ATTORNEY - The Salt Lake Tribune

Council says no records for mother of Utah woman shot by West Valley City officers

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:58:21 MDT

Council says no records for mother of Utah woman shot by West Valley City officers

By Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 21, 2013 07:58PM MDT

The Salt Lake County district attorney’s office will not have to release records related to the Danielle Willard officer-involved fatal shooting, the Salt Lake County Council decided Tuesday. The council voted 7-1 to deny a request by Melissa Kennedy’s attorney for records pertaining to the November shooting in West Valley City. Jon Williams, who represents Kennedy, Willard’s mother, argued that the denial of the records was “inappropriate” and that his client has already waited 6 ½ months for a...

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Inspector General: Ex-U.S. Attorney retaliated in Fast and Furious

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:20:07 MDT

Inspector General: Ex-U.S. Attorney retaliated in Fast and Furious

By PETE YOST | The Associated Press

Updated May 20, 2013 10:20PM MDT

Washington • The U.S. Attorney in Arizona violated Justice Department policy by providing Fox News with information apparently aimed at undercutting the credibility of a federal agent who helped reveal the botched arms-trafficking probe called Operation Fast and Furious, the Justice Department’s inspector general said Monday. There was substantial evidence in the 2011 incident that then-U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke’s motive for disclosing a memo by federal agent John Dodson was retaliation, the i...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

No solution

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:09:57 MDT

No solution

Updated May 19, 2013 11:09PM MDT

“Non sequitur: when a train of thought proceeds from A to B and back again to Q.” — Bill Griffith’s comic strip, “Zippy the Pinhead” There are many words one could use to describe state Sen. Todd Weiler’s idea for addressing the scandal swirling around Attorney General John Swallow. Two such words are “counterintuitive” and “déjà vu.” Weiler’s proposal to make the state attorney general an appointed rather than an elected office closely resembles others cooked up on Capitol Hill that purpor...

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Swallow exit

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:32:41 MDT

Swallow exit

Updated May 18, 2013 10:32AM MDT

Re “Special counsel will investigate John Swallow’s financial arrangements” (Tribune, May 11): How many probes and investigations does it take for Utah Attorney General John Swallow to finally step down from office? Maybe the question is, how many days does he have left before his lifetime insurance and pension kicks in? Whatever it is, the people of this state deserves better people in office to represent them. Lloyd J. Cummings Draper

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Special prosecutor needed

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:01:04 MDT

Special prosecutor needed

By ronald mortensen

Updated May 18, 2013 01:01AM MDT

Based on reporting by the local newspapers, it is clear that the time has come to appoint a team of special prosecutors to investigate the conduct of former Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, his hand-picked successor, John Swallow, and senior officials in the Attorney General’s Office. Shurtleff and Swallow have benefited from large campaign contributions ($30,000 to $165,000) from individuals or organizations facing serious legal difficulties. Both are accused of soliciting protection money...

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Former OJ lawyer denies giving OK to plan

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:02:31 MDT

Former OJ lawyer denies giving OK to plan

The Associated Press

Updated May 18, 2013 12:02AM MDT

Las Vegas • The lawyer who unsuccessfully defended O.J. Simpson against armed robbery charges testified Friday his client knew two companions had guns in a 2007 confrontation with memorabilia dealers. Miami attorney Yale Galanter contradicted much of Simpson’s earlier testimony while under questioning at a hearing in which his former client is seeking a new trial on grounds of ineffective legal representation. Galanter testified the former football hero confided to him that he had indeed ask...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Salt Lake, Davis prosecutors also investigating Swallow

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:51:38 MDT

Salt Lake, Davis prosecutors also investigating Swallow

By Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 16, 2013 01:51PM MDT

Embattled Utah Attorney General John Swallow is facing another criminal probe, this one from two county attorneys who have been collaborating for months with federal investigators. Salt Lake County’s Sim Gill and Davis County’s Troy Rawlings are examining whether Swallow and his predecessor, Mark Shurtleff, broke any state laws. Gill said Wednesday that his office received information from attorneys for convicted swindler Marc Sessions Jenson about alleged impropriety in the attorney general’s o...

