Paul Calli, left, of Carlton Fields represented Africa sting defendant Stephen Giordanella. Judge Richard Leon acquitted him in December.
After the DOJ today dropped the remaining indictments, Calli said:
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The government’s abandonment of all charges and all indictments against all remaining accused persons is a just end to an ill-conceived prosecution gone further awry.
Our client, Mr. Giordanella, was acquitted and the foreperson of the jury observed that “a number of jurors were troubled by the nature of the FBI sting operation.” Unfortunately it took two years and two trials spanning a total of six months for the government to accept responsibility for its error in judgment, and pull the plug. Hopefully, this administration will rethink its position regarding manufactured “sting operations.”
The DOJ’s reliance on partnerships with criminals like Richard Bistrong are fraught with immoral implications and create petri dishes for government mischief.
This fake case wasted millions and millions of dollars in tax payer money and changed the lives of the innocent people who were exonerated. This sort of injustice should never happen and I worry about the extent to which it will tarnish the reputation of the Department of Justice, earned over many years previously.
I know however that one result will be a marked increase in trials in white collar cases going forward, and a decrease in extracting guilty pleas from the innocent. That increase in trials is a beautiful thing.
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