The poster child for lengthy white-collar prison sentences may now become the symbol for prosecutorial excess.
John O’Quinn and a handful of other lawyers say they are handling for free the appeal of former Dynegy worker Jamie Olis’ 2003 conviction for fraud and conspiracy, saying it’s a prime example of prosecutors stepping over the line in the post-Enron era.
“This is a case where I’m totally convinced an innocent man is in prison because he chose to go to trial,” O’Quinn said outside the federal courthouse downtown Tuesday morning after bringing a courtesy copy of the appeal to U.S. District Court Judge Sim Lake. “There was massive prosecutorial misconduct in this case. The system has such immense power.”
U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle has previously defended the way the government pursued the Olis case, which began during the tenure of his predecessor, the late Michael Shelby. On Tuesday, he said in a prepared statement that the government would respond to the new filings “in due course.”
