NJ lawyer's cases probed following murder charge

[babylonsister]

NJ lawyer's cases probed following murder charge

DAVID PORTER | May 22, 2009 03:52 PM EST | AP


NEWARK, N.J. — Prosecutors in New Jersey are reviewing dozens of cases handled by a defense attorney charged this week in a federal indictment for allegedly plotting to murder prosecution witnesses.

Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow on Friday said her office is examining more than 50 cases in which clients were represented by Paul Bergrin, who was indicted on murder, conspiracy and racketeering counts.

The indictment handed up Wednesday accuses Bergrin of arranging the killing of one witness and trying to hire a hit man to kill another. Dow's office is looking into the other cases based on information gathered during the federal investigation.

A sworn statement by a Drug Enforcement Administration agent offered in support of the government's request to hold Bergrin without bail on the federal charges accuses him of using threats and money to convince witnesses against his clients to lie under oath.

In one case, Bergrin allegedly coached the 8-year-old daughter of a man accused of stabbing his wife 27 times to lie on the witness stand, leading to the man's acquittal

In another, a witness to a murder who had given a statement to police implicating Bergrin's client allegedly was told Bergrin would represent her in a separate criminal case for free if she changed her statement.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20090522/us-attorney-witness-killed/