Duke Lacrosse Case DA

[ls317]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2999217

DURHAM, N.C. -- Mike Nifong, the disgraced former Durham County district attorney, was held in criminal contempt of court Friday for lying to a judge when pursuing rape charges against three falsely accused Duke University lacrosse players.

Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III sentenced Nifong, who has already been stripped of his law license and has resigned from office, to a single day in jail. He had faced as many as 30 days in jail and a fine as high as $500.

"If what I impose with regard to Mr. Nifong would make things better or different for what's already happened, I don't know what it would be or how I could do it," Smith said.

Reading his contempt decision from the bench minutes after the conclusion of two days of testimony, Smith said Nifong "willfully made false statements" to the court in September when he insisted he had given defense attorneys all results from a critical DNA test.
In fact, Smith found, Nifong had provided the defense with a report on the DNA testing that he knew to be incomplete. The omitted data contained test results showing that DNA of multiple men, none of whom were lacrosse players, was on a woman who said she was attacked at a March 2006 party thrown by Duke's lacrosse team.

[MrCoffee]

1. outrage gives way to admiration

Judge Smith is right. If i were one of the falsly accused, i might think differently.

[LisaM]

2. I think false accusation is a terrible thing

My question is, why is he the only person who seems to be punished for it? Poor black people are wrongly accused of crimes every day. Are those prosecutors being punished, too? Does anyone notice?

[pnwmom]

3. So a prosecutor can lie to a judge with so little consequence.

A maximum sentence of 30 days and $500.

No wonder Nifong thought he could get away with it.

[NaturalHigh]

4. Now come the civil proceedings.

I'm willing to bet he's going to get taken to the cleaners by the wrongly accused players, and rightfully so.