Judge: No prosecutorial misconduct finding for Justice Dept. in Blackwater manslaughter case

Judge: No misconduct finding in Blackwater case

WASHINGTON — A federal judge has opted not to slap the Justice Department with a finding of prosecutorial misconduct for mishandling the manslaughter case against Blackwater Worldwide security guards.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina says prosecutors distorted testimony, violated its policies and withheld evidence during an investigation into a deadly 2007 shooting in Iraq. Urbina threw out all charges against the five security contractors late last month.

But in a ruling Tuesday, Urbina said he wouldn’t take what he called the “extreme” step of prohibiting prosecutors from reviving the case.

Had Urbina ruled that prosecutors committed misconduct, it could have triggered an internal investigation and led to sanctions against the prosecutors.