Prosecutors

Lawyer’s plan to display cardboard cut-out if prosecutor skips race-relations meeting draws fire

Fireworks already have erupted over a town hall meeting to be hosted in Tampa on Wednesday night by a Florida trial lawyer in an effort to bring together the community, law enforcement and members of the judicial system to discuss race relations. Tampa’s mayor, the city’s assistant police chief and…

Apr 29, 2015 4:20 PM CDT

Convicted of egging prosecutor’s cars, man gets a reprieve from state’s top court

It all began with a criminal case accusing an Ohio man of selling alcohol to minors. Within a few months, a prosecutor’s’ vehicles were egged and damaged. An informant provided texts to police in Twinsburg, Ohio, where Nicholas Castagnola lived, in which the young man had gloated about his role…

Apr 29, 2015 10:05 AM CDT

Grand jury says state attorney general orchestrated leak and coverup

A grand jury in Norristown, Pennsylvania, recommended in December that the state attorney general be charged with perjury for allegedly orchestrating the leak of grand jury information about a critic and then lying about doing so. “We find that that the testimony of Kathleen Kane was not an honest account…

Apr 27, 2015 1:45 PM CDT

Use of Breathalyzer tests suspended by multiple DAs in Massachusetts

Half a dozen district attorneys in Massachusetts have suspended the use of Breathalyzer tests while questions about the reliability of the machines are resolved. A spokesman for the state declined to say what issue is being investigated or when it arose. However, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan told the Boston…

Apr 24, 2015 9:55 AM CDT

Pro se murder defendant found in contempt should be removed as his own counsel, DA says

A self-represented capital murder defendant who removed exhibits from court records should be treated like any other attorney, a Texas prosecutor said at a Tuesday day hearing. “Hold him in contempt,” Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham urged Judge Jack Skeen, Jr. “Even if he never serves one extra day…

Apr 21, 2015 3:15 PM CDT

Chicago prosecutor will dismiss misdemeanor marijuana cases

In the latest move in a continuing push toward decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana and other drugs, a Chicago prosecutor’s office has announced that it will no longer pursue such cases. Instead of being prosecuted by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, offenders will either be let…

Apr 20, 2015 5:00 PM CDT

Trial set to begin for former SS guard charged as accessory to 300,000 murders in World War II

In what could be the first case to test an innovative German government approach to prosecuting concentration camp guards for the deaths of Jewish prisoners during World War II, a 93-year-old man is scheduled to start trial on Tuesday in Lueneburg. Oskar Groening is charged with being an accessory to…

Apr 20, 2015 10:55 AM CDT

US attorney ‘close to the edge’ in comments on indicted lawmaker, but federal judge won’t nix case

The U.S. attorney for Manhattan went “close to the edge” in public comments about indicted lawmaker Sheldon Silver, a federal judge said Friday. However, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni denied a motion to dismiss the case against former speaker Silver, due to Preet Bharara’s conduct. Silver, a Democrat, is still…

Apr 13, 2015 11:05 AM CDT

Judge orders embattled state AG to show why she shouldn’t be held in contempt for axing prosecutor

Already in the midst of a grand-jury probe over her claimed release of confidential information to a newspaper to hurt a political rival, Pennsylvania’s attorney general has now been asked by the judge overseeing the investigation to explain why she fired a top prosecutor. Longtime prosecutor James Barker, who served…

Apr 10, 2015 2:45 PM CDT

Prosecutors hid proof of innocence in NYC shooting case, says man exonerated after 24 years

Jonathan Fleming had a strong alibi as to his whereabouts at the time of a fatal 1989 shooting. When the New York City crime was being committed, he was vacationing in Florida. And he had a time-stamped paid hotel telephone bill to support his story. But when he turned over…

Apr 8, 2015 4:00 PM CDT

Federal prosecutor and ATF agent sidelined after affair comes to light; 3 new trials granted so far

During his trial for selling guns illegally, a client of Georgia defense attorney Amy Lee Copeland’s watched a federal prosecutor challenge his girlfriend’s credibility as a witness. The girlfriend shouldn’t be believed, contended prosecutor Cameron Ippolito, because of her relationship with the defendant, Christopher Walker. But, unbeknownst to the defense…

Apr 8, 2015 11:25 AM CDT

2nd Circuit refuses to reconsider its ruling limiting insider-trading convictions

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit will not hear a challenge to a December ruling which sharply limited the ability of federal authorities to bring insider-trading cases. The New York Times reported Friday that the court issued a brief order denying a request by U.S. Attorney…

Apr 3, 2015 3:00 PM CDT

Sexual harrassment suit filed by 2 deputy DAs against their former supervisor

Two deputy district attorneys for Los Angeles County are suing their former supervisor, saying he sexually harassed them and gave out “stale” cases when they rejected him. According to the Los Angeles Times, Tannaz Mokayef and Beth Silverman’s lawsuit says profanity and sexual favors are commonplace in the major crimes…

Apr 3, 2015 2:40 PM CDT

Reward increased to $50K in shooting of federal judge at his home

A reward has been increased to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of two men who shot a Detroit federal judge in the knee during an attempted robbery at his home last month. U.S. District Judge Terrence Berg is recovering but may face knee replacement surgery later,…

Apr 2, 2015 1:35 PM CDT

Turkish prosecutor taken hostage by terror group dies after courthouse shootout

Updated: A Turkish prosecutor died after two gunmen disguised as lawyers took him hostage in an Istanbul courthouse on Tuesday. The members of a terrorist group threatened to kill him if an investigation was not handled to their satisfaction, authorities said. Both gunmen were killed following a shootout with special…

Mar 31, 2015 12:20 PM CDT