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Another federal judge assails federal prosecutors when dismissing Blackwater prosecution

By Douglas A. Berman

As detailed in this Washington Post article, another federal judge has concluded a criminal case by ruling that prosecutorial mistakes (and misconduct?) precludes continued criminal prosecution. Here are the basic details: A federal judge dismissed charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians in a controversial shooting in a busy Baghdad square two years ago in a ruling that sharply criticized the tactics of Justice Department prosecutors handling the case. The judge, Ricardo M. Urbina of the District's federal court, found that prosecutors and agents had improperly used statements that the guards provided to the State Department in the hours and days after the shooting.  The statements had been given with the understanding that they would not be used against the guards in court, the judge found, and federal prosecutors improperly used them to help guide their investigation...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on January 01, 2010 (boomark / email).