Eight correction officers are headed to trial, letting jury hear charges related to Marcy prison beating
In Oneida County Court on Monday, May 19, two remaining defendants formally turned down plea agreements offered by the special prosecutor's office. The promise had been a sentence of 15-18 years in prison in exchange for admission of guilt to some of the charges.
The eight officers still facing charges are headed to a shared trial, unless the judge agrees to any requests from defense attorneys to sever their cases. A trial date has not been scheduled.
Conviction of murder by a jury risks each defendant more than 25 years in prison.
Two officers have already admitted guilt to their role in the beating of inmate Robert Brooks.
On May 5, Christopher Walrath pleaded guilty to manslaughter in exchange for 15 years in prison and dropping the murder charge against him. On May 14, Nicholas Gentile admitted guilt to attempted tampering with physical evidence.
Eight correction officers are headed to trial, letting jury hear charges related to Marcy prison beating
Second Marcy officer pleads guilty in beating death of Robert Brooks; Three more reject plea deals
Three former Marcy correction officers reject plea deal in beating death of Robert Brooks case
First officer pleads guilty for role in brutal beating death of inmate at Marcy Correctional Facility
'Wasteful manner': Frustrated judge allows two more weeks for Marcy offers to decide on plea agreements
'There's something going on:' Violent prison culture allowed inmate deaths, governor says
Two more officers given more time to consider plea offer made in Marcy prison case
Three correction officers charged with beating death of Marcy inmate get more time to consider plea agreement
'Not a… deal:' Attorney defending correction officer isn't impressed with prosecution's plea offer in prison beating case
Officers charged with Marcy inmate's murder have two weeks to consider avoiding trial with guilty plea offers
Sixth correction officer charged with murder after beating Marcy inmate
Six correction officers charged with murder for beating inmate at Marcy Correctional Facility
Onondaga County DA plans 'noteworthy development' in case of Marcy inmate homicide
Push for NYS prison reform
New Yorkers rally for Robert Brooks outside the Onondaga County DA's office
Death of Robert Brooks ruled a homicide, Gov. Hochul pushes for arrests
Governor defends keeping Marcy prison open despite calls to close facility after inmate's death
New bill aims for 'swift justice' in NYS Correctional abuse cases
Assemblyman spends night at Marcy Correctional Facility
Some NYS lawmakers call for the closure of Marcy Correctional Facility
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NBC News
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Martin met Friday morning with Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who sent a criminal referral on the California senator to the Justice Department in May, the administration officials said. Pulte sent a referral on James in April, prompting the Justice Department to open an investigation on allegations that she made false statements on mortgage loan applications. Trump had previously called for both Democratic officials to be prosecuted because of the mortgage fraud allegations. Schiff and James have denied wrongdoing. Preet Bharara, who is representing Schiff, said in a statement Friday that the allegations against the senator 'are transparently false, stale, and long debunked.' Schiff previously blasted Trump's claims, in a video statement in July. "This is the kind of stuff you see tinpot dictators do. It is designed to intimidate his political opponents and somehow try to silence them," he said then. 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"She uses her powers as an elected official to try, in her words, to 'dissolve the organization in its entirety', thus silencing the voice of millions of our members,' NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Doug Hamlin said in a statement. "That she now expresses concerns over 'weaponization' is the height of hypocrisy--an utter lack of self-awareness at the very least.' It is not immediately clear how far along the DOJ investigation into James' office is and what evidence, if any, the Justice Department has gathered in the probe. An attorney for James, Abbe Lowell, said the probe of James' fraud case against Trump and his businesses 'has to be the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president's political retribution campaign." "Weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to punish an elected official for doing her job is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by this administration," he added. The FBI and Justice Department began its probe of the mortgage fraud allegations against James in the spring. It's unclear why Martin is now in charge of the review. Martin served as Trump's interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., earlier this year, but his nomination was withdrawn after Republican senators expressed concerns over his association with Jan. 6 rioters. Trump then announced in May that Martin was moving to the Justice Department to serve as director of a 'weaponization working group." Martin did not comment on the Friday appointment. In his statement defending Schiff, Bharara criticized Martin, calling him 'the most brazenly partisan and politically compromised person possible for the task.' 'Any supposed investigation led by him would be the very definition of weaponization of the justice process,' said Bharara, who served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York before being fired by Trump during his first term in office. 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USA Today
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WASHINGTON –The Justice Department has subpoenaed New York Attorney General Letitia James as part of an investigation into whether she violated President Donald Trump's civil rights by prosecuting him for fraud, according to news reports. The subpoenas seek records related to a lawsuit James filed against Trump over alleged fraud in his personal business dealings and a lawsuit involving the National Rifle Association, according to the Associated Press in an Aug. 8 report, which cited people familiar with the matter. Reuters also reported the DOJ investigation into James, New York State's top prosecutor and a Democrat who has sparred publicly with Trump for years. The news reports prompted James' office to accuse the Trump administration of politicizing the legal system. "Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American,' James' office said in a statement reported by the news outlets. 'We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the NRA, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers' rights." The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from USA TODAY. This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Politico
a day ago
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U.S. attorney's office subpoenas New York AG Letitia James
'Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American,' James spokesperson Geoff Burgan said in a statement. 'We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers' rights.' James' civil fraud case against Trump led to a Manhattan trial judge last year determining the president and other defendants — including his adult sons — inflated his net worth and the value of his real estate properties. The judge ordered Trump to pay a massive financial penalty that, with interest, has ballooned to more than half a billion dollars. Trump is appealing that verdict. James' office last year successfully won a fraud case against the NRA, the pro-gun rights advocacy group, with a jury determining its longtime CEO misspent the organization's funds on expensive perks. 'Investigating the fraud case Attorney General James won against President Trump and his businesses has to be the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president's political retribution campaign,' James' personal attorney Abbe Lowell said. 'Weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to punish an elected official for doing her job is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by this administration. If prosecutors carry out this improper tactic and are genuinely interested in the truth, we are ready and waiting with the facts and the law.' The acting U.S. attorney whose office issued the subpoenas, John Sarcone, briefly ran for the Republican state attorney general nomination in 2022 as James was seeking a second term. Sarcone's office did not return a message seeking comment.
