Friday, September 30, 2016

Chester Kwitowski: Florida; A truly unexpected post for The Charles Smith Blog: The story of a defence expert witness alleged to have gone very, very, wrong:........"On Thursday, the 57-year-old Tampa resident was arrested in Polk and charged with five counts of lying under oath about his educational background, professional certifications, military service and time spent working on sensitive government projects. He specialized as a defense witness in cases involving sexual abuse and child pornography. The Tampa Bay Times found another apparent inconsistency. Kwitowski claimed to have held "information technology and systems support contracts" with the Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court and the County Administrator's office. Those offices report no record of any contracts with, or payments made to, Kwitowski or his company, Brightside Enterprises. Legal experts say the case exposed a breakdown in a judicial system that aims to uncover the truth. "Somehow or other this guy squeaked by," said Jack Townley, president of the Florida chapter of the Forensic Expert Witness Association. "It's hard to believe he went as far as he did without someone getting after him or attacking his credentials."... Reporter Tony Marrero; Tampa Bay Times;



PUBLISHER'S NOTE: A reader raises an excellent point: "This happens every now and again with state experts with little consequence, interested to see what happens here." I couldn't agree more. Another thought: After years of trying to pull information out of the police both as a criminal lawyer and a reporter, I couldn't help but notice the flood of  details in the Sherrif's department's press release announcing the charges laid against the defence expert. HL.

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;

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STORY: "Defrocked expert witness in child sex cases 'squeaked by' with little vetting," by reporter Tony Marrero, published by The Tampa Bay Times on September 29 2106. (Thanks to CSIDDS (Forensics in Focus) for bringing this case to our attention. HL);
 
GIST: "Josh Adams thought he'd found a solid expert witness for his client. The Orlando lawyer was representing Jason Eugene Daniels, who faced more than a dozen felonies involving sexual abuse of a child. Adams said Daniels' cellmate William Teets had mentioned Chester Kwitowski, who had already appeared as computer forensics expert in other Polk County cases including Teets'. Adams called Kwitowski and asked for his resume. "He certainly seemed very confident and knowledgeable, and I never had any reason to be suspicious," Adams said Friday. But when Adams put Kwitowski on the stand in a Polk County courtroom, the story his resume told began to unravel. A Polk sheriff's detective appearing as an expert witness for the prosecution grew suspicious about inconsistencies in Kwitowski's qualifications and the agency launched an investigation. On Thursday, the 57-year-old Tampa resident was arrested in Polk and charged with five counts of lying under oath about his educational background, professional certifications, military service and time spent working on sensitive government projects. He specialized as a defense witness in cases involving sexual abuse and child pornography. The Tampa Bay Times found another apparent inconsistency. Kwitowski claimed to have held "information technology and systems support contracts" with the Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court and the County Administrator's office. Those offices report no record of any contracts with, or payments made to, Kwitowski or his company, Brightside Enterprises. ........Legal experts say the case exposed a breakdown in a judicial system that aims to uncover the truth. "Somehow or other this guy squeaked by," said Jack Townley, president of the Florida chapter of the Forensic Expert Witness Association. "It's hard to believe he went as far as he did without someone getting after him or attacking his credentials.""......... Kwitowski's resume states that he has testified as an expert witness on more than 50 occasions in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties. At a news conference Thursday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said detectives were uncertain whether that was true. It's also unclear when Kwitowski first testified as a witness. Whenever it was, that first case gave him instant credibility that made other attorneys less likely to thoroughly vet his credentials before hiring him, said Townley, the FEWA president. "Once you can prove you've been accepted as a witness in court and have verifiable testimony as an expert, an attorney is less likely to go through the process," Townley said. "Every hour an attorney spends vetting somebody costs their client." Anyone who wants to be an expert can pay to be listed on a website like JurisPro or SEAK Inc. Those sites don't vet backgrounds, Townley said. FEWA has its own directory and verifies court experience but does not check education or certifications.......... Kwitowski had been arrested three other times in Florida, all between 2001 and 2007. He was acquitted in one case and the charges were dropped in two, including a Pinellas charge of making a false report of a crime. Prosecutors routinely ask witnesses if they've ever been arrested and Kwitowski was forthcoming about his arrest history in a prior deposition, said Brian Haas, chief assistant state attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit, which includes Polk County. "But since he hadn't been convicted there was nothing we could do," Haas said. Haas said it's not financially feasible for his office to check every witness' resume. The system ultimately worked and caught Kwitowski, he said, though "maybe not as quickly as everybody would have liked." "This man committed a crime and we can't lose sight of that," Haas said. "This isn't a mistake or an error. He intentionally misled a whole lot of people interested in seeking the truth and doing their jobs.".........Adams' client, Daniels, was convicted of several counts and faces a mandatory life sentence. He said he will likely seek a new trial on the grounds that Kwitowski's alleged lying under oath compromised the case. Haas, the Polk chief assistant state attorney, said the cases Kwitowski testified in are strong enough for the convictions to stand without his testimony. Donna Wood, a spokeswoman for Judd, said detectives were still investigating and don't yet know what motivated to Kwitowski to lie about his credentials. It could have been the money, the prestige of being called an expert, or both, Wood said. "We don't know if we'll ever have a solid answer.""

