RALEIGH, N.C., June 13 (UPI) -- District Attorney Mike Nifong of Durham, N.C., is on trial for ethical and professional misconduct charges in the Duke lacrosse case.
The North Carolina State Bar alleges Nifong withheld evidence favorable to the defense and then lied about it, The (Raleigh) News & Observer said Tuesday.
The former Duke lacrosse players were exonerated by State Attorney General Roy Cooper in April.
State Bar prosecutor Katherine Jean told the disciplinary panel Tuesday that Nifong "repeatedly and intentionally misled the media and therefore the public about a very serious case, caused racial unrest in Durham, intentionally concealed evidence to which he now admits the defendants were entitled to but which was extremely harmful to his theory of the case, and made false representations to two judges in an effort to keep the defendant from discovering it."
David Freedman, one of Nifong's attorneys, said the prosecutor regrets some of his statements to reporters and does not dispute that the lacrosse players are innocent but said Nifong committed no intentional ethics violations, the newspaper said.
