, 2007 2:56 PM CDT

D.C. Madam Case Began With IRS Tip

The investigation of the alleged D.C. madam started with a tip to the Internal Revenue Service by a man who learned his girlfriend was working as a prostitute. Since then, prosecutors have located several women who are prepared to testify that they worked for the escort service run by Deborah…

May 1, 2007 5:33 PM CDT

Plotters’ Links Prompt Calls for Investigation

Details that have emerged from the trial of five men convicted of plotting to bomb British targets are prompting calls for further investigation. Evidence kept secret during the British trial showed a link between the plotters and four suicide bombers who attacked the London subway system, killing 56 people. Authorities…

May 1, 2007 2:49 PM CDT