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Former Davis County deputy attorney sues his old boss

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:22:38 MDT

Former Davis County deputy attorney sues his old boss

By Jessica Miller and Michael McFall The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 15, 2013 11:22PM MDT

A former Davis County deputy attorney is suing his old office alleging there was a hostile work environment that involved cover-ups, and that he was fired without due process. Tyler James Larsen filed a lawsuit against Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings last month, demanding damages of at least $1 million. The lawsuit — which has been transferred from 2nd District Court to federal court, and which also names several other county officials as defendants — details an alleged battle between Larse...

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OJ Simpson testifies in bid for new Vegas trial

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:58:26 MDT

OJ Simpson testifies in bid for new Vegas trial

The Associated Press

Updated May 15, 2013 11:58PM MDT

Las Vegas • His leg shackles rattling as he shuffled to the witness stand, a grayer, bulkier O.J. Simpson made his case for a new trial on armed robbery charges Wednesday, saying he was relying on the advice of his trusted attorney when he tried to reclaim mementos from his football glory days. After more than four years in prison, Simpson seized the opportunity to recount how he and some friends confronted two sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2007, and how he believed h...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

O.J. Simpson testifies in bid for new trial in Las Vegas

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:30:55 MDT

O.J. Simpson testifies in bid for new trial in Las Vegas

By LINDA DEUTSCH and KEN RITTER The Associated Press

Updated May 15, 2013 02:30PM MDT

LAS VEGAS • Appearing confident but sometimes emotional, O.J. Simpson testified Wednesday he did not know guns were involved in a confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers that led to his conviction for armed robbery and kidnapping, and a sentence that could keep him behind bars for life. Simpson, in shackles that rattled when he shifted in his seat, took the stand in a hearing on his bid for a new trial on grounds he wasn’t properly represented by his trial attorney. The 65-year-old former ...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Judge scolds Donald Trump, attorney during testimony in trial over investment

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:17:01 MDT

Judge scolds Donald Trump, attorney during testimony in trial over investment

By MICHAEL TARM The Associated Press

Updated May 15, 2013 02:17PM MDT

CHICAGO • A scowling Donald Trump raised his voice on the witness stand Wednesday while an attorney grilled him and then rolled his eyes at the “Apprentice” star’s answers, leading a federal judge to scold both men in open court and order them to behave. The admonition came during Trump’s second day on the stand at a civil trial where he is accused of making false promises to an 87-year-old investor to get her to purchase condos at his glitzy Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago. “You ha...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Attorney General Eric Holder faces tough questioning today

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:49:32 MDT

Attorney General Eric Holder faces tough questioning today

Digital First Media

Updated May 15, 2013 10:49AM MDT

Attorney General Eric Holder is facing what is likely to be aggressive questioning by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee on topics ranging from the Justice Department’s gathering of phone records at The Associated Press to the government’s handling of intelligence before the Boston Marathon bombings. <freeform><script data-hide-title=”true” data-hide-byline=”true” data-hide-footnotes=”true” type=”text/javascript” src=”http://cdn.spundge.com/embed/stories/3529/”></script&...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Holder says he played no role in AP phone subpoena

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:16:02 MDT

Holder says he played no role in AP phone subpoena

By PETE YOST The Associated Press

Updated May 14, 2013 10:16PM MDT

Washington • Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday defended the Justice Department’s secret examination of Associated Press phone records though he declared he had played no role in it, saying it was justified as part of an investigation into a grave national security leak. The government’s wide-ranging information gathering from the news cooperative has created a bipartisan political headache for President Barack Obama, with prominent Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill expressing outra...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Justice Department seized AP reporters’ call records

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:08:26 MDT

Justice Department seized AP reporters’ call records

By MARK SHERMAN The Associated Press

Updated May 14, 2013 02:08PM MDT

WASHINGTON • The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative’s top executive called a “massive and unprecedented intrusion” into how news organizations gather the news. The records obtained by the Justice Department listed outgoing calls for the work and personal phone numbers of individual reporters, for general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and for the main n...

