Friday, May 25, 2012

On a Roll with Releases, the Justice Department Defends Its Decision Not to Prosecute Bill Allen for Sex Crimes

Anchorage--


The Justice Department announced today that a probe by its internal ethics unit had found no misconduct in the federal government's decision not to prosecute cooperating government witness and convicted briber Bill Allen for crimes involving sexual acts with underage girls.   


The Anchorage Daily News reported that a Justice Department official wrote U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R.-Alaska) that the investigation by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) uncovered no evidence that the decision to decline prosecution of Allen was driven by "corrupt, improper, or impermissible considerations."   


The letter from Assistant Attorney General Ronald Welch said that the decision not to bring sex-related charges against Allen "appears well within the legitimate exercise of prosecutorial discretion, and was based upon application of the Principles of Federal Prosecution, which includes an evaluation of witness credibility and due process considerations."  



No comments: