Federal prosecutors get the green light to start offering plea deals to Capitol riot defendants, att
Source: CNN
(CNN)Federal prosecutors have informed some Capitol riot defendants the Justice Department has given the green-light to cut guilty plea deals, a step toward bringing the first of the hundreds of cases to a close, according to attorneys involved in the talks.
Defense lawyers involved have long recognized that much of the evidence in the Capitol riot cases isn't disputable enough to take to trial -- especially because so much is on video -- and that many of the more than 350 people charged would want to end their court proceedings quickly. But the cases have stalled for weeks as the Justice Department worked out what it was willing to offer, prompting attorneys to ask for delays in many of the court proceedings.
It's not clear yet which or how many defendants may be getting plea deals, and they haven't been offered to all interested defendants at this time, the attorneys told CNN. Lawyers who spoke to CNN described deals for defendants with misdemeanors, and not the cases with more severe charges.
The hang-up until now appears to at least partly come from how unusual the Capitol cases are: that there are hundreds, each with many hours of video evidence, and the charges range from the equivalent of trespassing and vandalism crimes to more serious violence and conspiracy charges.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/08/politics/federal-prosecutors-plea-deals-capitol-riot/index.html?utm_term=16179644080283e98c2e957f9&utm_source=cnn_Five+Things+for+Friday%2C+April+9%2C+2021&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1617964408030&bt_ee=wajQCFHJKp6m99pQXEBKkrnqN10hrt1xgvLBDs%2BZyat0EhVoJH7p3tXOhSnJGoUm&bt_ts=1617964408030
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