Classic Leon

Cannizzaro's kids got a dressing down from the Fifth Circuit today over their use of so called "fake subpoenas."

On Wednesday, Alford argued that even if the so-called “DA subpoenas” — phony documents that falsely threatened their recipients with jail time for failing to comply — may have been deceptive, legally invalid and improper, prosecutors were using them to bring critical, and often uncooperative, witnesses in to talk about ongoing criminal cases.

“The object of that document is to get the witness into the office to discuss the prosecution,” he said.

“Are you saying that this is somehow noble because they were trying to talk to witnesses?” Judge Jennifer Elrod asked. “What’s the classic role of the prosecutor? Creating fake documents, that’s not the classic role. Coercing people to come in for interviews when you don’t have the authority to do that, that’s not the classic task of the prosecutor.”

Or maybe it is. The do love intimidating people.