• Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • Whistleblower Resources
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
SIGN THE PETITION FOR NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER DAY IN 2023
Whistleblower Network News
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • Whistleblower Resources
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home Features

Another FBI Lab Victim Is Found Innocent and Freed

David ColapintobyDavid Colapinto
July 22, 2014
in Features, Intelligence Community, News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

Additional Reviews of FBI Lab Scandal Still Needed 20 Years Later

On July 21, 2014, more than twenty years after a FBI whistleblower came forward to report serious problems at the FBI Lab that could impact thousands of cases, another FBI Lab scandal victim was found innocent and freed by the D.C. Superior Court.

Kevin Martin, age 50, spent 26 years in prison for crimes he did not commit. He pleaded guilty to rape and murder under an Alford Plea (pleading guilty acknowledging the government has evidence of guilt but maintaining one’s innocence). He did so only after his attorney was shown hair evidence that the FBI Lab had examined and claimed Martin’s hair matched a hair from the crime scene. DNA testing has now proven the FBI’s claim to be false, resulting in Mr. Martin’s release and exoneration.

Support Whistleblower Network News

See Washington Post: Man exonerated in 1982 D.C. killing; DNA reveals FBI error in conviction

And Fox5 News: Man officially exonerated in 1982 DC rape and murder

Significantly, Mr. Martin has maintained his innocence for more than 30 years, even after he accepted the Alford plea. But nobody believed Mr. Martin until yesterday.

To date, there have been five wrongfully convicted defendants (Anthony Bragdon, Donald Gates, Kevin Martin, Kirk Odom, and Santa Tribble) who have been exonerated in D.C.; however, the FBI Lab scandal impacted thousands of cases nationwide, not just in D.C. An internal Justice Department Task Force was established in 1996 to review thousands of cases impacted as a result of whistleblower allegations about the FBI Lab by Dr. Frederic Whitehurst between 1994-1997. However, the DOJ Task Force operated in secret and shut down almost 10 years ago without issuing a final report. Moreover, the DOJ review itself has been proven to be seriously flawed.

Notably, we won’t find Mr. Martin on the list of cases published last week by the Justice Dept. Office of Inspector General in its assessment report of the prior DOJ Task Force review of cases impacted by the FBI Lab scandal in the 1990’s.

That is because criminal cases prior to 1985 were artificially excluded from the prior DOJ Task Force review of the FBI Lab scandal. The Martin case was found because D.C. Superior Court Judge Ugast ordered a full review of all DC cases handled by the FBI Lab’s hair and fibers unit after another wrongfully convicted person, Donald Gates, was exonerated and set free in 2009 or 2010.

The Martin case should have been reviewed as part of the DOJ’s Task Force review of the FBI Lab. The exoneration of Mr. Martin means a lot of cases may have fallen through the cracks like this one. Contrary to the FBI’s assertions, there is a high probability that there exist many other wrongful convictions obtained prior to 1985 nationwide that relied on tainted evidence from the FBI Lab that have never been reviewed or identified.

According to the DOJ OIG report issued last week more than 400 cases have been identified to date, including 64 death penalty cases, where serious problems with forensic evidence provided by the FBI Lab have been identified, but final determinations of whether that resulted in wrongful convictions in those cases has yet to occur despite the DOJ’s 1996 promise of a thorough review.

How many more Kevin Martins are out there waiting to be exonerated?

Previous posts on this issue.

Tags: Department of JusticeFBI WhistleblowersForensic JusticeFrederic Whitehurst
Previous Post

Updated SEC Whistleblower Awards List, July 2014

Next Post

Special Offer In Honor of National Whistleblower Appreciation Day

David Colapinto

David Colapinto

Next Post

Special Offer In Honor of National Whistleblower Appreciation Day

Please login to join discussion

Receive Daily Alerts

Subscribe to receive daily breaking news and legislative developments sent to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most Popular

Change the Culture, Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent

Tell President Biden to “Finish the Job” for Whistleblowers

Whistleblower Advocates See Parallels to Enron in Silicon Valley Bank Collapse

Whistleblower Jóhannes Stefánsson Plans to Testify at Fishrot Trial in Namibia

WNN Exclusive Interview with Social Security Whistleblowers Sarah Carver and Jennifer Griffith — Part 1

Whistleblower Raised Concerns of Rodents, Spiders in Kitchen of Childcare Facility, Then Fired; OSHA Rules They Were Retaliated Against

Whistleblower Poll

Whistleblower Poll
Whistleblower Poll

Exclusive Marist Poll: Overwhelming Public Support Among Likely Voters For Increased Whistleblower Protections

byGeoff Schweller
October 6, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED.
Subscribe to receive breaking whistleblower updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Careers

Subscribe

  • Daily Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • YouTube Channel

Contribute

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Reprint Guidelines

Your Experience

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Help

  • The Whistleblowers Handbook
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Advertise
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. 

Submit an Article

Copyright © 2021, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

SIGN THE PETITION FOR NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER DAY IN 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Exclusives
  • Government
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Federal Employees
    • Intelligence
  • Corporate
    • CFTC & Commodities
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC & Securities
  • Features
  • Legislation
  • International
    • Foreign Corruption
  • Rewards
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Environment & Climate
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Employment
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
    • Retaliation
    • OSHA
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook
  • National Whistleblower Day ’23

Copyright © 2020, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Become a Whistleblower Network News Subscriber

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Subscribe to WNN

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Subscribe to WNN

Add New Playlist

Go to mobile version