After 10 Years, Split Vote on How to Punish Former Prosecutor for Payments to Witnesses

WASHINGTON - In what marks the latest twist in the long-running disciplinary proceeding against former federal prosecutor G. Paul Howes, the nine-member Board of Professional Responsibility issued tonight a split recommendation on what sanctions Howes should receive for his past alleged misconduct.

In the board’s report and recommendation to the D.C. Court of Appeals, four members recommended disbarment for the former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, three recommended a three-year suspension of his license, and two recommended a one-year suspension.

Because none of the recommendations was in the majority, the final decision on Howes’ sanction will be up to the D.C. Court of Appeals. Given that the most miniumum recommended punishment was a one-year suspension, an ethics lawyer said the appeals court could suspend Howes’ license before making a final decision.

Howes, who served as a federal prosecutor in Washington from 1984 until 1995, handled some of the District’s most high-profile drug, homicide, and gang cases in D.C.’s federal and local courts, including the Card/Moore and Newton Street Crew cases. The investigations into his alleged misconduct has spanned more than a decade and involved two disciplinary agencies. In 1998, the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility issued a report that determined Howes authorized more than $140,000 in payments to 132 witnesses, including individuals who were not entitled to receive them. Howes was also accused of intentionally failing to disclose the use and misuse of the vouchers to defense counsel.

Howes’ alleged misconduct resulted in reduced prison sentences for at least nine defendants, many of whom were se ...