Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson Fires Former Hynes Staffers
Image: NY Post
The fallout continues from last week’s Department of Investigation report, which exposed former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles “Joe” Hynes as an alleged larcenist, as current DA Ken Thompson has fired a slew of holdovers from the Hynes era.
According to the Daily News, DA Thompson fired 11 employees on Friday, including nine lawyers and two staffers. One of the more infamous names on the list is attorney James Leeper, a recovering alcoholic who made headlines last month after he missed a high profile murder trial following a relapse.
While sources tell the News that the firings are unrelated to the report and that many of Hynes’ most loyal staffers have already departed, there’s no doubt that the report only gives DA Thompson more cause to really clean house. After all, it clearly states that staffers at the Brooklyn DA’s office helped (or looked the other way) when Hynes was working on his campaign during business hours. And on top of that, DA Thompson has recently been forced to overturn seven convictions this year, many from the Hynes era, and is actively investigating 90 other possible wrongful convictions made by his predecessors.
“[Thompson et al.] are meticulously reviewing everything and everybody,” an employee at the DA’s office told the Daily News.
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