This change has been a long time coming. The disparity in sentencing was a simple minded approach to a complicated issue that has plagued America’s inner cities where crack cocaine sales are most prevalent. There has to be a smarter approach to dealing with this problem that has lead to the deterioration of so many…
Could this case be named “Stevens II” after ex-Sen. Ted Stevens, whose conviction was erased because of government misconduct? Pressure continues to mount for the Justice Department to review the ex-governor’s conviction. Chances are there will be a review. By JOHN SCHWARTZ and CHARLIE SAVAGE New York Times Less than a month after the Justice…
The legal maneuvering in this case continues as trial approaches. So far, Jefferson’s attorneys haven’t been able to derail the case despite their best efforts. By Bruce Alpert and Jonathan Tilove New Orleans Times-Picayune WASHINGTON — Attorneys for former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson say the Justice Department has edited secretly recorded conversations to give a…
The ugly chapter involving the questionable relationship between mobster Whitey Bulger and the FBI continues to rear its head in Boston. It seems the Justice Dept. has to owe up to the facts of the case and move on. Boston Globe Columnist Kevin Cullen feels the Justice Department isn’t doing that. He says the department…
By Stephanie Gallagher Fraud With Peril Blog The Department of Justice has had several high-profile incidents in the past few weeks calling into question the integrity of its prosecutors – specifically the aftermath of the Ted Stevens trial, during which prosecutors failed to disclose exculpatory evidence, and the Shaygan trial in Miami, during which prosecutors…
By Professor Ellen S. Podgor White Collar Crime Prof Blog A “not guilty” verdict was returned on a drug case in Miami, but what happened during the investigation and prosecution of this case has now resulted in an award of $601,795.88 under the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment allows for attorney fees when a “prevailing…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — As part of a shake up in the Justice Department, career prosecutor Mary Patrice Brown will head up the Office of Professional Responsibilty, an internal unit first established in 1975 following the Watergate scandal to police ethical breaches. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Jr. announced that Brown would serve as…
The pressure is on for the Justice Department to get its act together. That pressure was turned up this week when a federal judge not only dismissed the conviction of ex-Sen. Ted Stevens, but appointed an independent lawyer to investigate possible criminal wrongdoing on the part of the government in the case. By Carrie…
