A USA TODAY investigation documented 201 criminal cases across the nation in which federal judges found that prosecutors broke the rules. The abuses put innocent people in jail, set guilty people free.
Full coverage | Explore cases | Methodology
Did prosecutors taint Memphis murder trial?
by Brad Heath, USA TODAY (08/17/2011)
Michael Rimmer's attorneys are pursuing an extraordinary strategy to try to save his life. They want a Tennessee appeals court to find that misconduct by prosecutors and police here was so pervasive that the entire Shelby County District Attorney General's Office should be disqualified from the case, and that a new prosecutor should be brought in to review the evidence.
Prosecutors' conduct can tip the scales
by Brad Heath and Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY (09/22/2010)
A USA TODAY investigation found that prosecutors have repeatedly violated their duty to seek justice in courtrooms across the country. The abuses have put innocent people in prison, set guilty people free.
D.C. court asked to disbar federal prosecutor
by Brad Heath, USA TODAY (03/08/2011)
Regulators asked the District of Columbia's highest court on Tuesday to strip a former federal prosecutor of his law license for his "illegal and unethical" conduct during a series of high-profile murder cases in the mid-1990s.
MAP, DATABASE: Explore misconduct cases
USA TODAY's investigation documented 201 cases in which judges threw out convictions or rebuked prosecutors. Examine the cases we identified and explore an interactive map.
Justice Dept. office to punish prosecutors' misconduct
by Brad Heath and Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY (01/19/2011)
The Justice Department created a new internal watchdog office to make sure federal prosecutors face swifter and more consistent punishment if investigators find that they committed misconduct, following a USA TODAY investigation.
VIDEO: Wrongfully jailed
Video by Rhyne Piggott, USA TODAY (09/22/2010)
Nino Lyons served almost three years in jail after he was convicted of trafficking cocaine. It was the evidence jurors never got to hear that eventually set him free.
Justice Dept. ensures prosecutors brush up on duties
by Brad Heath, USA TODAY (09/22/2010)
The Justice Department is taking new steps to make sure federal prosecutors live up to their constitutional duty to turn over evidence to the people they charge with crimes.
CLOSER LOOK: Prosecutor misconduct takes many forms
Misconduct can take a variety of forms. Here is a sampling of the more common problems USA TODAY's investigation identified.
Not guilty, but stuck with big bills, damaged career
by Kevin McCoy and Brad Heath, USA TODAY (09/27/2010)
A 1997 law requires the Justice Department to repay the legal bills of defendants who win their cases and prove that federal prosecutors committed misconduct or other transgressions. But Morris didn't get anything from Washington.
VIDEO: Fighting and winning
Video by Garrett Hubbard and Maxine Park (09/27/2010)
Richard Holland Jr. and his father, Richard, who headed a community bank in rural Virginia, were awarded nearly $1 million to repay their legal bills after a judge ruled a federal prosecution against them had been “vexatious.”
Va. bankers scored a rare victory against federal prosecutors
by Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY (09/27/2010)
Richard Holland Jr. beat the government -- twice. But neither victory made up for nearly eight years of anguish.
Prosecuting offices' immunity tested
by Brad Heath and Kevin McCoy (10/05/2010)
Americans can sue almost anyone for almost anything. But they can't sue prosecutors. Not when prosecutors hide evidence that could prove someone's innocence.
High court questions training of prosecutors on constitutional obligation
by Brad Heath, USA TODAY (10/06/2010)
Supreme Court justices questioned Wednesday whether additional training for prosecutors would have prevented the constitutional violations that put a New Orleans man on death row for a murder he didn't commit.
Federal prosecutors keep jobs even after cases collapse
by Brad Heath and Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY (12/09/2010)
What happened to the baby girl is a mystery. What happened to the federal prosecutor who handled the case against Sabrina Aisenberg's parents is not.
Defendant, prosecutor in case say they were wronged
by Kevin McCoy and Brad Heath (12/09/2010)
A federal appeals court ruled a prosecutor had interfered with the constitutional rights of an outdoorsman he had sent to prison. Then, an administrative law judge ruled that the Department of Justice failed to prove most of the misconduct it made in disciplining the prosecutor.
States can discipline prosecutors, rarely do
by Brad Heath and Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY (12/09/2010)Federal prosecutors who violate laws or cut corners to win convictions face almost no risk of losing their ability to practice law, USA TODAY has found.
Justice Department responds
The Justice Department says in a statement that USA TODAY's "selective review of a handful of the many thousands of cases ... does little to provide an accurate and representative picture of the honorable work done by federal prosecutors."
Prosecutor misconduct lets convicted off easy
by Brad Heath and Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY (12/27/2010)
Although misconduct by prosecutors has put put innocent people in prison, it also has set guilty people free by significantly shortening their prison sentences. In some cases, they served no additional time. New crimes sometimes followed.
Statement from the Justice Department
Justice Department spokeswoman Jessica Smith said USA TODAY's investigation "misleads readers by providing a statistically inaccurate representation of the hard work done by federal prosecutors daily in courtrooms across the country."
