Constitutional Law

Quite a case

Appellate opinion here, in pdf.

Defendant was prosecuted for tax evasion (and got ten years) and for soliciting the murder of government officials (and got 33 years for that). Key witness to the latter testified he was a Marine vet, served in secret missions in or after the Korean War, had a purple heart and silver star, and when challenged, pulled out the service paperwork to prove it all. It was discovered that he'd forged the paperwork, enlisted years after the Korean War ended, had no service in Korea, his only injury was a car crash in the US. Motion for new trial denied ... and the Court of Appeals reverses the denial. It notes that prosecutors knew a lot of his story was fishy, and kept mum on it.

Full post as published by Of Arms and the Law on June 10, 2008 (boomark / email).