FBI, DoJ Admit Forensic Unit Gave Flawed Testimony - Reports

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) formally acknowledged that FBI examiners gave inflated testimony against defendants in pre-2000 criminal trials, according to media reports.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Over 95 percent of nearly 300 trials reviewed by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and the Innocence Project favored prosecutors, The Washington Post reported late Saturday.

Federal authorities admitted all but two of the FBI's Laboratory's 28 microscopic hair comparison units exaggerated forensic matches. Subsequently, 32 people have been sentenced to death, 14 of whom have since either been executed or died in prison.

Following DoJ and FBI's admission in an investigation that was launched in 2012, defendants and prosecutors across 46 states have been sent notifications to determine if they have grounds for appeal.

Former prosecutor and current US Senator Richard Blumenthal, meanwhile, urged federal authorities to notify all 2,500 potentially innocent defendants before the joint review is completed.

"These findings are appalling and chilling in their indictment of our criminal justice system," Blumenthal was quoted as saying by the outlet.

NACDL executive director Norman Reimer expressed hope the review would set "a precedent so that in future situations it will not take years to remediate the injustice."

"The FBI's three-decade use of microscopic hair analysis to incriminate defendants was a complete disaster," co-founder of the Innocence Project Peter Neufeld told the publication.

An Office of Inspector General report published last year found that justice officials have known for years that flawed evidence and testimony may have led to wrongful convictions.