Simels sentenced to 14 years
Robert Simels, defense lawyer and former prosecutor in N.Y. who was convicted of witness tampering in August following allegations that he had conspired with a client to kill witnesses, was sentenced to 14 years Friday.
Audiotape of conversations with an informant were presented at trial, which included statements such as "I'm going to do whatever I gotta do" to win an acquittal, plans to bribe witnesses or harm their family members, and talk of "eliminating" or "neutralizing" witnesses.
When I'm talking strategy with office staff, I've talked about "eliminating" or "neutralizing" witnesses - it's part of preparing for trial. Not buzz words, however, to be using in a conversation with an alleged drug lord from Guyana who is also reputed to have run a paramilitary organization. We shall continue to discuss "figuratively eliminating" and "metaphorically neutralizing" witnesses - conducting an independent investigation and preparing for trial with the goal of discrediting that witness.
I'm often focused on unethical practices by prosecutors and upset by the commonly held perception that defense lawyers are unethical and sleazy - the fact is there are lawyers on both sides who are ethically challenged, and every lawyer should be held to high standards. A prosecutor or defense lawyer who does not live and play by the rules is a dangerous thing.
