Prosecutors

Amid Lawsuit, County Says Its Ability to Oversee Prosecutors’ Office Is ‘Limited’

In the wake of a civil lawsuit against the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office, the county’s three commissioners said Monday they have limited oversight of the department and the decisions of its top prosecutor, who is chosen by voters. “While the Board of County Commissioners is generally responsible for overseeing all aspects of county government, the elected County Attorney is solely responsible for overseeing the functions of the County Attorney’s office, including its investigative, prosecutorial and law enforcement functions,” Commissioners Chairwoman Tara Reardon wrote in a letter distributed Monday. “As a result, the Commissioners are limited in their ability to determine how the County Attorney’s office is run and where it focuses its efforts.” Last week, former sexual assault investigator Jennifer Adams sued Merrimack County and County Attorney Robin Davis, who is accused of creating a hostile work environment since taking over more than seven months ago. Through her attorney Charles Douglas, Adams has brought multiple civil claims against Davis and the county in Merrimack County Superior Court, including intentional infliction of emotional distress, gender discrimination and aiding and abetting unlawful discriminatory practices. Adams is seeking


Wilmington Trust Reaches $60M Settlement With Prosecutors

Wilmington Trust Corp., the only financial institution to be criminally charged in connection with the federal bank bailout program, reached a $60 million settlement with prosecutors Tuesday just as the corporation and four former top executives were set to go to trial on bank fraud charges. “The bank being removed from the case has really upset the strategy and planning and preparation for the …


Judge Rules Bill Cosby’s Testimony in Lawsuit Can Be Used at Sex Assault Trial

A Pennsylvania judge has ruled that damaging testimony Bill Cosby gave in an accuser’s lawsuit can be used at his criminal sex assault trial.

The defense had insisted that Cosby only testified after being promised he wouldn’t be charged in the Andrea Constand case.

Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill concluded Monday that Cosby never had a promise from prosecutors that he could never be charged. The 79-year-old Cosby acknowledged in the 2006 deposition that he had given young women drugs or alcohol before sexual encounters. He called them consensual, but many of the women say they were drugged and molested. …


Alaska School Hid Evidence of Employee Sexually Abusing Disabled Kids – Lawsuit

Begich Middle School teacher’s aide Julianti Clarke, 62, was charged with abuse in October 2014, after surveillance video showed her fondling a disabled male student in the lunchroom. In November 2015, prosecutors agreed to a plea deal that would let Clarke serve 48 hours of community service and dropped the charges. In a lawsuit filed this week in Anchorage Superior Court, the student’s …



VW: Prosecutors in Germany and France Widen Probes

Prosecutors in Germany and France have broadened their investigations into the emissions scandal at Volkswagen. Authorities in Paris have opened a formal probe into “aggravated fraud” over the use of diesel engine devices that gave misleading emissions results. And German prosecutors said the number of VW employees now under investigation has increased from six to 17.