DOJ wants changes to avoid Stevens repeat

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department says it wants reforms to prevent prosecutorial miscues such as the ones that led to a former senator's conviction being tossed.

The changes come amid new allegations casting doubt on the credibility of the key witness in the Alaska political corruption scandals, including the bungled prosecution of former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, The Washington Post reported.

In April, a federal judge tossed the conviction and indictment against Stevens after the Justice Department admitted evidence was mishandled. In October 2008, a jury convicted Stevens of lying on financial disclosure forms about $250,000 worth of gifts and free home renovations. During the trial, prosecutors were chastised for their handling of evidence and witnesses.

"The Department of Justice is committed to the very highest ethical standards," Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer told the Post. "But we just don't believe there is a widespread pattern of prosecutorial misconduct. We do believe there can be error" when lawyers get millions of pages of documents from federal agencies and defense attorneys during a complex case.

Breuer said the new safeguards include new training programs for federal prosecutors on evidence-sharing obligations and hiring an official at headquarters to review the process.

The announcements followed a court filing by attorneys representing former Alaska state representative Pete Kott, who asked a judge to reverse his corruption conviction because prosecutors, including some from the team that tried Stevens, did not turn over information about a critical witness.