Prosecutors

Former Federal Prosecutor Accused of Raiding Law Firm Account

A former federal prosecutor has been indicted in Massachusetts on charges that he stole at least $150,000 from a bank account for his former law firm. Philip Giordano, 49, will be arraigned Jan. 15 in Suffolk Superior Court on “multiple charges of larceny and making false entries in a corporate…

Dec 20, 2007 7:03 PM CST

Ex-U.S. Attorney Returns to the Job in San Francisco

The U.S. Senate has approved the nomination of Joseph Russoniello to become Northern California’s new U.S. attorney, according to Cal Law’s blog Legal Pad. The blog says Russoniello hadn’t yet heard the news when a reporter called for comment yesterday evening. He was attending a holiday party at a yacht…

Dec 20, 2007 3:43 PM CST

Mukasey Limits White House Contacts in Pending Probes

New guidelines issued by Attorney General Michael Mukasey limit contact between Justice Department and White House officials in pending civil and criminal investigations. The guidelines say the Justice Department will advise the White House about such pending matters “only where it is important for the performance of the president’s duties…

Dec 20, 2007 11:34 AM CST

Manslaughter Case Against Company Over ‘Big Dig’ Accident Continues

In an unusual and much-watched manslaughter case against one of the companies working on the controversial “Big Dig” tunnel project in Boston, a Massachusetts judge refused yesterday to dismiss the criminal charge. Defendant Powers Fasteners Inc., which is the only contractor charged in the manslaughter case, had contended that the…

Dec 19, 2007 6:31 PM CST

New Suit in Duke Lacrosse Rape Case

The fallout continues over a botched investigation and prosecution of an escort service dancer’s allegations—eventually determined to be false—that she was gang-raped in March 2006 by former members of the Duke University men’s lacrosse team. Three former team members who were never charged in the case have filed a 400-page…

Dec 19, 2007 5:15 PM CST

Ex-Judge Has Law License Suspended for Affair With Prosecutor

A former Colorado judge has had his law license suspended for three years after an affair with a prosecutor. Grafton Minot Biddle of Douglas County was accused of having an affair with deputy district attorney Laurie Hurst. Despite the liaison, she had appeared in his courtroom for two trials and…

Dec 19, 2007 1:51 PM CST

Congress, DOJ Clash re CIA Videotapes Probe

Congress and the Department of Justice apparently may be headed for a showdown over the issue of whose investigation takes precedence concerning videotapes of al-Qaida interrogations destroyed by the CIA. Members of the House Intelligence Committee reacted angrily yesterday to a Justice Department request that the committee postpone their investigation…

Dec 15, 2007 9:47 AM CST

Corp. Crime Crackdown: Many Serve Minimal Sentences

Despite a renewed emphasis on corporate compliance in recent years and a high-profile crackdown on executives who don’t play by the rules, such prosecutions may be sending a mixed message to those tempted by white-collar crime. That’s because nearly half of the defendants convicted in such cases during the past…

Dec 13, 2007 7:00 PM CST

Kansas Agog Over AG Sex Scandal

An admitted extramarital affair is the least of it. A longtime employee in the Johnson County, Kan., district attorney’s office says she was sexually harassed by the new state attorney general as part of a two-year affair that involved courthouse trysts and alleged interference with cases being prosecuted by her…

Dec 12, 2007 11:57 PM CST

Lawyer: CIA Has Photos of Outsourced Torture of Gitmo Suspect

A lawyer for a Guantanamo Bay terrorism suspect allegedly tortured in Morocco when his interrogation was outsourced by the U.S. says the CIA was present and has photographs of the physical abuse of his client. Binyam Mohamed, a 27-year-old Ethiopian was sliced in the chest and penis by interrogators during…

Dec 11, 2007 6:43 PM CST

Widow of City Attorney to File Suit Blaming DA for Suicide

The widow of former Denver city attorney Larry Manzanares plans to sue the district attorney who investigated her husband, saying the investigation and a press conference contributed to his suicide. Peggy Montaño has filed a letter of intent to sue District Attorney Scott Storey, the Denver Post reports. Storey filed…

Dec 10, 2007 2:28 PM CST

N.Y. Times: CIA Destroyed al-Qaida Suspect Interrogation Tapes

Updated: Apparently seeking to avoid Congressional scrutiny and lessen the risk of legal repercussions against agents involved, the CIA reportedly destroyed in 2005 at least two videotapes that showed al-Qaida suspects in CIA custody being harshly interrogated. The CIA also was concerned that the recordings of the 2002 interrogations, if…

Dec 6, 2007 11:15 PM CST

Discovery Spat in Mich. Murder Case

Often it’s the defense that complains about the prosecution withholding evidence in pretrial discovery in a criminal case. But prosecutors are seeking an emergency order from the Michigan Court of Appeals to stop a murder trial scheduled to start Monday because the defense allegedly didn’t produce critical evidence. Allison Bates,…

Dec 6, 2007 9:26 PM CST

Motor Voter Law a Fast Track to Crime

Proudly proceeding on a fast track toward legal residency and eventual U.S. citizenship, Beth Keathley was so excited about having had a chance to vote in her first American election that she mentioned the milestone to her immigration officer. The next thing she knew, she had been charged with a…

Dec 3, 2007 9:45 PM CST

Judge Axes Verdict Due to Racist Remarks

A federal judge in Utah has thrown out a guilty verdict in an assault case against an American Indian defendant because of jurors’ racist remarks during deliberations. Rather than focusing on the allegations against defendant Kerry Dean Benally, who was accused of assaulting a federal officer investigating a report that…

Dec 3, 2007 8:37 PM CST