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/criminal/defrocked-expert-witness-in-child-sex-cases-squeaked-by-with-little-vetting/2295080


See Polk County Sherrif's Department release announcing criminnal charges aganst Kwitowski at the link below:  "PCSO Deputies Arrest Tampa Man for Five Counts Felony Perjury ; On Thursday, September 22, 2016, PCSO Deputies arrested 57-year-old Chester Kwitowski of Tampa, for two counts Giving False Statements During Prosecution of Capital Felony (F-2), and three counts Giving False Statements In Official Proceeding (commonly known as Perjury) (F-3). He lists his occupation as President/CEO of Brightside Enterprises, Inc. According to the affidavit, Kwitowski appeared as a subject matter expert witness for the defense, during five sexual battery on a minor and/or possession of child pornography jury trials or depositions in the 10th Judicial Circuit, and provided sworn testimony that he has formal education and certifications including: 
See related CSIDDS (Forensics in focus) post from  forensic Blogger Dr. Mike Bowers,  at the following link; "Here’s a criminal lawyer’s worst nightmare: Hiring a forensic expert with a faked resume.*             Master's Degree from USF in Computer Science and Engineering*             Secret and Top Secret Clearance from the Federal Government *             An Officer in the U.S. Air Force*             Multiple computer forensics certifications from different software companiesDetectives have determined that none of the above are true, and that Kwitowski lied under oath about his certifications, education, and level of expertise. "We are early in this investigation, and still awaiting documentation from other government entities and private companies that Kwitowski has claimed to have certifications with - at this point in time, it's difficult to tell what, if anything, he has told the truth about, and what he has completely made up." - Grady Judd, Sheriff  During each of the trials and depositions, Kwitowski testified on behalf of the defense for four defendants, all of whom were charged with felonies including sexual battery on a minor and possession of child pornography. Kwitowski's curriculum vitae (CV) lists a Bachelor's Degree from UCF; a Master's Degree from USF; a secret clearance from the Department of Defense; a top secret clearance from NASA; served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force; 36 years' worth of experience in computer forensic techniques; certified forensic digital analyst for Cicso, Novell, Microsoft, En Case, and numerous other software companies.  Kwitowski testified as a subject matter expert witness in the following trials, during which he swore to the following under oath:  *             September 14, 2016 - During the trial of Jason Daniels, who was charged and convicted by a jury of 5 counts capital sexual battery on a child under 12 years old, and 4 counts felony sexual battery on a child under 12 years old, Kwitowski swore under oath that he obtained a Master's Degree from USF; was certified by En Case and Cisco; and held a Secret and Top Secret clearance. He did provide a false statement under oath during a capital felony proceeding, in violation of FSS 837.02(2) which is a 2nd degree felony. *             September 7, 2016 - During a deposition prior to the trial of the aforementioned Jason Daniels, Kwitowski swore under oath that he obtained a Master's Degree from USF; held certifications from Novell, En Case, and Cicso; served in the USAF from 1982-1986; was a computer forensics examiner in the military; and held a top secret clearance. He did provide a false statement under oath during a capital felony proceeding, in violation of FSS 837.02(2) which is a 2nd degree felony. *             August 30, 2016 - During the jury trial of William Jason Teets, who was charged with six third degree felonies (Possession of Child Pornography), Kwitowski swore under oath that he obtained a Master's Degree from USF; held certifications from Novell, En Case, and Cicso; and was certified by the military in computer forensics. He did provide a false statement under oath in official proceeding (commonly known as perjury), in violation