Powerful New York Prosecutors Under Scrutiny As Many Convictions of Likely Dirty Cop Are Probed

[marmar]

ProPublica / By Joaquin Sapien

Powerful New York Prosecutors Under Scrutiny As Many Convictions of Likely Dirty Cop Are Probed
Investigation of 50 cases involving Brooklyn police officer Louis Scarcella launched after his alleged role in wrongful conviction for murder.


June 23, 2013 | Two are now New York State judges. Several others are accomplished lawyers at some of the city’s more respected firms. Four have risen to be senior officials in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, one of the largest municipal law enforcement agencies in the country.

These people – and likely dozens of others – are linked in at least one, suddenly noteworthy way: they prosecuted cases over the last two decades with Louis Scarcella, a former Brooklyn homicide detective whose work, and possible misconduct, has become the focus of intense public scrutiny. Charles J. Hynes, the current top prosecutor in Brooklyn, has ordered a formal review of 50 cases that Scarcella investigated, an enormous undertaking that was prompted by Scarcella’s alleged role in wrongly convicting a Brooklyn man of murder more than 20 years ago.

The stakes for Scarcella are obvious and serious: a possibly ruined reputation; exposure to possible litigation; concerns about his personal safety (he and his house have already received some formal protection from the New York City Police Department).

To date, Hynes has refused to say explicitly whether his inquiry will examine the work done by the prosecutors who worked alongside Scarcella, accepting his evidence, making use of the confessions he obtained, vouching for the witnesses he helped locate and interview. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/powerful-new-york-prosecutors-under-scrutiny-many-convictions-likely-dirty-cop-are