Press Release
U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
District of Hawaii
PJKK Federal Building (808) 541-2850
300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 6-100 FAX (808) 541-2958
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850
June 12, 2007
For Immediate Release
P R E S S R E L E A S E
The United States Attorney's Office has received a number of media inquiries seeking further information in connection with United States v. Patkar, an ongoing prosecution in United States District Court. Because the information sought pertains to a case presently pending trial and because there are general limitations on the type of information which can be disclosed outside of court, comments of the United States Attorney are necessarily limited in nature at this juncture.
According to the Crime Victims Rights Act, victims of federal crimes have the right "to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim's . . . privacy." As a result, the practice is to abbreviate or eliminate the names of victims in virtually all charging documents such as indictments.
It is not unusual for various members of the Office, including the United States Attorney, to receive unsolicited allegations of criminal conduct or suspected criminal conduct from various members of the community, including other public officials. The general procedure of this Office is to refer such allegations to the appropriate law enforcement agency for investigation, and, when the investigation warrants, presentation for prosecution.
Information relating specifically to the Patkar case while it is pending trial will be disclosed in the form of pleadings and other documents filed with the court. Inquiries from the media about the case should be directed to Public Information Officer/First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Enoki.
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