of FSS 837.02(1) which is a 3rd degree felony. *             June 8, 2016 - During a deposition prior to the trial of Dennis Morgan, who is charged with 13 felonies (Possession of Child Pornography), Kwitowski swore under oath that he obtained a Master's Degree from USF; and held certifications from Novell, En Case, and Cicso. He did provide a false statement under oath in official proceeding (commonly known as perjury), in violation of FSS 837.02(1) which is a 3rd degree felony. *             November 20, 2014 - During the jury trial of Jesse Rittenhouse, who was charged with Possession of Child Pornography, Kwitowski swore under oath that he held certifications from Novell, En Case, and Cicso; he had a Master's Degree; he spent five years in the USAF. He did provide a false statement under oath in official proceeding (commonly known as perjury), in violation of FSS 837.02(1) which is a 3rd degree felony. During the investigation, the following was learned: *             The University of South Florida provided official, certified transcripts for Kwitowski, which indicates he has completed only three courses of non-degree seeking and exploratory education - he does not have a degree from this school.*             Cisco Systems, Inc., does not have certifications, refuting Kwitowski's claims to be a Cisco certified engineer and trainer.*             The parent company of "En Case" digital forensics software verified there is no record of Kwitowski being certified as an "En Case" certified examiner or forensic analyst, refuting Kwitowski's claims.*             Micro Focus Training provided that there is no record that Kwitowski completed any certification through their parent company Novell, and there is no such thing as a "Novell Systems Engineer," refuting Kwitowski's claims.*             The USAF Office of Special Investigations indicate Kwitowski was enlisted as a second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force for a period of five months - April 15, 1982 until September 8, 1982 - and then he was terminated.*             The Office of Personnel Management and NASA Protective Services indicated Kwitowski has never held a Secret or Top Secret Clearance from the federal government, and has never been employed by or contracted by NASA.  Kwitowski's criminal history includes a 2001 arrest by HCSO for Battery, Domestic Violence; a 2003 arrest by HCSO for Aggravated Battery With A Deadly Weapon; and a 2007 arrest by Pinellas Park PD for False Reports of Commission of Crime."  Kwitowski's criminal history includes a 2001 arrest by HCSO for Battery, Domestic Violence; a 2003 arrest by HCSO for Aggravated Battery With A Deadly Weapon; and a 2007 arrest by Pinellas Park PD for False Reports of Commission of Crime.

 http://www.polksheriff.org/NewsRoom/News%20Releases/Pages/09-22-2016PCSODeputiesArrestTampaManforFiveCountsFelonyPerjury.aspx

See the CSIDDS (Forensics in Focus) post by forensic blogger Dr. Mike Bowers at the link below; Interesting story for a few reasons: "Here's a criminal lawyer's worst nightmare; Hiring a forensic expert with a fake resume." "Interesting story for a few reasons:  The opposing expert was a cop and thought this defense expert’s CV looked suspicious. This in itself isn’t unusual. Fact-checking an expert is a rather basic act by both sides in court cases. I’ve had weird questions asked of me at times. As in “Do you live in Hollywood?” That was from a DA who was on my hook for missing and not collecting biological evidence from a murder victim.. The DA files 5 charges against the expert with lying under oath. Describes some of the tricks experts of unusual deceit use to puff themselves. I’ve seen similar in the “see one, do one, and then convict one” present in the “fabricating evidence” case of Mississippi {see the Galileo of video “enhancement” in action}"


 https://csidds.com/2016/09/28/heres-a-criminal-lawyers-worst-nightmare-hiring-a-forensic-expert-with-a-faked-resume/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:  http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html  Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  
Harold Levy. Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.