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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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October 27th,
2006 - Judge Upholds Passaro Conviction |
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Judge Upholds Passaro Conviction By Associated Press October 27, 2006 Raleigh - A federal judge
has denied a request from a former CIA contractor to overturn his conviction
for assaulting an Afghan detainee who later died. In a decision issued
Thursday, U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle said the evidence supported the
jury's verdict against David Passaro. Prosecutors had argued Passaro beat
Abdul Wali during two days of interrogations in July 2003 at an Army base in
northern Afghanistan. "The jurors heard
evidence from eye witnesses regarding Abdul Wali's brutal beating, his
condition after the beating and expert testimony as to the internal injuries
such blows were likely to cause," Boyle wrote. "Despite the
defendant's arguments to the contrary, substantial evidence supports the
jury's verdict in this case." Passaro was convicted in
August in federal court of felony assault with a dangerous weapon and three
counts of misdemeanor assault. Boyle said the evidence
showed Wali arrived at the compound as a healthy young man, then died after
being beaten for two days. "Notably, the absence
of an autopsy likely shielded the defendant from murder charges," Boyle
wrote. An after-hours telephone
message left Thursday at the office of Passaro's defense attorney, Joe
Gilbert, wasn't immediately returned. Passaro faces up to 11 years
in prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced. He was the first American
civilian charged with mistreating a detainee during the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan External link: http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/top_stories/statewide_news/?SecID=332&ArID=128970 |