Assault<br>Not<br>Guilty

Assault
Not
Guilty
Prosecutorial
Misconduct

In The News

Unfortunately, manufactured evidence in the criminal justice system is not limited to cases such as the Central Park Five. Our client, a business owner and former U.S. Marine, was charged with second-degree assault—a felony carrying a five-year mandatory prison sentence. It should have been a relatively straightforward case for the prosecution to make. But based on his core values our client refused to plea bargain, so the matter was set for a jury trial. Our investigation revealed that members of the district attorney’s office had asked two witnesses to embellish their testimony to increase the likelihood of convicting our client. One of the two witnesses was a prominent trauma surgeon who told the jury in open court that the prosecution had asked him to change his medical-scientific findings and exaggerate the extent of the complaining witness’s injuries. In front of the jury, the doctor identified the prosecutors that had asked him to change his testimony to say that the alleged victim had suffered “serious bodily injury” when only minor injuries were diagnosed. Our client was acquitted of all charges. The presiding judge orchestrated the discharge of the attorneys that had attempted to taint the evidence. On top of preserving our client’s freedom and reputation, our work on this seemingly run-of-the-mill case led to permanent positive change in the legal community.

Related Practice Areas

  • Crisis Management
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  • Public Corruption
  • White-collar Crimes