Sentencing/Post Conviction

Judge Says New Evidence in Troy Davis Murder Case Is ‘Largely Smoke and Mirrors’

A Georgia federal judge re-examining the evidence has concluded that jurors would still find death-row inmate Troy Anthony Davis guilty of murder, and new evidence to the contrary is “largely smoke and mirrors.” U.S. District Judge William Moore issued a 172-page order on Tuesday rejecting Davis’ claim that he is…

Aug 25, 2010 4:13 PM CDT

Trained Dogs Sniff Out Smuggled Jailhouse Cellphones

Cellphones are contraband items in jails and prisons, since they can help inmates communicate, both with each other and the outside world, to coordinate illicit activity. But finding devices that are smuggled inside by family members, friends and even guards could be very difficult … until recently. After discovering that…

Aug 24, 2010 7:01 PM CDT

Lawyer Swindled in E-Mail Scam Gets 5 Years for Stealing from Clients

A Maryland med-mal lawyer whose own wrongdoing was revealed after he was swindled in an e-mail scam was sentenced Monday to five years in prison. Bradley Schwartz, 62, will be eligible for parole in 15 months, the Washington Post reports. Still, his sentence is longer than recommended by state guidelines.…

Aug 24, 2010 1:23 PM CDT

Pro Se Defendant Blames Judge for Conviction ... And Is Pro Se Again in New Trial

A pro se defendant who sat silently through much of his trial is now blaming the Indiana judge who oversaw the Vanderburgh County case for allegedly failing to warn him adequately of the dangers of self-representation and failing to notice his troubled mental state. As a result of his jury…

Aug 23, 2010 6:28 PM CDT

Judge Orders Defendant to Write About ‘Nonsensical Character’ of Medical Pot Laws

A Nevada judge has ordered a drug defendant who works at a California law firm to write a report about the “nonsensical character” of medical marijuana laws after hearing testimony about his manipulation of the system. Matthew Palazzolo, 25, must submit his report about California’s law within 90 days, according…

Aug 23, 2010 1:34 PM CDT

Software Is Predicting Hard Crime

Cue Tom Cruise from Minority Report, where he played a “pre-crime chief” in the future who solved murders and made arrests before they happened. Researchers are pushing reality’s envelope nearer that fiction. For one, software developed by Richard Belk, who teaches criminology and statistics at the University of Pennsylvania, predicts…

Aug 20, 2010 5:04 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Okla. Bombing Conspirator’s Suit Over Prison Food

A federal judge in Denver has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma bombing conspirator Terry Nichols that contends his prison diet is cruel and unusual and a violation of his religious rights. U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello ruled the food didn’t amount to cruel and unusual punishment, according to stories…

Aug 20, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Peru Court Revokes Parole of Lori Berenson, American Jailed for Claimed Marxist Ties

An American woman who recently won parole after being jailed for nearly 15 years in Peru for her alleged cooperation with Marxist revolutionaries has been ordered to return to prison. The revocation of Lori Berenson’s parole by a Peruvian court was attributed to an unverified address for her residence in…

Aug 18, 2010 8:35 PM CDT

DA Will Reinvestigate Sex-Abuse Case Chronicled in Documentary

Prosecutors in Nassau County are responding to a critical federal appeals court opinion blasting the prosecution of a 1980s sex-abuse case chronicled in the documentary Capturing the Friedmans. District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced Tuesday that her office will reinvestigate the prosecution of Jesse Friedman with a panel of law enforcement,…

Aug 18, 2010 1:49 PM CDT

Pro Se Inmate Scores 7th Circuit Win, Says His Own Lawyer Was Targeted by the Feds, Too

A pro se prison inmate has notched a federal appeals court victory in a drug and weapons case, winning a ruling from the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that a trial judge erred by not looking more carefully at a claimed conflict of interest on the part of…

Aug 17, 2010 5:47 PM CDT

2nd Circuit Blasts Judge, Prosecutors in Sex Abuse Case Chronicled in Documentary

A federal appeals court has upheld the sexual abuse conviction of a New York man whose case was chronicled in a documentary, even as the panel blasted the trial judge and prosecutors who got swept up in the “moral panic” over child abuse. The New York-based appeals court suggested the…

Aug 17, 2010 3:54 PM CDT

Ex-Associate Says ‘Unbillable Hours’ at Latham Made the Job Worthwhile

Having gone to law school at the University of Texas for lack of a better career option, Ian Graham turned out to be a stellar student. A BigLaw job was his virtually by right, and when Graham was interviewing, Latham & Watkins stood out, he recounts in a recently published…

Aug 17, 2010 11:02 AM CDT

Woman Gets 21 Years House Arrest for Theft on Condition She Repay Ex-Employer

A Philadelphia office manager who admitted to stealing almost a half-million dollars from her boss was sentenced to a 21-year house arrest, unless she repays the man first. Lanette Sansoni, who worked for title company owner Kenneth Slomine, has repaid $180,000 of her debt so far, after selling her home.…

Aug 13, 2010 5:40 PM CDT

Judge in Lindsay Lohan Case Steps Aside After Claims of Ex Parte Communications

Accused of having improper ex parte communications without a prosecution representative present, the judge in the Lindsay Lohan case has stepped aside. Although there appears to be little more for the new judge to do, now that the 24-year-old actress has been released from jail and gone into rehab, Judge…

Aug 11, 2010 10:23 PM CDT

Angry Judge Says Lerach Won’t Get Community Service Credit for Teaching Class

Former inmate and lawyer William Lerach won’t be able to help satisfy his community service requirement by teaching a law school class. In fact, he won’t be teaching the class at all. On Monday, an “incensed” U.S. District Judge John Walter of Los Angeles denied Lerach’s motion to get community…

Aug 10, 2010 1:42 PM CDT