A local FBI agent who investigated former St. Charles Parish District
Attorney Harry Morel told a judge last year that he has been hamstrung
by “systemic corruption” within the U.S. Department of Justice, saying
he’s come under pressure at times to cover up the misconduct of federal
prosecutors.
The agent, Michael Zummer, outlined those grievances
and others in a 31-page letter he wrote last year to U.S. District Judge
Kurt Engelhardt before the judge sentenced Morel for attempting to
derail a years-long FBI probe into the former district attorney’s sexual
misconduct.
http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/courts/article_b9a17214-0e54-11e7-9dfc-cbb0fbf2e17b.html
A snippet from the 31 page letter:
Because
I am writing this letter as a private citizen, I will make additional
observations and recommendations that go beyond the scope of the case.
The mishandling of the Morel matter is not an isolated incident. I have
experienced firsthand, or heard from other agents,
numerous examples of prosecutors mishandling cases especially, but not
only, in corruption cases. Based upon what I have seen and heard, I
believe that there is systemic corruption in the Justice Department. The
FBI uncovers corruption, and the Justice Department covers it back up
again. FBI managers advocate for prosecution of cases, but stifle
attempts by agents to make the
public aware of this systemic corruption in the Federal criminal justice system.
http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/theadvocate.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/9f/89fa61ea-0e79-11e7-912b-4bab358b983d/58d1951c92f9d.pdf.pdf
This related article is from December 2016:
Senate Judiciary Committee opens inquiry into Harry Morel case, suspension of local FBI agent
The
suspension of an FBI agent who investigated former St. Charles Parish
District Attorney Harry Morel has drawn the attention of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, an influential panel of lawmakers that has opened
an inquiry into the case.
A link to Senator Grassley’s letter:
Dear Inspector General Horowitz and Ms. Ashton:
I
write concerning allegations of a conflict of interest that potentially
affected a plea agreement in a criminal case that was negotiated by the
United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Eastern District of
Louisiana. FBI Special Agent (SA) Michael Zummer has reported to
this Committee that a relationship between then-First Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA)
Fred Harper and defense attorney Ralph Capitelli may have resulted in a
lenient plea agreement for former St. Charles district attorney Harry
Morel.
Mr. Morel has admitted to soliciting sex from female
defendants and female family members of defendants during his time as
the St. Charles district attorney. However, Mr. Morel was not charged
with any sexual offenses. Rather, Mr. Morel received a three-year
sentence in
2016 after pleading guilty to a single count of obstructing justice.
AUSA Harper and Mr. Capitelli, who represented Mr. Morel, owned a
condominium together until March 2013 when AUSA Harper transferred his
ownership to his girlfriend.
The USAO initially declined to
prosecute Mr. Morel in 2013. AUSA Harper was reportedly directly
involved in that decision. SA Zummer filed a complaint with the Office
of Inspector General (OIG) in May 2013 against AUSA Harper for failing
to recuse himself from
matters involving Mr. Capitelli. SA Zummer reported to this Committee
that he experienced retaliation as a result of his OIG complaint,
including from AUSAs who declined to prosecute SA Zummer’s cases.
Additionally, in March 2014, the USAO reportedly refused to accept the
FBI’s referral of SA Zummer to serve as a Special Assistant United States Attorney to prosecute
FBI cases.
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2016-11-15%20CEG%20to%20DOJ%20OIG%20OPR%20(Morel%20Case%20Conflict).pdf
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