Kerik’s Lawyer Dismissed To Avoid Conflict

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The New York Sun

A federal judge on yesterday disqualified former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik’s lawyer from representing him in his federal corruption case because of a potential conflict of interest.

Prosecutors had asked for the ruling, arguing that defense lawyer Kenneth Breen was at meetings when Mr. Kerik gave his lawyers false information.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Robinson, sitting in White Plains, agreed with prosecutors, saying the conflict of interest was “so severe that no remedial measure will cure it.”

He added: “It is impossible for this court to see how Mr. Breen’s representation of the defendant does not jeopardize both the defendant’s right to effective assistance of counsel and the court’s need to preserve the integrity of the process.”


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