the charles smith blog: Annie Dookhan: Sonja Farak: Massachusetts lab scandals took weighty toll: "DAs to dump 7,500 more drug convictions; cases tied to second chemist scandal," reports The Boston Herald."..."An estimated 7,500 drug convictions based on testing conducted by disgraced state chemist Sonja Farak will be dismissed, prosecutors said, acknowledging the widespread toll from the latest evidence scandal to rock the criminal justice system. District attorneys across the state told the Supreme Judicial Court yesterday they would dismiss cases that Farak signed off on while working as a chemist at the state’s drug lab in Amherst, where she stole from drug samples and seized evidence for nearly a decade prior to her 2013 arrest."..." The Farak damage toll comes months after an April court order tossed 21,839 cases connected to another evidence-tampering scandal involving ex-chemist Annie Dookhan. Both cases unfolded against the backdrop of scandals involving police evidence rooms and lawsuits filed against the state’s drunken driving testing system that have put tens of thousands of other cases in jeopardy. “It turns out, for thousands of people, the system that sent them to jail or put them on probation was rotten to the core,” Gioia said. Convictions tied to Farak in all 11 DAs’ District Attorneys) offices will be dropped."

GIST: "An estimated 7,500 drug convictions based on testing conducted by disgraced state chemist Sonja Farak will be dismissed, prosecutors said, acknowledging the widespread toll from the latest evidence scandal to rock the criminal justice system. District attorneys across the state told the Supreme Judicial Court yesterday they would dismiss cases that Farak signed off on while working as a chemist at the state’s drug lab in Amherst, where she stole from drug samples and seized evidence for nearly a decade prior to her 2013 arrest. Prosecutors in some districts identified dozens of cases, while others found thousands ripe for dismissal — a tabulation hailed by the American Civil Liberties Union’s Massachusetts office and public defenders.“Dismissal vindicates the rights of our clients to due process and fair prosecution and restores the integrity to the justice system by sending a clear message to prosecutors that no conviction will be allowed to stand in the face of such fraud,” said Randy Gioia, deputy chief counsel for the Committee for Public Counsel Services. The Farak damage toll comes months after an April court order tossed 21,839 cases connected to another evidence-tampering scandal involving ex-chemist Annie Dookhan. Both cases unfolded against the backdrop of scandals involving police evidence rooms and lawsuits filed against the state’s drunken driving testing system that have put tens of thousands of other cases in jeopardy. “It turns out, for thousands of people, the system that sent them to jail or put them on probation was rotten to the core,” Gioia said.........ACLU Massachusetts legal director Matthew Segal pledged to continue its case against state prosecutors — including the attorney general — saying the Bay State needs to “cure its addiction to wrongfully convicting people of drug crimes.” “We need a justice system that reserves its harshest judgement not for poor people who have struggled with addiction,” Segal said, “but instead for powerful people who commit misconduct.”

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2017/12/das_to_dump_7500_more_drug_convictions

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.

Friday, December 1, 2017