Stevens judge wants documents
A federal judge on Sunday ordered the Justice Department to give him documents concerning allegations of misconduct by the team that prosecuted former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, on corruption charges.
The order by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan comes days after the Justice Department said it would ask Sullivan to throw out Stevens’ conviction and indictment.
During Stevens’ trial, Sullivan repeatedly chastised prosecutors for their handling of witnesses and evidence. A jury convicted the senator in October of lying on financial disclosure forms to hide gifts and free home renovations. But since then, an FBI agent has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging misconduct by the prosecution team, and Sullivan has held three top Justice lawyers in contempt.
In February, Justice officials reviewing the prosecution uncovered notes of a pretrial interview of their star witness. The notes contradicted the witness’s testimony that Stevens didn’t want to be billed for remodeling work, officials said. The information should have been given to the defense but was not.
The judge is expected to grant the government’s motion to dismiss the case, but legal experts said the order signals that Sullivan may not let the misconduct allegations drop.
Omaha, Neb.
Midwest hit with snow, high winds
A storm system brought strong wind and more than a foot of snow to the Corn Belt states over the weekend, creating snow drifts several feet high and knocking out power to thousands in Nebraska.
The spring storm hit hardest in western Nebraska, where the National Weather Service reported 16 inches of snow and wind gusting 50 mph.
The Nebraska Public Power District said about 3,000 customers were without electricity at the height of the storm, but power had been restored to most by Sunday.
The system dumped 11 inches of snow on Mullen, Neb., and winds created drifts up to 7 feet high. The storm was expected later Sunday to move into Iowa.
DOUGLAS, Ariz.
Marijuana found in painting frames
It wasn’t the beauty of the paintings that caught the eye of customs agents.
It was their drug-sniffing dog turning up his nose at the art that stopped the show.
Federal officials in Arizona said a man was taken into custody after Customs and Border Protection officers found 90 pounds of marijuana hidden in the frames of six large paintings in his vehicle.
Officers selected the man’s vehicle for a routine inspection Friday at the border crossing in Douglas, Ariz., and their dog showed an interest in the paintings.
An X-ray revealed the marijuana in the frames.
The agency said the paintings were professionally done and the frames were nicely constructed.
The man was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
From wire reports