Military officials raided Marine law offices, may have compromised cases

Stars & Stripes ^ | May 9, 2014 | Michael Doyle

[Timber Rattler]

An unusual government search of Marine Corps defense attorneys’ offices at California’s Camp Pendleton could cast a cloud over dozens of criminal cases.

The search May 2, which lasted about two and a half hours, included investigators opening more than 100 case files compiled by defense attorneys, Marine Corps officers say. The search went beyond what was necessary and exceeded applicable legal standards, officers think.

[Timber Rattler]

According to several Marine Corps officers familiar with the May 2 search incident, it arose out of prosecutors’ interest in a defendant’s cellphone for a particular Camp Pendleton investigation. A defense attorney offered to provide the phone but wanted a judicial order first. Instead, officers say, a prosecutor — known as a trial counsel — showed up accompanied by at least four armed Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division agents. They had a search authorization, similar to a search warrant, but signed by a local commander rather than a judge.

Someone's career just went kaput!

[Diogenesis]

How many Hasans were freed this time?

[Tennessee Nana]

Someone’s career just went kaput!
__________________________________________

Good

probably was a commander interfering with a rape case...

white victim, black rapist...

[Gen.Blather]

This is astonishing. Has anything like this ever occurred before?

I saw an interview with the Kuwaiti lawyer for the man accused of trying to kill former president Bush on Bush’s visit there. The reporter asked, “Is he guilty?” The man’s own attorney said, “Hell yes!” I suddenly realized why we have an adversarial system, as annoying as it can be at times. Well, the actions in this article does away with the basis of that system.

[Perseverando]

Just a little “undue command influence.”

[MCF]

Why would you even write that? You are ether prejudice and narrow minded or a Troll.

[moovova]

"You can't handle the truth!"

[The Working Man]

Why would you even write that? You are ether prejudice and narrow minded or a Troll.

---

Sadly, it could be because of what we read in the newspapers and on the internet on a regular basis.

I must confess, I thought something similar. Sorry about that.

[blueunicorn6]

I don’t know. There has been a fight going on over who controls the military: Commanders or lawyers.

[PowderMonkey]

"The trial counsel escorted the agents into the defense offices, and then left. Wearing light blue latex gloves, investigators found the cellphone within about 20 minutes. Nonetheless, officers say, the search continued for another two-plus hours."

Pretext. They had one.