DOJ Prosecutors Cited for Misconduct in Stevens Case

An internal investigation of the Department of Justice's prosecution of former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens concluded that two prosecutors committed reckless professional misconduct and should be disciplined through forced time off without pay. DOJ officials advised Joseph Bottini be suspended without pay for 40 days and James Goeke be suspended for 15 days without pay. The Blog of LegalTimes reports:

“The collapse of the Stevens case in April 2009 was a major blow to the Justice Department. Stevens, one of the longest serving U.S. Senators, had been charged with concealing information on financial disclosure reports. 

“Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. asked U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan to throw out the Stevens case in April 2009 after a review of the case revealed prosecutors did not follow rules in disclosing information to Stevens’s lawyers.”

Stevens narrowly lost his 2008 reelection bid because of his conviction on the later dismissed charges. He died in a plane crash in August 2010.