Agent Claims Evidence on Stevens Was Concealed

[groovedaddy]

WASHINGTON — An F.B.I. agent who worked on the investigation of Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, who was convicted on ethics charges, has said in a stunning formal complaint that a fellow agent and prosecutors contrived to improperly conceal evidence from the court and the defense.

Among the startling accusations in the statement by the agent, Chad Joy, is that another agent maintained an inappropriate relationship with the prosecution’s star witness. Mr. Joy said his colleague, Mary Beth Kepner, almost always wore pants but on the day the witness, Bill Allen, took the stand, Ms. Kepner donned a skirt, which Mr. Joy said she described as “a present” to Mr. Allen.

Both Mr. Joy and Ms. Kepner continue to work in the Anchorage office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who presided over the Stevens trial in Federal District Court here, has called a hearing Friday to consider a request by Mr. Stevens’s lawyers for a new trial based on Mr. Joy’s complaint, which was filed with the Justice Department as part of a procedure to obtain whistleblower status, which would protect him against job-related retaliation.

Mr. Stevens, an Alaska Republican who lost his campaign for re-election in November, is awaiting sentencing after his conviction on charges involving failure to list on his Senate disclosure form goods and services he obtained from several supporters, but mostly from Mr. Allen, an influential oil-services tycoon in Alaska and a onetime close friend.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/us/politics/11stevens.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

[Tempest]

1. Juror: Accusations of misconduct would not have changed verdict

The evidence was too overwhelming.

http://juror11.blogspot.com/

[groovedaddy]

3. Unfortunately, the judge will make the decision on whether or not to throw the

case out. Fortunately, Stevens wasn't re-elected!

[Tempest]

4. He'll be retried

And reconvicted.

[atreides1]

2. Kind of Late

If this was such a big deal why didn't agent Joy come forward during the trial?

I think there may be more to this.

[happyslug]

5. Probably because when he asked her to were a skirt, she said she would after he did.

And then she wore a Skirt on the day of the trial, which any attorney would have asked her to do, it impresses some jurors and does NOT offend any juror (i.e. low risk, for a woman to wear pants may make her to be viewed as not feminine enough by one juror, and that is enough to affect the whole case). The Federal Attorney probably just asked her and told her it was her choice, but at the same time she has been around enough people to come to the same conclusion, better to wear a skirt then run the chance of a juror taking offense (For this same reason most professional women, to this day, wear a shirt on their interview for a job, when they do NOT know any of the people interviewing them, they may never wear a shirt after that date but for the interview they wear a skirt).

Remember this is a Jury Trial, the jury brings in with it all of its prejudices. Most Lawyers will plan conservatively, i.e. men are clean shaven and close crop hair and in a suit, women in a skirt with makeup on. A Jury trial is a show, put on by both sides to impress the jury, one old joke about juries is their decide the case on which lawyer they like better (Another is which story each lawyer tell that the Jury likes better). Thus you want to impress not turn off the jury and witnesses are told that they are part of a show, dress the part.