SAN DIEGO — The trial of five former naval officers charged with taking bribes from the military contractor known as "Fat Leonard" abruptly ground to a halt this week with accusations that prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence that casts doubt on an alleged sexual tryst between a prostitute and one of the defendants.
Prosecutors admitted in court Thursday that they messed up: Federal investigators interviewed the prostitute in question last month but did not write up a timely report on the interview.
Defense attorneys contend prosecutors committed a much more egregious offense by violating the Brady Rule, which requires exculpatory evidence in the government's possession to be turned over to the defense — a transgression that one lawyer said "undermines the integrity of the whole case."
