[From article]
Now, lawyers want to know where the line is, and whether it’s a federal crime to execute an everyday tactical maneuver.
“I’ve done this countless times. He may have chosen his words poorly, but this is a good, honest lawyer,” said Terrence Kennedy, a criminal defense attorney and current member of the Governor’s Council who is not involved in the case. “I am outraged by the indictment. I’m outraged by the way it was handled. Criminal defense is a minefield, and any of us can get blown up.”
The indictment states, “Defendant Flaherty provided the victim with an envelope containing $2,500 cash and instructed the victim, among other things, that if anyone ‘from the court,’ contacted the victim, ‘just (expletive) ignore it because they will never bother you.’”
If the allegations are true, he may have violated certain ethical rules. But that’s a far cry from federal witness tampering — a charge that carries with it a maximum 20-year sentence. That’s enough to intimidate criminal defense attorneys who are trying to keep a case out of court.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2015/05/lawyers_decry_fed_indictment_against_timothy_flaherty
Lawyers decry fed indictment against Timothy Flaherty
Say tactic a common one
Thursday, May 28, 2015
By: Bob McGovern
Boston Herald
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