WHAT HEELS: Lawyer, PIs Charged With Fabricating Evidence
Washington , D.C. criminal defense attorney Charles Daum and two private investigators have been indicted on seven counts of fabricating evidence in an effort to convince jurors to acquit a client of drug trafficking, The National Law Journal reports:
The indictment said Daum was part of a plan to produce evidence to convince jurors that the drugs police seized from a client actually belonged to another person. Daum was charged with, among other crimes, three counts of influencing a juror and two counts of inducing perjury. …
Daum, a member of the D.C. bar since 1978, has a history of attorney discipline actions in the District, Maryland and Virginia. He has been admonished for, among other ethical violations, revealing client secrets. …
The charges against Daum and the two investigators stem from Daum's representation of a man named Delante White, indicted on federal drug charges in March 2008. Investigators said a search warrant turned up crack cocaine, $2,000, firearm ammunition, a digital scale and other items.
In the case against Daum, prosecutors allege the attorney enlisted the help of two private investigators to obtain duplicates of items the authorities seized [and] arranged to take a staged photograph of White's brother with the items. The photographs would show White's brother cutting cocaine to convince jurors the drugs the police seized did not belong to White. …
In one photo, White's brother is shown cutting crack cocaine on a plate on top of a shoe box. A detective testified a drug pusher is more likely to cut crack inside a box than outside to prevent residue and smaller pieces from spreading on the floor. Additionally, prosecutors said the fingerprints of White's brother were not found on plates in the apartment.
Delante White's trial ended in a hung jury.
Comments