Case, Staff, DREAM & PATHWAY, Community & Intern News
Case News
Federal Case Dismissed!
After 5 long years, Mr. B. finally resolved a two-count federal indictment, charging felon in possession and aiding a straw gun purchase, with a plea to a misdemeanor in state court. Mr. B had spent most of the last 5 years navigating the competency process in state court. Tacoma AFD Heather Carroll, Chief Investigator Stacey Brownstein, and Tacoma paralegal Carolynn Cohn found evidence supporting Mr. B’s factual innocence of the possession charge, and when Mr. B was finally found competent in state court, the government agreed to dismiss the federal charge for a plea to a misdemeanor in state court.
Tacoma AFD Heather Carroll, Research and Writing Attorney Alan Zarky, and Tacoma paralegal Carolynn Cohn challenged restitution in a CP case on behalf of a client. The team, with the help of a forensic economist expert, argued that the losses claimed by the attorney for two victims were grossly inflated and, if properly calculated, the two victims had already been fully compensated. Judge Settle ruled that millions of dollars in hedonic damages claimed by the victims were not compensable under the statute. He did not find that the victims had been fully compensated, but only awarded the mandatory minimum of $3000 to each victim.
Staff News
Rolando Costilla Promoted to Operations Administrator!
Rolando has been with our office for almost 15 years and is an extremely valuable member of the FPD team. Rolando is committed to our mission, dedicated to his colleagues, and always willing to help no matter the size of the project. Rolando recently played a key part in preparing our office for an extensive renovation and contributed to making the move out of our current office and into temporary office spaces as seamless as possible. Rolando remains an essential part of the Operations group and we are lucky to have him as part of the office. Congrats Rolando!
DREAM & PATHWAY News
On January 19th, our office hosted a brownbag training regarding PATHWAY, the very first pre-adjudication federal mental health court program in the country, and DREAM—2.
PATHWAY
Seattle AFD Sara Brin and Mitigation Specialist Kelly Trujillo presented alongside key PATHWAY stakeholders from the U.S. Probation & Pretrial Services Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and federal judges, to provide an overview of this 12–24 month mental health diversion court meant for clients struggling with mental health challenges with a clear nexus between these challenges and the charged offense
PATHWAY is a comprehensive pre-adjudication diversion court program that blends treatment, incentives, and sanction alternatives to effectively address participants’ behaviors, quality of life, long term wellness stability, incarceration costs, and the safety of the community. Our commitment to holistic care extends beyond the courtroom, fostering an environment where individuals can partner with the U.S. Probation & Pretrial Services Office to access the resources they need to achieve stability and well-being. Sara, Kelly, and First Assistant Corey Endo—along with PATHWAY stakeholders—will continue to attend monthly quality improvement seminars hosted by the Federal Judicial Center for education, training, and support as we establish this program in a way that best serves our participants and community.
DREAM-2
DREAM-2 is an expansion of our pre-adjudication diversion court program for people with substance use disorders. The criteria for DREAM-2 are identical to those for DREAM, except with regard to criminal history. DREAM-2 is available to people with more criminal history (up to 7 points under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, based on felony convictions). Successful DREAM-2 participants will not have their charges dismissed upon completion of the program, but should avoid custody.
The DREAM-2 committee also presented at the training, explaining the logistics of the program and expressing their collective hope that the broader pool of qualified applicants will allow more people to benefit from the program.
Community News
Two mock trial teams from Tacoma School of the Arts (including our CJA administrator’s son!), coached by Tacoma AFD Heather Carroll and Amanda Danforth from Pierce County’s Department of Assigned Counsel, participated in a regional tournament at the Pierce County Courthouse on Friday and Saturday. Out of 10 teams from 7 different schools, one of the SOTA teams placed third! They are hopeful this finish earns them a spot in the state tournament later this spring. Stay tuned!
Intern News
Please welcome our legal intern who started with us this month:
