John Kinnucan Needs a Lawyer
By: John Kinnucan, the guy who turned down an FBI request to wiretap clients as part of an insider trading probe, needs a lawyer.
He was subpoenaed today by the government. But the Portland, Ore.-based analyst says that the costs of hiring an attorney are too much for him. So he’s going to represent himself.
“The costs of hiring a lawyer would leave my family homeless. I’d rather go to jail than have that happen,” he told me today.
This is a risky move by Kinnucan. The government’s subpoena requires him to turn over all of his business records going back to 2008. He runs a major risk of being accused of obstruction of justice if the government later concludes that he failed to produce a material record. Without a lawyer advising him, it will be difficult not to accidentally open himself up to criminal liability.
The government has all the resources it needs to pursue Kinnucan.
Kinnucan, on the other hand, has only himself. He claims his business has already been destroyed by the government probe.
Surely there’s a lawyer out there who will take this case on pro bono.
I hope someone comes forward soon before Kinnucan accidentally falls into whatever traps the government’s lawyers are likely laying for him.
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