When Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Auerhahn joined Boston’s war on organized crime, he turned his focus to an up-and-coming mobster named Vincent Ferrara. The operation was called “Tunnel Vision,” which would prove a fitting description for Auerhahn’s alleged rule breaking to bring down his target. Auerhahn thought he had a smoking gun in a witness who testified that Ferrara ordered a hit. Problem is, the witness lied. Worse, a judge ruled Auerhahn knew he lied — and covered it up.
The case raises troubling questions from critics — including judges — who worry that withholding evidence has become a tactic of some federal prosecutors. Those critics question whether Justice can police itself. In three parts, WBUR’s David Boeri examines the case, the actions of the Boston prosecutor and how it was handled by the Department of Justice.
In 2003, a judge found that a federal prosecutor for the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston, Jeffrey Auerhahn, intentionally withheld evidence that could have cleared two men charged in a murder case. In the first report, we consider the crucial evidence Auerhahn never turned over. Full story »
The Department of Justice has never taken public action to discipline Auerhahn. Now the chief federal judge here has set local proceedings in motion to do what Justice hasn’t: publicly punish him. In the second report, we dive into the misconduct case against Auerhahn. Full story »
In the third report, we consider how the Department of Justice dealt with Auerhahn, and how it’s come to the point that federal judges in Boston could suspend or even disbar him. Full story »
Two 1991 police reports, both attributed to the same Boston detective, tell very different stories of the murder. An original, handwritten version of the report reveals exculpatory details that never made it into a mysterious typed version of the report — or into trial. Compare the documents side-by-side. Compare »
Many of the main characters still play a role in the tangled, 20-year-old murder case against Ferrara. Meet the prosecutor, the mob boss, the detective, the judge, the attorney, the killer, the witness and the U.S. attorney. Explore »
WBUR’s Lisa Tobin, Andrew Phelps and Jesse Costa produced this series for wbur.org.
- Looking Out: Pre-Teens Set Sail In Outward Bound
- Veterans Groups Struggle To Attract Young Soldiers
- Swimmers Cautioned After Chatham Shark Sightings
- Weekend ‘Tea Party’ Steeps Boston In Poetry
- Boston Fed: Cash Use Subsidizes Card Use
- Shark Map Update: Sightings Off Chatham
- Icy Sidewalks Ruling Could Be A Slippery Slope
- Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Earlier
- Plans For Kennedy Senate Institute Unveiled
- Your Olive Oil May Not Be The Virgin It Claims
- Looking Out: Pre-Teens Set Sail In Outward Bound
- Your Olive Oil May Not Be The Virgin It Claims
- (N)Ole! Spanish Region Says Adios To Bullfighting
- Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Earlier
- Veterans Groups Struggle To Attract Young Soldiers
- Weekend ‘Tea Party’ Steeps Boston In Poetry
- Boston Fed: Cash Use Subsidizes Card Use
- Life Insurance Firms Profit From Death Benefits
- Study: Probation Ineffective, Wasting Money
- Concerns For The Sea Mix With Music In ‘Ocean Voices’
- Looking Out: Pre-Teens Set Sail In Outward Bound
- Using An Alias At Starbucks
- Weekend ‘Tea Party’ Steeps Boston In Poetry
- Job Loss — And Zombies — Hit The Stage
- Ousted Evangelical Reflects On Faith, Future
- Veterans Groups Struggle To Attract Young Soldiers
- Dr. Atul Gawande: Make End Of Life More Humane
- Vote For Good Lookin’: Candidates’ Appearances Affect Election Results
- Icy Sidewalks Ruling Could Be A Slippery Slope
- Jay Roach, Steve Carell Pair Up For 'Schmucks'
