Bruce Green was quoted in The Atlantic regarding how prosecutors build a case.
“Few defendants admit that they knew they were breaking the law. So prosecutors ordinarily prove the defendant’s state of mind circumstantially, by asking the jury to draw inferences from the defendant’s words and deeds,” said Bruce Green, a law professor at Fordham and a former associate counsel in the investigation of the Iran-Contra affair. “One of the traditional ways of proving intent is through statements or actions that demonstrate ‘consciousness of guilt.’ And one of the traditional ways of showing ‘consciousness of guilt’ is through lies and cover-ups.”