Pennsylvania AG hires high-profile attorneys before grand jury testimony, says she followed the law

Pennsylvania’s top lawyer testified Monday before a grand jury investigating whether her office leaked secret investigative material, but told reporters beforehand that her office did nothing wrong in disclosing information and said she planned to tell the panel the truth. “The Office of Attorney General has cooperated from the beginning…

Nov 19, 2014 6:15 AM CST

Feds cite ‘epidemic’ of debt-collection abuse, charge 7 individuals and company in ongoing probe

A Georgia-based debt-collection company, its owner and six employees have been criminally charged in what is described by federal authorities as a $4.1 million national scheme that took advantage of more than 6,000 people. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of Manhattan, who is overseeing the case, says a larger investigation of…

Nov 18, 2014 5:17 PM CST

Manhattan DA will use bank settlement funds to process rape kits nationwide

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance announced Wednesday that he will use up to $35 million in asset forfeiture funds to help fund the processing of rape kits around the country. Vance said the money comes in part from funds distributed to local entities in a nearly $9 billion settlement by…

Nov 14, 2014 5:45 AM CST

It’s unethical for prosecutors to lend out letterhead to debt collectors, ABA opinion says

District attorneys should not contract out their letterhead to private debt collection companies, who then use that official letterhead to scare consumers into paying debts. ABA Formal Ethics Opinion 469 (PDF) explains that this practice violates ABA Model Rules against lawyer conduct involving dishonesty or misrepresentation and aiding or assisting…

Nov 12, 2014 7:02 AM CST

New York City prosecutor is accused of choking woman at a bar

A New York City prosecutor has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from an incident at a bar in which he allegedly choked a woman. Eli Cherkasky, 35, was charged with misdemeanor assault, obstruction of breathing, menacing and harassment, report the New York Times and the New York Daily News.…

Nov 10, 2014 12:06 PM CST

Lawyer cites high-risk pregnancy in trial delay request; federal judge questions her travel plans

Criminal defense lawyer Deborah Misir is still waiting for an answer after citing her pregnancy in an Oct. 16 request for a delay in a federal corruption retrial scheduled for Jan. 5. Federal prosecutors have opposed Misir’s request, and U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas of Manhattan has yet to decide…

Nov 10, 2014 7:36 AM CST

Federal prosecutor is nominated to replace Eric Holder

Updated: Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch has been nominated to replace Attorney General Eric Holder. The formal announcement was made Saturday, the New York Times and the Washington Post reported. “She has spent years in the trenches as a prosecutor, aggressively fighting terrorism, financial fraud, cybercrime—all while vigorously defending civil…

Nov 7, 2014 6:00 PM CST

Dallas County DA known for exposing wrongful convictions loses to GOP challenger

A district attorney who was in the national spotlight for freeing more than 30 inmates said to be wrongfully convicted has lost his re-election bid. Dallas County District Attorney District Attorney Craig Watkins lost in Tuesday’s elections to his Republican challenger, Susan Hawk, report the Dallas Morning News, the Associated…

Nov 5, 2014 7:46 AM CST

Former state trooper is charged with sending DUI arrestees’ racy photos to his own phone

A now-former California Highway Patrol officer is facing felony charges concerning two women whose racy photos he allegedly forwarded to his own cellphone after arresting them for driving under the influence. Sean Harrington, 35, “abused his authority” and deeply regrets his “insensitivity,” his attorney said Monday. Harrington himself, who was…

Nov 4, 2014 2:20 PM CST

Prosecutor removed from office over domestic case will go into private practice

A West Virginia prosecutor who faces misdemeanor charges over alleged domestic incidents involving his ex-wife and 11-year-old son has opted not to appeal a judicial panel’s determination that he should be removed from office. “My family and I have been attacked for almost a year. I love being a prosecutor,…

Nov 4, 2014 10:50 AM CST

Juror recognizes defendant’s name on sample ballot in DA race

A juror in Clark County, Nevada, told a judge on Monday that she noticed the defendant’s name on her sample election ballot. The defendant, Raymond James “Jim” Duensing, hopes to unseat the DA whose office is prosecuting him on charges of resisting a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon, and…

Nov 4, 2014 9:33 AM CST

Bats invaded courthouse as Halloween loomed

When Zac Weiland walked into court on Friday, the assistant Utah prosecutor heard scratching sounds: Bats were in the ceiling, walls and stairwells of the Washington County Justice Center, and Weiland even saw one struggling to get out of a light fixture. “I don’t like bats,” he told KSL. “I…

Nov 3, 2014 6:55 AM CST

ABA opinion offers guidance on ethics compliance to managers and supervisors in prosecutors’ offices

Nov 1, 2014 1:40 AM CDT

Sole opponent to sitting DA is being tried in firearms case as election looms

Opening statements were made Thursday in a felony firearms case against the sole attorney running for election next week against an incumbent Nevada prosecutor. Defendant Raymond James “Jim” Duensing, who was shot multiple times by a Las Vegas police officer during a 2009 traffic stop, is charged with resisting a…

Oct 31, 2014 12:30 PM CDT

Washington Supreme Court rules that defendants accused of rape do not have burden of proving consent

The Washington Supreme Court has ruled that a rape defendant does not have the burden of showing a preponderance of evidence that the sex act was consensual, Reuters and the Associated Press report. The 6-3 ruling (PDF) reversed the court’s earlier decisions, saying the requirement resulted from wrong interpretations of…

Oct 31, 2014 11:51 AM CDT