Posted on 06/16/2007 1:28:45 PM PDT by stinkerpot65
Edited on 06/16/2007 4:05:02 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Nifong Accepts Disbarment David Freedman, Mike Nifong's attorney, has just announced that Nifong has accepted that disbarment is an "appropriate" penalty, and has accepted both disbarment and waived the right to appeal.
(AP) RALEIGH, N.C. District Attorney Mike Nifong will be disbarred for his disastrous prosecution of three Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape, a disciplinary committee decided Saturday. Even the veteran prosecutor said the punishment was appropriate.
"This matter has been a fiasco. There's no doubt about it," said committee chairman F. Lane Williamson.
Nifong sat motionless, one hand resting over his mouth, as Williamson recounted how he engaged in dishonest and deceitful conduct. He said Nifong's early comments about the case — which included a confident proclamation that he wouldn't allow Durham to become known for "a bunch of lacrosse players from Duke raping a black girl" — were purposefully designed to boost his campaign for district attorney.
"At the time he was facing a primary, and yes, he was politically naive," Williamson said. "But we can draw no other conclusion that those initial statements he made were to further his political ambitions."
Nifong will not appeal the punishment, his lawyer said.
"He hopes this helps restore some of the confidence in the criminal justice system of North Carolina," said attorney David Freedman.
"On one hand, it's very devastating. On the other hand, he's been going through this process for a long time, so you always have some semblance of relief when the process is over with regardless of the outcome."
The North Carolina State Bar charged Nifong with breaking several rules of professional conduct, including lying to both the court and bar investigators and withholding critical DNA test results from the players' defense attorneys.
The committee, after deliberating for a little more than an hour on Saturday, unanimously agreed with the bar on almost every charge — including the most serious allegations — that Nifong's actions involved "dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation."
State Bar prosecutor Douglas Brocker told the committee that as Nifong investigated the allegations that a stripper was raped and beaten at a March 2006 party thrown by Duke's lacrosse team, he charged "forward toward condemnation and injustice," weaving a "web of deception that has continued up through this hearing."
"Mr. Nifong did not act as a minister of justice, but as a minister of injustice," Brocker said.
The verdicts and the punishment did not appear to surprise Nifong, who acknowledged during sometimes tearful testimony Friday that he would likely be punished for getting "carried away a little bit" when talking about the case.
During Saturday's closing arguments, Williamson repeatedly interrupted Nifong's attorney, Dudley Witt, as he discussed the DNA testing.
Williamson questioned why it took several months for the defense to get DNA test results that found genetic material from several men in the accuser's underwear and body, but none from any lacrosse player.
"It wasn't just one little oversight," Williamson said later. "This was conduct over an extended period in a very high-profile case."
Aware of those test results, Nifong pressed ahead with the case anyway and won indictments against Dave Evans, Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty. State prosecutors later concluded the three players were "innocent" victims of a rogue prosecutor's "tragic rush to accuse."
Nifong made "multiple, egregious mistakes" as he pursued the charges, but not intentionally, his attorney said in closing statements.
"It didn't click," Witt said as he tried to explain one of his client's errors. "His mind is just his mind. That's the way it works. It just didn't click."
Brocker said Nifong had to have known he was making improper comments to reporters. Nifong said he regretted some of his statements, including a confident proclamation that he wouldn't allow Durham to become known for "a bunch of lacrosse players from Duke raping a black girl."
He also focused on when Nifong learned about the full extent of the DNA test results and when he shared that information with the defense.
Nifong gave defense attorneys an initial report on the DNA testing in May 2006 that said private lab DNA Security Inc. had been unable to find a conclusive match between the accuser and any lacrosse players.
But lab director Brian Meehan testified this week that he told Nifong as early as April 10, 2006 — a week before Seligmann and Finnerty were indicted — about the more detailed test results.
Nifong testified that when he gave the defense the initial report, he "believed at the time that I had given them everything."
The disciplinary hearing committee had the choice of suspending Nifong's law license or taking it away entirely.
Nifong told the panel hearing the case Friday that he would resign from his post as Durham County district attorney over his handling of the rape charges.
The players' attorneys have pledged to seek criminal contempt charges next week in Durham.
I would hope that each of them (as well as Duke University) will be subjected to any and all manner of lawsuits for years to come! Any alumnus of that school who is forking over donations should be proud to fund the legal defense since they are obviously delusional anyway!
Let’s not forget about the LaCrosse coach that lost his job. I hope he sues Duke BIGTIME!
Prosecutors are supposed to be the good guys, it’s the defense attorneys that are supposed to be the slimy ones.
