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D'oh! Another Screwup By Stevens Prosecutors
Those Ted Stevens prosecutors are just looking more and more clueless.
The Anchorage Daily News reports that William Welch, the head of the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, wrote a letter to the judge January 30, admitting that he erred when he said last month that a group of government employees, who were cited in an FBI agent's publicly-filed complaint, alleging improprieties by government officials, "want their story to be made public."
In the complaint, the FBI agent, Chad Joy, had accused a fellow agent and prosecutors of violating FBI policy and fair-trial rules. But Welch has now acknowledged that not all of the employees had agreed to have their names released.
This latest screwup comes on the heels of another slip, in which prosecutors have gone back and forth on whether Joy meets the technical definition of a protected government whistleblower.
As the ADN puts it
:
"Initially, when prosecutors sought to keep the complaint secret, they said he was a protected whistle-blower. When they sought to make the complaint public, they said he wasn't.
The defense has also filed a complaint alleging that a female FBI agent on the case had an improper personal relationship with one of the key witnesses for the prosecution, former oil-services exec Bill Allen.
And even before Stevens, the former Alaska GOP senator, was found guilty in late October of concealing gifts from Allen on his Senate disclosure form -- a conviction he is appealing -- prosecutors were reprimanded by the judge for not turning over key evidence to the defense.
Stevens' defense team has already filed a motion that the charges be dismissed, on account of government misconduct. And in a new filing made yesterday, they went further, arguing that the government should be held in contempt.
"The government still does not get it. Over and over again, it has been caught red-handed making false representations to the Court and the defense," defense attorney Robert Cary wrote.
| TOPICS: Bill Allen, FBI, Justice Department, Ted Stevens, Veco
Josh
Zachary
It's the old clown show. Either they are seriously deficient in basic lawyering skills or they're trying to mess up this case. Any other explanations? What do we pay these Prosecuters to do their jobs anyway? Have they ever tried a case before? How well did they do on their previous prosecutions viz messing up - not winning or losing although prosecuters are at an advantage and should convict more often or not.
February 6, 2009 3:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
A nothing issue...Why should it be made secret. Stevens is a public figure and everything should be in the open. Even the whistleblowers statement.
February 6, 2009 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bill Allen came to the attention of the FBI in Alaska when its been rumored (here) that he was accused of participating in a ring of 'old pervy guys who got caught buying sex from underage girls with drugs' along with Art Boehm, (owner of a large industrial supply firm in Alaska).
Bill Allen and the FBI had a relationship long before Uncle Ted was dragged into it.
The rumor-mill in Alaska basically says that Bill Allen opened his little black book to get out of federal drug & prostitution charges - I think we are now seeing the results of an overeager (and apparently weak) prosecution of a 'bigger fish'. The FBI was overconfident that convicting Ted would be easy and therefore didn't do some basic shit to make sure it stuck, (like not let Bill's new FBI girlfriend participate in Ted's prosecution).
Nothing like an ego to cancel out a 6-figure education. Yay for laywers.
February 6, 2009 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
What we are seeing is "justice for the wealthy", or trial by attrition.
Stevens' attorneys are simply spending his money trying to obfuscate and to smear the prosecution. Poor people don't get that kind of "defense".
February 6, 2009 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I strongly disagree. I very much doubt Steven's money had any impact on the inquiry by the integrity division of the DOJ.
Just because he's spending lots on his defense doesn't mean the prosecution didn't massively screw up. The prosecution seems to have made some very bad and very stupid errors in this case.
While I think Stevens should rot in jail, even he deserves a fair trial. Given his crimes, there was absolutely no reason for the feds to play this so fast and loose. Stevens will get a new trial and he deserves it. If the prosecution does a good job, Stevens will once again be convicted.
Even a defendant with no money and a public defender would have probably gotten a new trial after this ridiculousness came to light.
February 6, 2009 6:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just another example for us peons that those in charge have little fear of doing things which us ordinary citizens would be spending hard time for after being caught.
In this case, Stevens acted because for years, he was omitted from any penalties....
Now, the justice department folks are doing likewise, knowing full well, it is almost impossible for them to actually have to pay penalties for "misstating" facts, and absolutely NO chance of penalties for just being inept and screwing up... IMHO
February 6, 2009 9:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ya gotta get out of the micro crap
Ya know Josh this is Muuch more than the site of the announcer...and that is illicit credit to you personally likely and the backpush ...but in the gust of rapid reality , that readers seek to masticate for the better meant of humanities gentlely waving hurtle , please get abit more macro ol man. the wing of the dambed fly ihas been looked at too dam gently by the too (aswell)dambed gentles for too damb insufferably extenuatngly long .
Yeshua
make the site see the change
grapple this piece without the alamo auto
Massive Losses...latest News
A picture speaks a thousand words. I have a picture of my daughter, happy and looking up into the air waving outside her schoolgates.No slick negotiated hindsighted press statement can change the reality of what the world saw during Israel's Operation Cast Lead.Those who seek mitigation for the deaths of hundreds of Gaza schoolchildren , should reserve their statements for a court of law.Media dispatches are all under multi point scrutiny this era and beyond.Credibility is not so easily earned
Moses
February 8, 2009 7:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well I hope if I ever get indicted and charged with a crime I'm in political office and wealthy because right now is a great time to get away with just about anything if you are in that position.
February 9, 2009 1:11 PM | Reply | Permalink