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DA Stops Sending Fake Subpoenas After Investigation

Steve Myers
/
The Lens
The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office was sending out notices like this that threaten jail time if people don’t come in for questioning. But they’re not legal documents because they haven’t been authorized by a judge.";s:3:"u

The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office is under fire for pressuring crime witnesses to talk. An investigation by The Lens found that the office sent out fake subpoenas telling people to come in and talk to prosecutors.

The city’s criminal justice system is already taxed - with a high crime rate and an overcrowded jail – and critics say this latest problem is evidence that the DA’s office is using overly aggressive tactics to get victims to cooperate.

WWNO’s Tegan Wendland talked with Lens reporter, Charles Maldonado, about his investigation.

You can read full coverage from The Lens here.

Tegan has reported on the coast for WWNO since 2015. In this role she has covered a wide range of issues and subjects related to coastal land loss, coastal restoration, and the culture and economy of Louisiana’s coastal zone, with a focus on solutions and the human dimensions of climate change. Her reporting has been aired nationally on Planet Money, Reveal, All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Marketplace, BBC, CBC and other outlets. She’s a recipient of the Pulitzer Connected Coastlines grant, CUNY Resilience Fellowship, Metcalf Fellowship, and countless national and regional awards.

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