Brooklyn, NY – The lawyer in a $150M “wrongful conviction” lawsuit against the city dropped a bombshell today, charging in court papers that District Attorney Charles Hynes’ office routinely “detained” witnesses against their will in order to coerce testimony.
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The NEW YORK DAILY NEWS (http://nydn.us/133Wcig) is reporting that Joel Rudin—attorney for Jabbar Collins, who was freed after spending 15 years in prison for killing a rabbi—stated in court papers that Hynes’ office was running a “private jail system” where witnesses were “illegally interrogated” and “forcibly detained indefinitely”
In papers filed, Rudin quotes the testimony of a deposed former investigator for the DA’s office who described the practice of using “warrants” to “arrest” uncooperative witnesses and then holding them in hotel rooms to secure their whereabouts.
The forearm investigator’s testimony also describes how witnesses were stripped, handcuffed, and demeaned until they cooperated.
In a May deposition, a former supervising paralegal testified that she “routinely” signed the name of prosecutor Michael Vecchione to sworn affidavits which were ultimately approved by a judge, ordering the arrest of witnesses.
It’s time for Joe Hynes to pack his bags. The more we learn about him the more it becomes clear that we need a new DA.
Like Rabbi Belsky says about another case, there is a lot that people just don’t know. But just like with Frum molesters, G-d has a plan and when he chooses to expose the corrupt and the evil amongst us, they surely will be exposed.
It’s hand written on the wall the corruption that’s going on behind closed doors at the DA’s office. And were sitting back. What there really doing is comparable to the the constatration camp’s. What’s puzzling is there is nobody from the DA’s office to comment. They get lost in the woodworks. “What A Shame” it’s time to vote out Mr. Joe Hynes.
I don’t know about a paralegal signing a bureau chief’s name, but there is such a thing as a material witness. This is when the District Attorney gets a warrant to arrest a witness because they will not otherwise be available for trial. Often the judge allows the witness to be held in a hotel with police guards rather than sending them to Rikers to “civil jail”.
The allegations about demeaning these witnesses certainly would be illegal. Before believing everything a civil attorney, who sees a paycheck of 1/3 of any award, one really should check the law.
In twenty-nine years in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, I believe I used a material witness order three or four times.