Sentencing/Post Conviction

Scruggs II: Once-Renowned Trial Lawyer Pleads in Another Court Corruption Case

Already serving a five-year prison term for his role in a scheme to bribe a Mississippi judge concerning a dispute over Hurricane Katrina legal fees, once-renowned trial attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs pleaded guilty today in a federal mail-fraud case. “According to prosecutors, Scruggs was involved in a scheme ‘to deprive…

Feb 10, 2009 8:28 PM CST

Life Sentence Affirmed for Lawyer Convicted of Torturing Wife

A California appeals court has affirmed a life sentence for a former criminal defense lawyer convicted in 2006 of torturing his wife. Prosecutors had contended Richard William Hamlin tortured his wife in hopes she would accuse her father of molesting her as a child so they could file a multimillion…

Feb 10, 2009 2:16 PM CST

Calif. Must Plan to Release Up to 60,000 Inmates, Federal Panel Says

Although it’s not yet a final decision, a special panel of federal judges ruled today that California must begin planning to release tens of thousands of state prison inmates over the next several years. “California’s 33 prisons hold about 160,000 inmates, nearly twice their designed capacity. The judges said they…

Feb 10, 2009 1:26 AM CST

Once-Renowned Ohio Lawyer Became Client Disaster, Due to Drug Habit

When Ken Lawson’s professional life first began to spiral out of control, his sterling reputation helped save him from any significant repercussions. “Clients, colleagues and judges say they cut the Ohio trial lawyer slack when he began missing appointments or deadlines because they knew he was busy and had done…

Feb 9, 2009 11:48 PM CST

Expert Sues Lawyer Over Judge’s Allegedly Unpaid Bill in Daughter’s DUI

The litigation over a fatal accident in which a Texas judge’s daughter was convicted of intoxication manslaughter and sentenced to a brief jail term has just gotten a bit more complex. Saying that he is still owed more than $25,000, a traffic reconstruction expert has sued defense attorney George “Mac”…

Feb 9, 2009 10:28 PM CST

Timothy Cole, Who Died in Prison in 1999, Exonerated Today in Texas Rape

In what is apparently the first posthumous DNA exoneration in the history of Texas, a state court judge today ordered that Timothy Cole’s rape conviction should be reversed and removed from his record. Convicted in 1986 of raping a student at Texas Tech University the previous year, he died in…

Feb 7, 2009 12:36 AM CST

NY Times Calls for Change in ‘Warped Crackdown on Illegal Immigration’

A perp walk on Wednesday featured more than 200 individuals in shackles and prison stripes headed to a new tent city for illegal immigrants in Phoenix. The tent city, which is surrounded by an electrified fence, is just for illegal immigrants, notes a recent article in the Phoenix Business Journal.…

Feb 6, 2009 8:36 PM CST

Fla. Closing Attorney Pleads in $83M Loan Fraud Case, Could Get 10 Years or Less

A Sarasota, Fla., lawyer pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Tampa to charges that could result in a sentence of eight to 10 years for his role in an almost $83 million loan fraud scheme from which he reportedly received about $7.6 million. According to the plea agreement, John…

Feb 5, 2009 8:39 PM CST

Suspended Pa. Judge Changed Other Judges’ Sentences, His Successor Says

A suspended judge who formerly served as the president judge of Luzerne County had been changing sentences for some convicted felons, often without the knowledge of the judges who originally imposed the sentences, his successor says. “Former Luzerne County President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. bypassed the rest of the…

Feb 5, 2009 7:24 PM CST

FBI Cites Advances in Forensic Technology in New Look at Fatal Tylenol Case

The FBI searched the suburban Boston home yesterday of a man convicted of extortion in the 1982 Tylenol killings, hauling away five boxes and a Macintosh computer. James Lewis lived in the condo since around 1995 when he was released from prison, the Boston Globe reports. He served a sentence…

Feb 5, 2009 1:03 PM CST

Outburst Precedes 60-Year Sentence for Client Who Kidnapped his Lawyer

A client who kidnapped his lawyer at knifepoint was sentenced to 60 years in prison yesterday following a profanity-laced outburst. The client, Richard Hudson, wasn’t in the central Indiana courtroom for the sentence, according to the Anderson, Ind., Herald Bulletin. He was led away after he yelled at his victim,…

Feb 3, 2009 12:48 PM CST

Sentenced to Life for Rape at 13, Man Now Seeks Chance for Parole

In the entire world, only eight people reportedly are serving life terms for rape that were imposed for crimes committed when the defendant was 13 years old. All are in the United States. One is Joe Sullivan, now 33, whose lawyers are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their…

Feb 2, 2009 9:59 PM CST

Client Faces Sentence of Up to 50 Years for Kidnapping Indiana Lawyer

A client who kidnapped his lawyer at knifepoint before dumping him in a nature preserve could be sentenced today to up to 50 years in prison. The lawyer, Thomas Hamer, suffered only minor injuries in the July incident, according to the Anderson, Ind., Herald Bulletin. The client, Richard Hudson, pleaded…

Feb 2, 2009 1:39 PM CST

Incarceration Policy Strikes Out

Exploding prison population compromises the U.S. justice system

Feb 2, 2009 12:50 AM CST

Jailed for Espionage, Ex-CIA Agent Still Spied for Russia, Prosecutors Say

A CIA agent who pleaded guilty to espionage in 1977 has been indicted on charges that he continued to sell secrets to the Russians from an Oregon federal prison. The indictment claims that while he was in prison, Harold Nicholson taught his son, Nathan, how to pass secrets to the…

Jan 30, 2009 12:36 PM CST