Steven Dettelbach subpoenaed to testify in case about destruction of exculpatory evidence in criminal cases

Current Presidential nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Former US Attorney Steven Dettelbach is a material witness in a case involving the destruction of exculpatory evidence inside the Prosecutor’s Office and has been subpoenaed to testify in Cleveland on June 13, 2022.  For several years, Dettelbach oversaw the operations of a federally funded, multi-jurisdictional Mortgage Fraud Task Force, which prosecuted over 1,000 Ohioans.  Recently, however, many Task Force convictions are in jeopardy after whistleblower Dawn Pasela provided evidence suppressed by the Task Force prior to trials and plea agreements, and following admissions by the Justice Department that it made false statements about evidence, Viola v. Department of Justice, et. al., 15-cv-242, W.D. Pa. 

Following admissions in 2019 and 2020 that both the Department of Justice and the FBI made materially false statements under oath about evidence, several defendants convicted in Task Force cases are considering moving to vacate their convictions, particularly in light of developments in Tony Viola's criminal cases.  Viola was tried two times on identical charges, initially convicted but exonerated at a subsequent trial and released from prison after a decade following admissions that the FBI made false statements about evidence.  In 2022, Viola’s sentence was terminated a year early.  But while Viola was in prison, his investigative team, led by former FBI Agent Robert Friedrick, uncovered a romantic relationship between Senior Assistant Ohio Attorney General Daniel Kasaris and government witness Kathryn Cover and proof that Kasaris and federal prosecutor Mark Bennett knowingly utilized Clover’s perjured testimony to obtain convictions in mortgage fraud prosecutions.  

Following the release of over 600 pages of emails between Clover and Kasaris confirming the affair and establishing that Kasaris allowed Clover to destroy evidence inside the Prosecutor’s Office, multiple Kasaris family members came forward to provide sworn statements or written confirmation of the affair.  Additionally, former Kasaris sister in law Kelly Patrick shared Facebook messages from Susan Kasaris, the wife of Dan Kasaris, complaining about the Clover-Kasaris affair.  During proceedings in Clover’s criminal case, federal prosecutor Mark Bennett admitted that Clover “provided false testimony” at criminal trials, yet Bennett and Kasaris continued utilizing her as a witness in a dozen other proceedings, USA v. Clover, 10-cr-75, Docket # 46.

In 2020, following receipt of the 600+ pages of Kasaris-Clover emails, Viola filed a complaint against Clover, alleging she was guilty of “spoliation” of evidence, a tort claim recognized in the State of Ohio involving the intentional destruction of evidence relevant to a court action. Numerous attempts by attorney Jaye Schlachet to have the case dismissed have been denied, Viola vs. Clover, 20-cv-936897, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Viola’s criminal prosecution includes a myriad of prosecutorial misconduct beyond the destruction of evidence, including the death of whistleblower Dawn Pasela on the day of her scheduled testimony at Viola’s second trial, Mark Bennett’s recent dismissal by the US Attorney, and the misappropriation of over $20 million in restitution collected by the Task Force from criminal defendants – all of which was overseen by Steven Dettelbach, who made frequent media appearances and issued multiple press releases touting his “tough on crime” approach to mortgage fraud cases.  Also at issue is Dettelbach’s upcoming testimony are his written statements refusing to look into the death of Ms. Pasela or other documented cases of misconduct by Bennett and Kasaris.

“I’m looking forward to Steve Dettelbach’s testimony,” said Tony Viola.  “Dettelbach has made his career by portraying himself as a tough, law-and-order prosecutor, but he and his colleagues utilized illegal and underhanded tactics to ‘win’ convictions and imprison innocent people.  These actions are increasingly coming to light in Task Force cases.  But don’t take my word for it.  Read the documents and emails for yourself, all of which have been posted on the FreeTonyViola.com website.”

ABOUT FREETONYVIOLA.COM:  FreeTonyViola.com’s mission is to shine a bright spotlight on the ‘win at all costs’ tactics, prosecutorial overreach and misconduct the United States Department of Justice employs when prosecuting American citizens.  Tony Viola was investigated by the Cuyahoga County Mortgage Fraud Task Force, a multi-jurisdictional task force comprised of state, local and federal agencies, and prosecuted in parallel federal and state cases. He lost the federal case but won the subsequent state trial.  The website, originally created to solicit leads for Tony’s investigative team, has evolved into a tool to keep the public informed about critical developments in his case, and to share information that could potentially assist others who have been wrongfully ensnared by our criminal justice system.  For additional information, visit http://www.FreeTonyViola.com; friend us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tony.viola.9212; or follow us on Twitter @TonyViola.

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