District Attorneys in New Orleans…Issuing Fake Subpoenas???
Watch the October 23rd broadcast of Prime News
In New Orleans, it’s been discovered that the district attorneys office has had a long standing practice and policy of issuing fake subpoenas to witnesses….and then using those fake subpoenas in court to get witnesses put in jail.
Here’s what the DA’s office in New Orleans was doing:
The DA’s office would want to meet with witnesses for questioning. So, it would send out what should be a letter requesting a meeting and then doctoring it up to mislead the witness to believe that he or she was compelled to attend the meeting.
So, when a witness didn’t show up because they didn’t think it was real, or didn’t think it was validly served on them (like a real subpoena would be), the district attorney’s office would apply for a material witness warrant with the court…
and ask a judge….a REAL judge…to jail the witness….and the judge – believing the fake subpoenas to be actual subpoenas, would go ahead and issue an arrest warrant.
WHHHUUT?!?!?!
Ya’ll know that Krusty the Crab meme? Yeah, that is how I was when I learned about this story.
So, then, the witness would be arrested and put in jail and with no money to afford bail – would be kepts there for days…..with serious impact on their families, their jobs, their reputations.
To give you all an idea of what we’re talking about here:
A woman abused by her boyfriend was jailed for 8 days with a bail of $100,000 for not showing up to a private meeting request. Her bail was 28 times higher than the boyfriend who kicked her butt
A rape victim spent 12 days in jail before getting a court appearance.
A child sex trafficking victim spent 89 days in jail before she was able to challenge her detention in court.
This is crazy, but I’m not surprised. People with power abuse that power. Isn’t that what we’re seeing with the Weinstien situation? Yes, yes it is. In this current situation, prosecutors hold an incredible amount of power and they are generally immune from accountability. Isn’t this what we’re seeing with police brutality? And who loses every time? The victim.
In this instance however, the ACLU is stepping in and has filed a class action suit against the New Orleans DA office for engaging in the unconstitutional policy of using “extrajudicial and unlawful means to coerce, arrest, and imprisoning crime victims and witnesses – often with the routine waiting weeks or even months in jail before appearing before a judge.”
What I find noteworthy is how the ACLU is stepping in on this issue….and has yet to step in on the issue of police brutality. I have said every week, a critical step to change things is by dealing with legal process, due process. Because certainly police brutality is a constitutional issue….but a material difference we’re seeing here with these fake subpoeanas? There is more overt evidence of an established policy and practice of specific municipal entity that gives the ACLU greater ground to move forward.
