Jury Selection Begins in Trial of Ex-Prosecutor Accused of Operating Law Firm as RICO Enterprise
Jury selection began this week in Newark in the latest federal trial of a former state and federal prosecutor accused of operating his New Jersey law firm as a racketeering enterprise.
Paul W. Bergrin, 57, a once-prominent defense attorney, faces 26 counts including murder and drug trafficking. He is accused of selling large quantities of cocaine in an operation he is accused of running from his Newark law firm and conspiring with others, including a fellow New Jersey lawyer, to murder a witness against a client in 2008, the Record recounts. The Associated Press also has a story.
He has been jailed for the past several years. As in his first trial, in 2011, which ended in a mistrial, he plans to defend himself.
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Expanded New RICO Indictment Accuses Alleged Rogue Attorney of More Law-Firm-Related Crimes”
ABAJournal.com: “Attorney Paul Bergrin’s Biggest Trial is About to Begin: His Own Racketeering Case”
ABAJournal.com: “Pro Se Ex-Prosecutor Accused of Conspiring to Murder an FBI Informant Wins a Mistrial”
