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Duke Prosecutor Will Do One Day Behind Bars

Nifong sentenced to 24 hours for lying about evidence

By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 1, 2007 8:24 AM CDT

(Newser) – Mike Nifong, the disgraced district attorney in the Duke rape case, will spend a night in jail for contempt of court, a Durham, NC, judge ruled yesterday. The judge concluded that Nifong, who has already been disbarred, "willfully" withheld DNA evidence that exonerated three lacrosse players accused of raping a stripper after a team party.

Nifong had argued at the two-day hearing that he hadn't lied, but had been unaware of the evidence when he told the defendants' attorneys DNA testing had not been possible: "At the time I made the statements, I believed them to be true."  The judge explicitly rejected that argument. "We saw the system break down," said the father of one of the players, "and today we saw the system right itself."

Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong testifies during his criminal contempt hearing in Durham, N.C., Friday, Aug. 31, 2007. The former prosecutor who led the now-discredited Duke lacrosse rape case faces up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $500 if convicted on charges...
Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong testifies during his criminal contempt hearing in Durham, N.C., Friday, Aug. 31, 2007. The former prosecutor who led the now-discredited Duke lacrosse...   (Associated Press)
Mary Ellen Finnerty, center, mother of former Duke lacrosse player Collin Finnerty, smiles after former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong's conviction on criminal contempt charges in Durham, N.C., Friday, Aug. 31, 2007. The former prosecutor who led the now-discredited Duke lacrosse rape case was convicted and will spend...
Mary Ellen Finnerty, center, mother of former Duke lacrosse player Collin Finnerty, smiles after former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong's conviction on criminal contempt charges in Durham,...   (Associated Press)
Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, right,  leaves the courtroom following his criminal contempt hearing in Durham, N.C., Friday, Aug. 31, 2007. The former prosecutor who led the now-discredited Duke lacrosse rape case was convicted and will spend one day in jail. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, right, leaves the courtroom following his criminal contempt hearing in Durham, N.C., Friday, Aug. 31, 2007. The former prosecutor who led the now-discredited...   (Associated Press)
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