Ted Stevens

Judge Demands Report On Prosecutorial Misconduct In Ted Stevens Case Be Made Public

Ryan J. Reilly | February 8, 2012, 10:20AM

Former Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK)

A federal judge in D.C. ruled Wednesday that an unredacted copy of an independent report on prosecutorial misconduct during the federal investigation of the late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) has to be made public by March 15.

U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan said the report written by Henry F. Schuelke "chronicles significant prosecutorial misconduct in a highly publicized investigation and prosecution brought by the Public Integrity Section against an incumbent United States Senator."

Read more »

Eric Holder

Obama Administration Backs Bill Combating Voter Intimidation, Deception

Ryan J. Reilly | December 13, 2011, 6:05PM

United States Attorney General Eric Holder

The Obama administration is signaling support for a forthcoming Senate bill that would impose tough criminal and civil penalties on individuals who make and distribute campaign literature with false information intended to deceive voters and suppress turnout.

Attorney General Eric Holder will announce in a major speech on voting rights in Texas on Tuesday night that Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) will introduce the bill on Wednesday. The bill will be "narrowly tailored" to respect provisions of the First Amendment, according to Cardin's office. It will apply to "only a small category of false communications that occur during the last 90 days before an election, such as literature listing the wrong date or time for the election, giving inaccurate information about voter eligibility, or promoting false endorsements of candidates." A nearly identical bill was introduced by Schumer and then-Sen. Barack Obama back in 2007 but never passed.

In his speech at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library And Museum in Austin, Holder will call for election systems "that are free from fraud, discrimination, and partisan influence" and will say that protecting the right to vote and combating discrimination "must be viewed, not only as a legal issue - but as a moral imperative." Holder's speech also offers a challenge:

Read more »

Jack Johnson

Feds Recommend Significant Sentence In Jack Johnson Corruption Case

Ryan J. Reilly | November 22, 2011, 12:45PM

Former Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson (D) should get a sentence of up to 14 years in prison for his "audacious behavior" which "understandably captured the public's attention and harmed the reputation of Maryland's second-largest county and its 850,000 residents," federal prosecutors said in a sentencing memo this week.

According to the memo, obtained by TPM from the U.S. Attorney's office (it wasn't available in electronic court system), a stiff sentence would be a "deterrent message" and "will resonate significantly with other public officials tempted to engage in similar conduct." They're recommending a judge stay within the recommending sentencing guidelines, which could send Johnson to jail for up to 14 years.

Read more »

Ted Stevens

DOJ Prosecutors Concealed Exculpatory Evidence Against Ted Stevens

Ryan J. Reilly | November 21, 2011, 11:57AM

Former Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK)

A lawyer appointed by a federal judge to investigate allegations of misconduct by Justice Department prosecutors handling the botched corruption case against the late Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) found "systematic concealment of significant exculpatory evidence" -- some of which was "willful and intentional" -- but is not recommending any criminal contempt charges.

The 500-plus page report by Henry F. Schuelke, III -- based on a review of 150,000 pages of documents, interviews with numerous witnesses and twelve depositions -- finds that the Stevens case was "permeated by the systematic concealment of significant exculpatory evidence which would have independently corroborated his defense and his testimony, and seriously damaged the testimony and credibility of the government's key witness," according to an excerpt released by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Monday.

Read more »

Ted Stevens

Senators Press Holder On Probe Of Ted Stevens Trial

Ryan J. Reilly | November 10, 2011, 6:00AM

Former Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK)

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) died 15 months ago. Two-and-a-half-years earlier, the federal corruption case against him was dropped due to allegations of prosecutorial misconduct. Now Attorney General Eric Holder says DOJ's internal investigators are "in the last stages of their examination" of what went wrong in the case and that a multi-hundred page report is on its way.

Read more »

Kevin Ring

DOJ Wants Kevin Ring Sentenced To Two Months More Than Jack Abramoff

Ryan J. Reilly | October 12, 2011, 2:15PM

Federal prosecutors are asking a federal judge to send Jack Abramoff associate Kevin Ring to jail for four years and two months when he's sentenced on Oct. 26.

The Justice Department argued in a Tuesday filing that Ring should serve three years probation after his release and perform community service in lieu of a fine. Ring -- who was convicted of conspiracy, paying of an illegal gratuity and three counts of honest services fraud -- had asked for five years probation for his role in the Abramoff scandal.

Read more »

Bingo Bribery

After Major Setback, Feds Set To Retry Alabama Pols, Casino Owner In Bingo Bribery Case

Ryan J. Reilly | August 15, 2011, 5:30PM

The Justice Department suffered a major setback last week when a federal jury in Alabama tossed out most of the charges in a massive public corruption case involving casino interests allegedly bribing state senators to support a bill legalizing bingo in the state.

But federal prosecutors indicated Monday that they'll give it another go on the charges that weren't unanimously acquitted. A judge has scheduled a new trial for October.

Read more »

Rielle Hunter

How John Edwards' $400 Haircut Lead To Alleged Illegal Donations

Ryan J. Reilly | June 3, 2011, 12:25PM

John Edwards

It was April 2007 and Bunny Mellon, a then 96-year-old wealthy supporter of former Sen. John Edwards, was angry over how the media was over-blowing the news that the North Carolina Democrat got a $400 haircut.

Read more »

Michael Scanlon

Abramoff Pal Michael Scanlon Wants Sentence Reduced Because Of 'Casino Jack' Film

Ryan J. Reilly | February 8, 2011, 10:48AM

Michael Scanlon and Jack Abramoff

Lawyers for Michael Scanlon -- one of the central figures in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal set to be sentenced on Friday -- say their client deserves less than the two years in jail the federal government requested since he "believed he was literally risking his life" by cooperating with the feds.

Scanlon's attorneys throw in everything but the kitchen sink while pointing out reasons why Scanlon shouldn't serve a full two years. One of them: an actor's portray of him in the recent flick "Casino Jack" starring Kevin Spacey has already soiled his reputation.

Read more »

Jarrod D. Massey

Convicted Alabama Bingo Briber Massey Heads To Prison

Ryan J. Reilly | January 20, 2011, 8:55AM

Jarrod D. Massey, a former casino lobbyist who admitted he bought and sold votes in the Alabama state legislator on pro-gambling legislature, went to prison yesterday. And he doesn't even know how long he'll be there.

Read more »

Lanny Breuer

DOJ: We're Not 'Gun-Shy' On Prosecuting Politicians, We Just Can't Prove Crimes

Ryan J. Reilly | December 21, 2010, 9:01AM

Lanny Breuer

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV). Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA). Former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX). Rep. Don Young (R-AK). Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV). What do all these politicians have in common? Despite being embroiled in scandal, all have announced in the past year that the Justice Department wouldn't be pursuing charges against them.

That has put DOJ in the crosshairs of good government groups, who say they've appeared weak by shutting down high-profile investigations of members of Congress.

"Exactly what will a politician have to do for the Department of Justice to sit up and take notice?" Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said this month. "The department might as well disband the Public Integrity Section for all the good it does."

Read more »