| While the latest stories on the alleged Duke rape case focus on the downfall of disgraced prosecutor Michael Nifong, one experienced private investigator notes the real story is that this is not a rare event.
Duke Prosecutor's Abuses Not Isolated Incident: Defendants Rights Trampled Across the Country
While the latest stories on the alleged Duke rape case focus on the downfall of disgraced prosecutor Michael Nifong, one experienced private investigator notes the real story is that this is not a rare event.
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Suzanne McComas, PI & head of the ZZ Agency. "The media has done a great job in covering how Nifong lied and withheld evidence in the Duke case, but other prosecutors have abused the system and not been sanctioned," stated Suzanne McComas, CEO of Albany, NY based ZZ Agency LLC and a veteran private investigator. "I've worked several cases where the prosecution used tainted evidence or false witnesses in an effort to secure a conviction or plea deal."
In one case, the accuser identified himself as a dead friend instead of using his own name to avoid trouble with the police on charges he was facing. The prosecution never divulged this information and it took extensive footwork to uncover it for the defense.
In another instance, a severely edited video tape was presented as unaltered in order to convict a husband of raping his wife. Neither the tape nor an accusation surfaced for many months until a custody battle began. Such abuses are not uncommon, as the prosecutors never stop pushing for a plea deal even after the facts were well-known.
"The Duke Lacrosse case looked political from the start, but in other everyday criminal cases the continued and repeated stonewalling doesn't stop until the defendant gets help," noted McComas. "That's where my firm comes in, to stop wrongful prosecutions."
In 2006, McComas uncovered illegal police tactics at gun shows, where lawful buyers were harassed, hounded and even bothered in their own homes. Her investigative work ended with her testifying before Congress on behalf of minorities facing hostile police procedures.
"My company loves working for and protecting victims, but sometimes the real victims are sitting at the defense table. In those cases, we're still on the side of justice and really enjoy uncovering the truth!"
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