Prosecutors admit papers altered
During the jury selection process in a trial upon a four hundred and ninety-two (492) count indictment, attorney for the defendants, Andrew J. Campanelli, disclosed to the Court his discovery that evidence, which had been submitted to the grand jury, had been materially altered before it was presented to the jury.
Upon being confronted with Mr. Campanelli’s discovery, prosecutors admitted that the lead prosecutor had altered records before she presented them to the grand jury, but the prosecutors proffered to the Court that such alterations amounted to nothing more than “making certain notations” on the documents, in pencil.
In response, Mr. Campanelli pointed out that, in actuality, the lead prosecutor crossed out dates on documents and wrote in different dates, and crossed out work order numbers, to thereafter write in different order numbers. Of greatest import of all, Mr. Campanelli asserted, was the fact that the charges against his client were for having allegedly offered false instruments for filing when, ironically, it was the lead prosecutor in the case who was the person who falsified the very instruments upon which she was basing such criminal prosecution.
After Mr. Campanelli’s discovery was presented to the Court, the Court granted the defense attorneys’ joint motion for a mistrial.
