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December 1, 2008 8:23:33 AM CST

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Nifong Pleads Not Guilty to Contempt

Posted Aug 30, 07 12:53 PM CDT in Sports,  US 

(Newser) – In the same Durham courtroom where he once prosecuted accused criminals, Mike Nifong pleaded not guilty today to contempt charges stemming from his handling of the Duke rape case. Nifong’s judge accused the disgraced DA of lying to him last September about a DNA report that could have benefited the accused Duke lacrosse players, the News and Observer reports.

Nifong’s lawyer argued that his client hadn’t fully read the report, which said DNA from unidentified men was found on the alleged victim’s body and clothing. “Although his statements were not literally true, they were not willful, purposeful lies,” he said. But the DNA examiner has testified that he briefed Nifong on the evidence, which the disbarred ex-DA has confirmed.

Source News & Observer (Raleigh)

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Former Duke lacrosse players Collin Fiinerty, left, and Reade Seligmann, right, sit in court with Seligmann's mom Kathy during a break in Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong's North Carolina State...   (Associated Press)
Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong appears in superior court for a motions hearing in Durham, N.C., Thursday, July 26, 2007. Nifong pleaded not guilty to a criminal contempt of court charge...   (Associated Press)
Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong leaves superior court after a motions hearing in Durham, N.C., Thursday, July 26, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)   (Associated Press)
Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, left, appears in superior court for a motions hearing in Durham, N.C., Thursday, July 26, 2007. For criminal contempt charges, the disbarred Nifong...   (Associated Press)
Former Duke lacrosse player Reade Seligmann listens during Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong's North Carolina State Bar trial in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, June 14, 2007. Nifong faces several...   (Associated Press)
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DNA • North Carolina • Duke University • Durham • Mike Nifong • Duke rape case • contempt • Chapel Hill



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