This guy got what he deserved.
A true businessman.
He took the hit, cut his losses and hopes they don't dig anymore to incriminate him.
I’d say it’s extremely likely.
Duke already settled with their former lacrosse coach. Didn’t go to court. Duke didn’t want it to, I expect, and opened their checkbook.
Naaah, at least this guy has prosecuted someone. From what I can tell, that hasn’t happened with W’s JD.
Yup, because he deserved going to jail. He got off lightly. Much more lightly than the innocent men who he tried to put in jail in order to promote his failed career.
This will be the end of it. It’s not the end of it for the families of the innocent men who now have to pay their legal bills.
If this nifong creep were a decent man, he would give the innocent men all his assets and write a book describing how he tried to put them in jail, but give the proceeds to the innocent men.
None of that will happen. The media will drop it. All over. Until the next innocent white man is lynched.
Works for the pro-Amnesty politicians too.
Paris Hilton will do more time than Crystal Mangum. Hell, she'll probably do more time than that sh*theel Nifong.
What you say is the truth. I was raised to respect my elected officials, LE, and the judicial system. I now spit in their general direction, with the exception of honest cops, and a small number(very small)of elected officials like Hunter and Tancredo.
Last year, a man named Rod Bernsen was charged with inappropriate contact with minors, while on a cruise ship. His brother is actor Corbin Bernsen, and his mother(name escapes me)has played Catherine Chancellor on "The Young and the Restless for many years. Rod Bernsen was in LE for 17 years, and did the traffic report for the local Fox affiliate before he and his family moved to Colorado.
This past week, Mr. Bernsen was aquitted by a jury of all charges, praise God. He gave an interview on Good Day LA and detailed how this impacted his life. First of all, the boys thought he had complained to the cruise ship about their behavior, but it turned out to be another man who turned them in. They decided to get even by making a false accusation. Mr. Bernsen stated that he will no longer be alone with anyone's child, even for a second. He also stated that he now has doubts about the people he was responsible for arresting during his law enforcement career. This man is a changed man.
My bf was railroaded over 5 years ago for a crime he didn't commit. His ex wanted the house when she found out he had started divorce proceedings, while she was in rehab for her meth addiction. His sister paid for it. The place was not cheap, either. To get the house, she needed custody of the kids. What trumps being a meth head? Yep. When they couldn't force the girls to lie, and there was no physical evidence that they had been abused, his ex got another girl to lie. I don't want to say much more, because he is hell bent on getting this appealed. All we need is to find a sack of money laying by the side of the road :( He and his family went through 20k, and when his lawyer knew he didn't have any more money, told him to accept a plea bargain.
To add insult to injury, he's on that site. Yeah, that one. Don't believe the description of the crime some of these folks have tacked to their photo either. They come up with the most vile, revolting language. We watched some of the proceedings this morning regarding Nifong. I'd like to see every DA who has ever crapped on his/her oath of office to get the same treatment.
Sorry this is so long, but this case has affected us personally, like Michael Jackson being aquitted.
I'm trying to figure out, on at least a local level, which DA's engage in this mockery of the justice system. Then vote them out of office. I'd have to start early, and go over every case they've ever been involved with. Yuck.
If this is true, then Nifong is even a bigger fool than I first thought. If he is willing to accept disbarment before the fact, then he should have been willing to forfeit his law license to avoid this entire proceeding. Now he is on record saying all these incriminating things that will only serve to jack up the amount of punitive damages in the upcoming civil trial.
Not even close.
I didn't know this. I hope he made Duke hurt.
Thanks Albion, occasionally I do shake the cobwebs out and appear moderately less silly. =-)
If Ugly was a crime, she’d get life.
Is he going to be prosecuted? and that stripper needs to face the law as well. these 2 destroyed the lives these young people. I want to see the wheels of justice move on that damn whore stripper that made all this up. Jesse and Al Sharpon wtf do you have to say now? are you going to apologize to these victims of racial pandering which you two punks seem to do very well. you pieces of crap go to hell!!
Good riddance ! Any prosecution in the past that had any of his involvement should be reviewed and dealt with accordingly. His disbarment should be for life ! Part of it should include a ban on him teaching any college course, not only law but anything else.
“Now, is to lose every personal asset he has to repay the players.”
Nifong took out a $106,000 mortgage on his house on 2/27/07.
I don’t think he has much left.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1816345/posts?page=324#324
His retirement should be taken away. He didn’t complete his term. His retirement should be applied towards the legal fees of the Duke players.
Jail him! And the lying woman too.
They need to vastly increase the penalty for false prosecutions.
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