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2788 ABA Journal Prosecutors articles.

$1M Bond for $25 Theft Lowered After Prosecutor Calls Amount ‘Silly’

The jail in Hamilton County, Ohio, is already overcrowded. But that didn’t stop a local municipal court judge from setting a $1 million bond for Gary Weaver. So what is Weaver accused of doing? The charge is that he stole about $25 by paying for items with what looked like…

Apr 1, 2008 6:13 PM CDT

Former DA on Mission to Eliminate Closed-Door Sentencing Review Panels

Bolstered by support from the legislature, prosecutors in Georgia are mounting a full assault against the state’s system of judicial review panels that, in some cases, reduced prison terms. The challenge, which is being reviewed by the state supreme court today, could impact dozens of inmates whose sentences have already…

Mar 31, 2008 5:34 PM CDT

Ex-Houston DA Fined $19K for ‘Venomous’ Deletion of E-Mails

A federal judge has ordered Houston’s former district attorney Charles Rosenthal to pay almost $19,000 for his “venomous” deletion of thousands of e-mails. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt imposed the sanction after finding Rosenthal in contempt of court for violating a subpoena for the e-mail in a civil rights lawsuit,…

Mar 31, 2008 1:04 PM CDT

Former Ala. Gov. Wins Release Pending Appeal

A federal appeals court has ordered that former Alabama Gov. Donald Siegelman be released on bond. He has already served nine months in prison since he was convicted of bribery. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Siegelman had raised “substantial questions” in his appeal and could be…

Mar 28, 2008 2:10 PM CDT

DOJ Considers Dropping Charges Against Defense Lawyer

The Justice Department is considering whether to drop charges against a prominent Miami defense lawyer accused of laundering money by accepting fees from drug dealers. A government motion (PDF) filed Monday says a new lead prosecutor is now handling the controversial case against Ben Kuehne and is undertaking a review…

Mar 28, 2008 11:51 AM CDT

20-Year Texas Prosecutor Convicted of Stealing Office Funds

At the beginning of the week, Ray Sumrow was the district attorney in Rockwall County, Texas. But by the end of the day on Monday, the 20-year prosecutor was a convicted felon, and, by Tuesday, he had, at least temporarily, been removed from office by the judge presiding over the…

Mar 26, 2008 5:25 PM CDT

Why the Feds Aggressively Pursued Spitzer

Many federal prosecutions of large prostitution rings were brought before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when prosecutors were forced to refocus their resources. Now there are about 450 active cases, but the recent investigations mostly involve large amounts of money or special circumstances such as human trafficking and underage prostitutes.…

Mar 21, 2008 11:05 AM CDT

Supreme Court’s Juror Ruling Reinforces Batson’s Bar on Bias

The U.S. Supreme Court issued an important decision yesterday emphasizing the importance of eliminating racial bias in jury selection, according to the lawyer for a black murder defendant who won a retrial in the case. The high court ruled a trial court erred when it allowed a prosecutor to remove…

Mar 20, 2008 12:01 PM CDT

Jail for False Wash. Rape Case ‘Victim’; Prosecutors Will Now Be More Careful

When Katherine Clifton told Seattle area authorities last year that she had been raped, she was “an extremely articulate and credible victim. There was no reason to suspect she wasn’t telling the truth,” a King County Sheriff’s spokesman says. But she wasn’t. The suburban Seattle woman was sentenced to a…

Mar 19, 2008 8:46 PM CDT

‘Karma’ Ensnares Four California Prosecutors

Three California prosecutors have been accused of ethical wrongdoing while a fourth has been suspended. Donald Steedman, the supervising deputy trial counsel for the state bar, told the Recorder (sub. req.) that it’s unusual to have so many cases pending against prosecutors. He believes the reason is nothing more than…

Mar 19, 2008 6:13 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rules Prosecutor’s Exclusion of Black Juror Was Improper

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled a trial court erred when it allowed a prosecutor to remove a black juror partly on the ground that he appeared nervous. The prosecutor, Jim Williams, had cited nervousness and the juror’s obligations as a student teacher when he exercised a peremptory challenge to…

Mar 19, 2008 3:03 PM CDT

Top 10 Deadbeat Parents Targeted in Calif. County’s Most Wanted Poster

They’re reportedly the worst of the worst in Los Angeles County, owing between $63,000 and $427,000 in unpaid child support concerning a total of 17 children. So, under a new program unveiled today, these 10 individuals will be featured on a public most-wanted poster, reports the Los Angeles Times. In…

Mar 18, 2008 11:57 PM CDT

Gitmo Lawyers Say Gov’t. Interferes With Defense

Lawyers for four Kuwaitis being held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, say government prosecutors are violating standard legal ethics rules by contacting defendants whom they know to be represented by counsel. In an emergency petition last week, they contend the chief military prosecutor says he doesn’t…

Mar 18, 2008 12:16 AM CDT

Spitzer Prosecutor Once Targeted Drug Kingpins

Updated: Boyd Johnson III is known as a likable guy with a self-deprecating sense of humor, but don’t mistake his demeanor for laziness. He’s a determined prosecutor who targeted international drug kingpins before he put together the case against a high-priced prostitution ring that led Gov. Eliot Spitzer to resign,…

Mar 14, 2008 11:38 AM CDT

Minnesota Officials Recorded Inmate’s Phone Calls to Lawyer

A Minnesota attorney reportedly is livid after Becker County officials admitted that they have been recording his telephone calls with an incarcerated client. Although the officials say they haven’t actually listened to the attorney-client phone calls, and delete privileged conversations before passing the tapes on to prosecutors, defense lawyer Rory…

Mar 13, 2008 10:19 PM CDT

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