Posted on Sat, Jan 23, 2010 : 10:47 a.m.
Convicted Ypsilanti drug dealer seeks new trial or lighter sentence
By AnnArbor.com Staff
A federal judge in Detroit heard testimony Friday in a case brought by a convicted Ypsilanti drug dealer who claims he was harmed by a prosecutor's misconduct.
Joseph "Chippy" Stines is in federal prison until 2027 for a drug conspiracy based in Ypsilanti. He's hoping for a new trial or at least a lighter sentence.
Stines says a witness in his 1999 case was told by the prosecutor to embellish his testimony. That federal prosecutor was Richard Convertino, who now is in private law practice and denies the allegation.
Convertino left government service amid much controversy. He was charged, but acquitted, of concealing evidence from the defense in a 2003 terrorism trial.
U.S. District Judge Paul Borman is presiding over the Stines case.
Comments
d obryan
Sat, Jan 23, 2010 : 2:48 p.m.
i hope he gets a fair day in court,and gets more time for the tax payers dime
kept an open mind
Sat, Jan 23, 2010 : 1:36 p.m.
Sometimes it is easy to sit in judgement espcially when we are on the outside but everyone deserves a fair tarial an when we stop believing in the constitution then we are all lost most of the time we never hear about the cases that are prosecuted wrongly if this had not been a big case then we would not know anything about this. Since it is a known drug dealer we are not to care and just let his rights be throw away! when this happens the less heard about cases are the ones that suffur the most! lets remember all things have to be done according to the law or we are just as bad as the criminals.
d obryan
Sat, Jan 23, 2010 : 11:58 a.m.
let him riot in prison.there is enough drugs going around.one less pusher on the streets until 2027.maybe this time he will get life