SCOTUS fish case could free friend of Boston bombing suspect, lawyer says
A U.S. Supreme Court decision this week for a fisherman charged under a post-Enron law could benefit a friend of the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing.
The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the Sarbanes-Oxley law, which bars destruction of “any document, record or tangible object” to impede a federal investigation, does not apply to a fisherman who tried to hide undersize fish. The court found that the law applies to things akin to records and documents but not fish.
The friend, Azamat Tazhayakov, was convicted last year for removing a backpack from the room of bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and throwing it in a dumpster. Tazhayakov’s lawyer, Nicholas Wooldridge, tells the Boston Globe that the ruling could lead to reversal of his client’s conviction.
“He’s a good kid,” Wooldridge said of his client in the Boston Globe interview. “He’s been in [custody] for nearly two years, and I am excited for him to come out. He really deserves to come out of there.”
A lawyer for Dias Kadyrbayev, a second friend of Tsarnaev’s who pleaded guilty to the same charge for hiding the backpack, said he is reviewing the Supreme Court decision.
Related articles:
ABAJournal.com: “Citing pending SCOTUS fish case, judge delays sentencing for friends of accused Boston bomber”
ABAJournal.com: “Friend of alleged Boston Marathon bomber is convicted of obstructing justice”
