Legal News

Breaking News: Gov. to Drop All Charges Against Ted Stevens

By Ashby Jones

It probably didn’t play out exactly the way Ted Stevens had hoped it would. But in the end, it worked out just fine for the former Alaska Senator. AG Eric Holder announced this morning that he is dropping all the charges against Stevens, who was was convicted last year on corruption charges. Click here for the Washington Post’s story; here for the AP’s. Click here, here and here for LB posts on the situation.

Holder had reviewed the case because of charges of prosecutorial misconduct that were being examined by the federal judge presiding over the case. The prosecution is expected to file a motion to drop the charges in U.S. District court this morning, said a Justice Department official.

Said Holder in a statement: “After careful review, I have concluded that certain information should have been provided to the defense for use at trial. In light of this conclusion, and in consideration of the totality of the circumstances of this particular case, I have determined that it is in the interest of justice to dismiss the indictment and not proceed with a new trial.”

Last month, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who heard the case against Stevens, held four prosecutors in contempt for failing to give defense attorneys documents concerning allegations of misconduct by members of the government’s legal team.

Stevens, who lost his reelection bid just a week after his conviction, was seeking to have the conviction tossed out in light of misconduct allegations, made by an FBI agent who worked on the case.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on April 01, 2009 (boomark / email).