|
|
|
PAUL A. "TONY" LACY,
(OCDW 10.16.06), Federal Public Defender (W.D. in OKC), last Wednesday, October 11, 2006, put the government to the test and did not even have to wait for the jury to acquit his client because the judge did it for him(!) Tony's client, a retired Deputy United States Marshal, was charged by Indictment with cockfighting in Indian Country. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District recused, as did the judges, and Judge Ronald White from Muskogee was assigned the case. At the conclusion of the government's evidence, Judge White granted Paul's Motion for Judgment of Acquittal. Tony reports that Judge White gave his client a fair trial and made the proceedings pleasant for everyone, including the jury. The government's case began to unravel the week before trial when one of the government's witnesses recanted the identification of the client. That count was dismissed. By the time of trial, the government's case fell apart further when witnesses did not testify in conformity with their interview reports and the government had no other direct evidence of the client's involvement in the dastardly crime of cockfighting. Way to go, Tony! NOTE: This is the THIRD federal jury trial in a row that Tony has won either by outright acquittal or Rule 29 Motion(!!!) We need a name for that. In hockey it is called a hat trick, but I do not know what to call it in the world of criminal defense. Any ideas?
|
|
|
