Professor Bruce Green was quoted in an LA Times article about the many gifts Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey has accepted over the last four years from criminal defense attorneys, police unions, business owners, prosecutors in her office and others.
Lacey accepted more than $10,000 worth of gifts including necklaces, a pearl box, sporting event tickets, bottles of wine, clothing and a glass rose dipped in 24-carat gold. These gifts could have influenced her decisions as one of the most powerful law enforcement officials in the county.
Green, who is the director of the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics, said district attorneys should avoid accepting gifts from employees, defense attorneys, and business executives within their jurisdictions.
“Public officials are supposed to be disinterested, but prosecutors in particular are supposed to be disinterested,” Green said. “They have extraordinary power to destroy people’s lives. And you want them to act in a disinterested way, not with an eye toward profiting.”
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Green said that accepting gifts from companies and their executives could compromise her office.
“What’s going to happen when they call up and say one of our employees embezzled or did something wrong? Are they going to get more favorable treatment than other companies?” Green asked.
Experts also point out that Lacey’s acceptance of gifts from defense attorneys can create perception issues.
For example, criminal defense attorney Michael Goldstein advertises on his website a multitude of cases where he negotiated plea bargains and persuaded prosecutors to dismiss charges. Goldstein gave Cooley tickets to Lakers games. And, just a few days before Lacey was elected district attorney, Goldstein gave her $200 worth of sporting event tickets. Around Christmas2014, he gave her pastries worth $100.
There is no evidence that Goldstein has received any special treatment from the district attorney’s office. But Green said this is a situation that could create the appearance of a conflict of interest for Lacey. Some people, Green said, might wonder whether these types of gifts influenced the way her office dealt with Goldstein and his clients.
