Connecticut

Lawyer Admits Destroying Child Porn Evidence

A Connecticut lawyer has entered a guilty plea and admitted he destroyed a computer that contained evidence of child pornography. Philip Russell pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony for failing to report knowledge of a felony to law enforcement, the Associated Press reports. Russell had represented a Greenwich church…

Sep 27, 2007 5:11 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Knowledge Used Against Him

Connecticut lawyer Philip Russell has a lot of expertise in child pornography cases—but it may hurt his defense in a prosecution for destroying evidence. Prosecutors say Russell should have given the FBI his client’s computer containing child pornography instead of destroying it. He is accused of obstructing justice under the…

Sep 26, 2007 2:18 PM CDT

Furor Over Presentence Story About Jurors

An unusual front-page newspaper article about jurors selected, after four months of questioning, to determine the sentence in a high-profile death-penalty case has caused a furor. The prosecutor, defense counsel, at least some jurors, and journalism experts are among those questioning the Connecticut Post’s judgment in printing the article, according…

Sep 14, 2007 5:00 PM CDT

Told of Threat to Tot, Lawyer Kills, Repents, Gets 12 Years

A Connecticut patent lawyer who killed his neighbor after his wife reportedly told him the man had molested their 2-year-old daughter was sentenced today to 12 years in prison. Meanwhile, it appears that the alleged Aug. 28, 2006 attack on the toddler that led to the killing may never have…

Aug 31, 2007 9:21 PM CDT

Saggy Pants Ban Fails in CT Town

Saggy pants are getting the attention of town councils that want to stop the epidemic of exposed underwear and buttocks. The Connecticut town of Stratford yesterday rejected a proposed ordinance that would have fined people whose “pants which fall below the buttocks” the New York Times reports. The proposal would…

Aug 28, 2007 3:49 PM CDT

Court Nominee Withdraws Over Illegal Alien Claim

A nominee for the Connecticut Appellate Court has withdrawn his name from consideration after a flap over his claim that the court system is closed to illegal aliens. John R. Downey, a judge on the state’s superior court, apologized in a letter announcing his decision, the New York Times reports.…

Aug 23, 2007 2:27 PM CDT

Warrant Issued for Missing Lawyer

Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of the lawyer who disappeared after admitting in a letter that he embezzled money from clients. Police belief Jonathan Hoyt stole at least $500,000 from clients before he disappeared, leaving his abandoned Lexus in a parking lot near a Bridgeport, Conn., train…

Aug 8, 2007 6:16 PM CDT

1st African-American State’s Atty in CT

The first African-American to serve as a state’s attorney in Connecticut was sworn in today in Hartford. Gail P. Hardy, 44, took her oath of office and begins overseeing prosecutions in the Hartford Judicial District today, reports the Hartford Courant. She was previously a senior assistant state’s attorney for the…

Aug 1, 2007 11:32 PM CDT

CT Parole System Hit

Connecticut’s parole system is under scrutiny as a result of a home invasion and triple murder, allegedly committed by two paroled burglars. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes, accused of breaking into the home of a physician and killing his wife and her two…

Jul 31, 2007 12:53 PM CDT

Dear Son: I Stole From Firm Clients

When attorney Christopher Hoyt began reading the letter from his father earlier this month, it was clear he wasn’t going to be having a good day. “I have embezzled funds from my clients,” his father, Clinton, Conn., attorney Jonathan Hoyt, wrote in the July 7 missive. It includes advice on…

Jul 30, 2007 11:06 PM CDT

Condemnation Thriving in N.J., N.Y.

Forty states have passed laws to curb eminent domain powers since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2005 that cities may seize land for private economic development. But strong protection bills have failed to pass in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, the New York Times reports. “New Jersey…

Jul 30, 2007 4:52 PM CDT

Arrested Attorney Gambled Away $800 K

A run of good luck has apparently ended for a graduate of Yale Law School who has been a member of the Connecticut bar for more than 40 years and reportedly until now has had an unblemished record as a trusts and estates attorney. Richard C. Hannan Jr. was arrested…

Jul 23, 2007 10:37 PM CDT

New Haven First: Illegal Immigrant IDs

Taking an alternative approach to a deluge of illegal immigrants that has prompted some municipalities to crack down, a large college town in Connecticut is instituting a controversial first-in-the-nation program to offer them identification cards. Starting tomorrow, illegal immigrants in New Haven can get city-issued ID cards that will let…

Jul 23, 2007 7:03 PM CDT

Warhol Painting Dispute Decided

The rightful owner of “Red Elvis” is Peter Brant, a man who paid $2.9 million for the Andy Warhol painting without realizing it was stolen, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled. Brant made a reasonable effort to make sure the Swedish art dealer who sold him the silk screen had…

Jun 26, 2007 5:10 PM CDT

Ethical but Unemployed

Attorneys May Put Their Jobs at Risk by Reporting Other Lawyers’ Misconduct

Mar 21, 2006 9:13 AM CST