Former EPA Employee Indicted for Crimes Wins Dismissal on Speedy Trial Grounds

摘要

Citing a violation of a Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial, a federal district court dismissed criminal charges May 26 against a former Environmental Protection Agency employee accused of false statements and financial conflicts linked to his work with fuel additives under the Clean Air Act (United States v. Fernandes, D.D.C., No. 06-197, 5/26/09). Judge John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a motion to dismiss on speedy trial grounds filed by Joseph B. Fernandes, Ph.D., a chemical engineer who worked for EPA from 1991 to 2004. The court ruled that the government's failure to extradite Fernandes from India was a crucial factor that required dismissal of the case.