Search results for

Ten years ago, an Albanian immigrant agreed to help the Justice Department build a case against an accused mobster. In exchange, he says, federal prosecutors promised him a green card and protection for his family. Now the informant says the U.S. reneged on its commitment — with violent results.

From the day a grand jury indicted former Sen. John Edwards on six felony charges nearly one year ago, the case drew jeers from election lawyers and government watchdogs. After a mistrial on most counts, the jury foreman says Congress should clarify campaign laws that were at the heart of the case.

A staff member at the Securities and Exchange Commission has complained to Congress that thousands of investigative documents have been destroyed by the agency, including some relating to huge investment banks. But an SEC spokesman says there's nothing wrong with how it handled internal records.

Republican lawmakers in Congress have spent months pursuing allegations that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives knowingly allowed assault weapons to enter Mexico. Did a key whistle-blower in the case face retaliation?

Advocates for prisoners have long argued that confinement conditions in prisons violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. On Tuesday, they made their case before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, complete with a replica prison cell in the hearing room.

The Justice Department is reviewing its lethal injection protocols because of a shortage of a key drug. Authorities are also less likely to seek the death penalty for murderers of drug dealers. In a trend that's moved from the states to the federal level, things are getting quiet on death row.

Stepping on big toes is pretty much the job description of the Justice Department's Michael Horowitz. He's boss of about 450 employees who sift through allegations of misconduct at Justice, the FBI and ATF. One looming item: a report on the gunrunning operation called Fast and Furious.

The sheer number of law enforcement officers makes it hard for big gangs to meet openly in New York City the way they did back in the 1980s, so many gang members who have left state prison have migrated north. Authorities say they brought shootings and stabbings with them.

Criticism is raining down on prosecutors in Massachusetts after the suicide of computer genius Aaron Swartz. His family says Swartz, who was facing trial on wire and computer fraud charges, was the victim of Justice Department overreach. But legal experts say the case is more complicated than that.

If he does face a court martial and is convicted, Pvt. Manning could be sentenced to life in prison.