Posted on 06/05/2009 6:41:04 AM PDT by calcowgirl
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department called for the release of two convicted former state lawmakers in Alaska because of prosecutorial errors, in a new embarrassment for the department after it dropped charges against former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.
Former Alaska state Reps. Peter Kott and Victor Kohring, both Republicans, were convicted in 2007 on bribery and extortion-related charges. Mr. Kott was sentenced to six years in prison and Mr. Kohring received a 3½-year term.
Attorney General Eric Holder said a review of the two cases showed that prosecutors failed to provide information that should have been disclosed to the defense. The same type of error doomed the Justice Department in the Stevens case, which followed a years-long probe of the powerful Republican senator from Alaska.
... The judge also ordered a criminal probe into possible misconduct by the prosecutors from Justice's public-corruption section who handled the Stevens case.
The department didn't drop charges against the two Alaska state representatives, but it asked a federal appeals court to send the cases back to the trial court for further proceedings in light of the new evidence disclosures. It asked that the men be released from prison on personal recognizance. The department didn't say what evidence prosecutors failed to disclose.
After prosecutors dropped their case against Mr. Stevens, lawyers for Messrs. Kott and Kohring filed legal motions seeking undisclosed exculpatory evidence from the government. All three cases shared a key government witness: Bill Allen, head of Veco Corp., a now-defunct oil-services company, who had testified to paying bribes to Alaska public officials. In the Stevens case, prosecutors failed to turn over evidence that contradicted Mr. Allen's trial testimony.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
FYI Ping
Can someone explain how, if at all, this will be used to hurt Sarah. We all know that if there’s anyway that can be done, it will happen......
Hmmmm, a lot of ink was spilled describing how Palin took on the crooked “old boys” and won. Were these two part of the old boy network she fought? Could this be an oblique move by that most apolitical Atty Gen to set up Palin as a “co-conspirator” in a tainted conviction?
If you can’t beat them in an honest election, prosecute them, hide exculpatory evidence, destroy their lives.
That’s democrats for ya!
“Could this be an oblique move by that most apolitical Atty Gen to set up Palin as a “co-conspirator” in a tainted conviction?”
That was my first thought reading the article.
Holder must believe (or know) these two are anti-Palin and will be able to stir up more false accusations against her.
He might even have a deal with them to do just that.
Or....
Maybe, just maybe, it has nothing to do with Palin
and he realized that overzealous prosecutors denied
these legislators a fair trial.
Perhaps you’d prefer they just rot in jail so as not
to possibly embarrass Sarah?
You have a lot more faith in Holder’s objectivity than do I.
There have been several investigations launched after misconduct in the Ted Stevens trial was discovered. This action is resulting from that. Right now, there is a bright light shining on Holder and his investigation of the Public Integrity Section. The court also has an investigation going, with prosecutor punishment pending. Given the current circumstances related to those prosecutors and FBI agents, I don’t think Holder would be playing political games.
Allen “testified” because the Feds threatened
to put his son in jail
take away over 70 million $ from the sale of Veco
and
the fedgov blocked prosecution in a drugs for sex crime that is still pending locally. Some of the ‘girls’ were 13 Y/O at the time - and addicts as well.
So much misconduct, in so many cases, the FedGov teams were at one point known as "The New Alaska Railroad".
Palin involvement - zip.
Thanks..Just saw this ping now.
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