guilty pleas – Tickle The Wire

Sentencing Shift Gives New Leverage to Prosecutors

allan13 years ago13 years ago02 mins

By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. New York Times GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After decades of new laws to toughen sentencing for criminals, prosecutors have gained greater leverage to extract guilty pleas from defendants and reduce the number of cases that go to trial, often by using the threat of more serious charges with mandatory sentences or…

Feds Step Up Crackdown on Graft in Calif. Tomato Processing Biz

allan16 years ago16 years ago02 mins

The food industry is grabbing unwanted publicity as of late. Peanut butter and tomatoes. What’s next? For the sake of us chronic snackers, please don’t mess with the Potato CHIPS! By Demian Bulwa, San Francisco Chronicle SACRAMENTO — Federal investigators stepped up a crackdown on alleged graft in California’s huge tomato-processing industry by securing guilty…