Case, Staff News, Community & Intern News
Case News:
CP Case Dismissed!
An FBI “confidential human source” (CHS) claimed FPD client Mr. B sent her two CP images – but she claimed he deleted them before she could save the images, and no illegal images were found on any of Mr. B’s devices. With some intrepid googling and court records, Tacoma AFD Heather Carroll identified the CHS, and discovered that she claimed she was “abducted” in 2014. Tacoma investigator Mike Stortini took it from there, finding evidence that all but confirmed this was the CHS, and uncovering a police reported concluding the CHS made up the kidnapping story. The FBI has extensive background checks and yearly reviews that should be done on all CHSs, but despite those – and ready access to the police report concluding she was a liar – the FBI somehow managed to avoid discovering the report. When the government was finally forced to confront the damning report, it moved to dismiss the indictment against Mr. B. Mr. B filed extensive (and excellent) briefing from R&W attorney Alan Zarky, Carroll and Seattle AFD Greg Geist, with an assist from Federal Defender Colin Fieman asking the Court to dismiss the case with prejudice. Judge Bryan declined, and dismissed without prejudice – but still a great outcome for Mr. B! Congrats to our client and his defense team!
Seattle Paralegal Charlotte Ponikvar drafted a motion for early termination of supervision for a client who has been thriving for the last 18 months. After serving his 30-month sentence, the client struggled with staying sober. He entered a detoxification program and then an inpatient treatment program, and he has not looked back since. He is now working for a union, saving money to buy a home, and living a healthful and joyful life. Amazing work Charlotte and congrats to our client!
Staff News:
For the First Time in Our Office’s History, the FPD staffs a Chief Investigator!
Stacey Brownstein has been selected as our new Chief Investigator. Stacey started her defense career as a paralegal with the Legal Aid Society in New York City and was an investigator with The Defender Association in King County before joining our office in 2012. She has been a zealous and indispensable member of many successful trial teams and is highly respected as an empathetic interviewer with a range of specialized technical skills and a passionate commitment to our clients. In 2020, she spearheaded and managed a groundbreaking social media campaign to stop the execution of Brandon Bernard, who was cruelly put to death by the Government despite an outpouring of bipartisan pleas for clemency. In her new role, Stacey will supervise the Federal Defender’s crack team of investigators while continuing to work on her own cases, expand the office’s investigatory resources, and advise the Federal Defender on ways to further advance the office’s mission.
Interim Defender No More!
Colin Fieman was officially sworn in as Federal Defender! Read about it here in The Seattle Times.
Community News:
Youth Law Day!
On May 13, 2022, our office participated in Youth Law Day, which was in person for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seattle AFD Vanessa Pai-Thompson and Assistant US Attorney Rebecca Cohen organized the day as co-chairs of the Federal Bar Association—Western District of Washington’s (FBA—WDWA) Criminal Law Committee (https://fba-wdwash.org/). Youth Law Day is sponsored by the FBA —WDWA and is organized in partnership with College Success Foundation (CSF). CSF “coach[es] and support[s] students from low socioeconomic backgrounds to prepare for and graduate from college as transformational leaders in order to forge a just and equitable society.” (https://www.collegesuccessfoundation.org/)
Youth Law Day aims to introduce students to a variety of careers in the federal legal system. This year, the program brought students from Cleveland and Rainier Beach high schools to the Seattle courthouse for a day-long program hosted by the Honorable Richard A. Jones. Tacoma Investigator Stacey Brownstein and Social Worker Dan Potter-Engelskirger spoke with students on a “careers in the courts” panel during the morning session. Also on the panel were members of the Court community who spoke with students about career opportunities in IT, court interpretation, court reporting, legal assistant work, and positions within United States Probation and Pretrial Services.
During a working lunch session, Federal Public Defender Colin Fieman and United States Attorney Nicholas Brown spoke with students about their path to the law and current work. Students then had the opportunity to watch a demonstration by a drug-detecting K9 and to speak with representatives from the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife, Drug Enforcement Administration, and United States Postal Inspectors and Customs and Border Protection.
In the afternoon, students participated in a mock trial in Judge Jones’s courtroom. Seattle AFDs Dennis Carroll, Andy Kennedy, & Christopher Sanders, along with Research & Writing Specialist Alan Zarky, and First Assistant Corey Endo helped a dedicated team of high school students develop and present their case on their way to a NOT GUILTY verdict! Our office was thrilled to be back in person for an impactful day with a brilliant group of students. A great day and a lot of fun.
Former Seattle AFD Laura Mate, who is currently the Director of the Sentencing Resource Counsel was recently nominated by President Joe Biden for the Commissioner and Vice Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission. Read about it here.
Intern News:
Meet our New Legal Interns from May:
News from Former Legal Interns
Two of our former Fall UW Law interns have exciting dates as to what they will be doing after they graduate this June. Jemimah (“Jemmie”) Kamau and Crristina Rico Rodriguez have been chosen as 2022 Equal Justice Works Fellows. EJW fellowships are two years in length, paid, and self-designed.
Jemmie’s project with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project will focus on the legal and social services needs of Black immigrants in a culturally responsive and linguistically competent manner through workshops, intakes, direct representation, and case referrals. Helping Black immigrants meet their legal and social needs is at the center of Jemmie’s project. Jemmie states: “As a Black immigrant, I know what it’s like to handle immigration matters without legal representation and adequate language skills. I will continue to advocate for the legal and social needs of Black immigrants, who face additional barriers including language and culture.”
Cristina’s project with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project will focus on empowering and advocating for Indigenous Guatemalan women and children who have fled gender and family-based violence through community education, outreach, and direct representation. Cristina’s project will provide three forms of service delivery: community education and outreach to Indigenous immigrant communities; direct immigration representation providing a pathway to permanent residency for women and children facing deportation; and creating sustainable and ongoing legal materials for attorneys and legal advocates to make it easier to represent this community.
Congratulations to both Cristina and Jemmie!