Federal Judge Emmett Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is once again on a tear against federal prosecutors, this time for not disclosing favorable information to defense lawyers.
On Monday, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss charges against foreign national Zhenli Ye Gon, who was accused of importing large amounts of methamphetamines into the United States. Ye Gon was arrested after the largest drug-related seizure of cash in history when authorities took $205 million in drug profits from his Mexico City mansion.
Since the 2007 arrest in Maryland, one witness has refused to testify, while the other has recanted. While citing “evidentiary concerns,” Paul Laymon claims the “overwhelming reason” for dropping the charges was to allow the prosecution to be carried out in Mexico.
But Sullivan isn’t convinced, and wants a declaration from the Justice Department indicating when the government learned that one of the witnesses would no longer testify and that another witness had recanted. Sullivan believes that the prosecutors knew for “months” but only disclosed the information to the defense very recently.
Sullivan has ordered follow-up status conference next week.
Also, you can read about Sullivan’s grilling of Obama DOJ lawyers defending Dick Cheney here.
