It takes potentially years and plenty of
effort to bust a massive drug case but can take less than a few minutes to have
the case come crashing down. This could potentially be the fate of a huge
drug trafficking case involving not only over a ton of marijuana but a plot
to kill a Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office detective as well, as reported by courier-journal.com.
Former
Bullitt County special deputy part of drug trafficking ring
According to Louisville, KY criminal
defense lawyers following the case, the case in question is of former
Bullitt County special deputy, Christopher Mattingly, who is allegedly part of
a conspiracy
to traffic marijuana and methamphetamine across four states.
The 28 year old former officer along
with five others is also accused of money laundering. Some of the evidence
includes $60,000 which was found in a cooler in a vehicle in Mattingly’s used
car yard. The case is in federal court in Louisville but could is in danger of
collapsing due to wiretaps that may have not been properly approved by a
Riverside County, CA, state court judge.
Mattingly’s career is over with though
no matter what. His family probably does not even want him. He sold out.
Criminal defense attorneys in Kentucky
say that Mattingly has been detained pending trial since September last year
but has not been charged with attempted murder. A prosecutor alleges to have
evidence that implicated Mattingly who is said to had mentioned about finding
someone to kill a Bullitt County Drug Task Force captain in charge of the
investigation.
Defense
claim wiretaps illegal
Mattingly’s criminal defense lawyers
Alex Dathorne and Brian Butler claim that the wiretaps were illegally approved
and have moved to suppress any evidence that implicates their client. The
lawyers cited a USA Today investigation conducted last year which found that
the Riverside County judge had authorized five times more wiretaps than other
judges. So?
They also claim that the prosecutor’s
office seeking the wiretaps was in violation of a law that mandated that every
application must be signed by the elected district attorney. The lawyers allege
that the wiretaps which recorded as many as 22 million conversations involving
over 40,000 people was intrusive and was only to be used as a last resort by
law enforcement.
On the other hand, Assistant US Attorney
Larry Fentress claimed in court papers that evidence obtained from wiretaps
could not be suppressed even if they were deficient. However, a money
laundering case against a jewelry store from where $800,000 was seized was
dropped by state prosecutors in San Bernadino, CA, due to wiretap issues. The
suspects walked free and are making an attempt to recover their money.
Hopefully they do not have to give the
money back like they did in The Wire.
In addition, a few former and current
DOJ attorneys are of the opinion that the wiretaps are not likely to make it
through a legal challenge.
According to Louisville, KY criminal
defense lawyers, Congress enacted the Federal Wiretap Act in 1968 and pressed
for courts to approve wiretaps only when surveillance failed and in limited
circumstances (well, wiretaps are the best and safest way to gather information
– that law may have to be changed). This move came after the FBI is reported to
have illegally snooped on civil rights leaders include MLK Jr. (not J. Edgar
Hoover’s proudest moment). Kentucky is among the nine states that do not permit
local prosecutors to seek wiretaps. Under the current law, only an elected
state district attorney or state attorney general directly accountable to
voters can apply for wiretaps.
Secure a legal counselor
If you are arrested or charged with a
crime, you are up against experienced prosecutors with an objective to gain a
conviction. In such a situation what you need is effective representation by an
aggressive, intelligent Kentucky criminal defense lawyer who has tons of
experience in the courtroom, or perhaps just a little depending on who they are.
Remember, even a DUI charge can lead to severe consequences
so don’t waste time in seeking legal counsel.
The Mexican Mafia may have a far reach but
this website (Criminal-Defense.USAttorneys.com) has an even
further one. If you are being charged with something, you need legal help. This
website was built to help anyone find the legal help they need. Legal
assistance is right around the virtual corner.
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