Jeremy Johnson tried to subpoena John Swallow, feds say

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:11:30 MDT

Jeremy Johnson tried to subpoena John Swallow, feds say

By Tom Harvey The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 14, 2013 10:11AM MDT

Jeremy Johnson is intimidating witnesses and trying to drag John Swallow into a civil lawsuit to which Utah’s embattled attorney general apparently has no connection, prosecutors pursuing criminal charges against the St. George businessman asserted Monday. In their latest court filing, federal prosecutors in Utah also denied Johnson’s allegation that the chief prosecutor in his criminal case was willing to strike a deal to protect Swallow from possible prosecution. The back-and-forth accusations...

Questionable ties pop up in Shurtleff’s money trail

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:42:38 MDT

Questionable ties pop up in Shurtleff’s money trail

By Tom Harvey The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 13, 2013 01:42PM MDT

Jason Brailow, cited by the Utah Division of Consumer Protection after 356 consumer complaints, contributed $22,600. The Tax Club kicked in nearly $100,000, all of it after being slapped by the state’s fraud police. Topping all donors, Jeremy Johnson’s I Works and various associates shelled out more than $217,000. Johnson’s company has been targeted by the state and now faces a federal lawsuit while Johnson himself is staring at 86 criminal charges. All these donors and dozens more with regulat...

Women rescued in Cleveland happy to be home

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:07:55 MDT

Women rescued in Cleveland happy to be home

By JOHN COYNE The Associated Press

Updated May 12, 2013 11:07PM MDT

Cleveland • The three women allegedly imprisoned and sexually abused for years inside a padlocked Cleveland house asked for privacy Sunday, saying through an attorney that while they are grateful for overwhelming support, they also need time to heal. Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight remain in seclusion, releasing their first statements since they were found May 6 when Berry escaped and told a 911 dispatcher, “I’m free now.” They thanked law enforcement and said they were grateful ...

A.G. should resign

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:07:56 MDT

A.G. should resign

Updated May 12, 2013 11:07PM MDT

It was clear months ago that Utah Attorney General John Swallow should resign. Now, with allegations of misconduct piling up and House Speaker Becky Lockhart hinting that the Legislature might consider impeaching the state’s top law enforcement officer, there is no getting around it. Swallow cannot and should not try to continue representing Utah’s legal interests. The FBI is investigating Swallow, and the Utah lieutenant governor’s office will appoint a special counsel to investigate three al...

WVC’s police story

Sat, 11 May 2013 01:01:04 MDT

WVC’s police story

By daniel r. strong

Updated May 11, 2013 01:01AM MDT

I am a deputy prosecuting attorney with West Valley City. I have handled hundreds of misdemeanor cases investigated by the West Valley City Police Department. I count the city’s police officers among my colleagues and friends, and this past week I became very proud to work with them. My office is just down the hall from the police department. On Monday morning, just as I settled in for another workday, I heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire ring out from the lobby just below my office. As my...

Nominees announced for 3rd District Court vacancy

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:06:52 MDT

Nominees announced for 3rd District Court vacancy

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 10, 2013 09:06AM MDT

The 3rd District Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for a vacancy on the district court. The vacancy results from the upcoming Aug. 1 retirement of Judge Judith Atherton. The nominees are: Timothy Bodily, deputy district attorney, Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office; Gregory Hoole, partner, Hoole & King; Richard McKelvie, assistant United States attorney, United States Attorney’s Office; Paul Parker, deputy district attorney, Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Offic...