(US Atty) Pat Fitzgerald Boots One (accidentally releases names of sources in fraud case

The Smoking Gun ^ | 1-7-09

[STARWISE]

In a remarkable screw-up, a Department of Justice official today accidentally distributed to the media a document containing the names of nearly 20 confidential witnesses interviewed during a federal probe targeting the operators of a fraudulent investment scheme.

In announcing felony charges against two men for their roles in an alleged $15 million Ponziesque swindle, the spokesman for Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (he of Rod Blagojevich- and Scooter Libby-prosecuting fame) e-mailed reporters a 62-page U.S. District Court complaint filed against John Walsh and Charles Martin, principals of the now-defunct One World Capital Group.

Included in the document was a one-page key that identified by name sources referred to in the complaint only by monikers such as "Employee A," "Customer D," or "Individual F."

The inadvertent disclosure of the sources--former One World employees, customers, and "other" individuals who spoke with FBI and IRS agents--caused Fitzgerald spokesman Randall Samborn to send an urgent follow-up email asking journalists to destroy the complaint due to the "non-public information disclosing the identities of persons not named in the affidavit."

A copy of the source key, which we've strategically blurred, can be found here.

[midwyf]

I suspected that Fitzgerald deliberately sprung the trap for Blago in order to keep Obama from being caught up. Now I’m beginning to wonder if he isn’t loosing a few marbles.

[dools007]

It was only a matter of time. I never believed his Blogo investigation would go very far. We are, afterall, talking about Chicago and the demrat/Mafia machine.

[jaydubya2]

"Credit card and bank records show Martin spent more than $1 million at a strip club and restaurants, nearly $1 million at hotels and $1 million renting private jets, prosecutors said. He also purchased a fleet of luxury vehicles, donated hundreds of thousands to celebrity charity events and hired bodyguards, they said."

And the rest he just plain wasted...

[Munz]

Obviously intentionally done;

had to be, they dont make “mistakes” like that