Hundreds of times during the past 10 years, federal agents and prosecutors have pursued justice by breaking the law.
They lied, hid evidence, distorted facts, engaged in cover-ups, paid for perjury and set up innocent people in a relentless effort to win indictments, guilty pleas and convictions, a two-year Post-Gazette investigation found.
Rarely were these federal officials punished for their misconduct. Rarely did they admit their conduct was wrong.
New laws and court rulings that encourage federal law enforcement officers to press the boundaries of their power while providing few safeguards against abuse fueled their actions.
Victims of this misconduct sometimes lost their jobs, assets and even families. Some remain in prison because prosecutors withheld favorable evidence or allowed fabricated testimony. Some criminals walk free as a reward for conspiring with the government in its effort to deny others their rights.
This series of stories examining federal law enforcement officials’ misconduct grew from another investigative series that Post-Gazette reporter Bill Moushey completed in 1996.
The Post-Gazette examines a law enforcement culture that has allowed the pursuit of a conviction to replace the pursuit of justice, no matter what the cost.
The Post-Gazette continues its examination of this culture in which the pursuit of a conviction has replaced the pursuit of justice, sometimes at any price.
The Post-Gazette continues its examination of this culture in which the pursuit of justice has too often been replaced by the pursuit of a conviction. Sometimes, at any price.
The Post-Gazette examines the government's growing reliance on informants and criminals to make its cases, which sometimes leads to cases built on lies, paid for with cash or reduced sentences.
The Post-Gazette continues its exploration of the government's reliance on informants and criminals to make its cases.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette continues its examination of this culture in which the pursuit of convictions has replaced the pursuit of justice, sometimes at any price.
The Post-Gazette continues its examination of law enforcement culture.
