Federal prosecutors: Resigned Alaska federal judge had conflict of interest in 23 criminal cases

The U.S. Courthouse successful downtown Anchorage. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)

Alaska national prosecutors person identified astir 2 twelve criminal cases successful which a national judge who resigned successful ugliness this period had an undisclosed conflict of liking pinch attorneys who appeared earlier him.

Alaska’s national nationalist defender has vowed to reappraisal nan cases.

Former U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred resigned July 3 after an excoriating reprimand by nan 9th Circuit that became nationalist past week. A multi-year investigation by nan court’s judicial assembly recovered that Kindred created a dispute activity environment, conducted a sexualized narration pinch a rule clerk who worked for him and exchanged intersexual texts pinch 2 attorneys — including receiving nude photos from an Anchorage national prosecutor.

The erstwhile judge past lied to investigators, nan judicial assembly concluded. Despite being forced to resign, Kindred whitethorn still beryllium impeached.

Kindred, 46, was appointed to 1 of Alaska’s national judgeships successful 2020 by erstwhile President Donald Trump. His resignation left a azygous full-time national judge in Alaska, straining tribunal resources and ratcheting up nan urgency of a long-delayed information and confirmation process to capable 2 unfastened seats.

The revelations astir nan compromised cases exemplify nan increasing fallout complete Kindred’s resignation, and nan disturbing effect connected nan integrity of criminal cases successful Alaska’s national court.

On Friday, successful an email obtained by nan Daily News, executive U.S. lawyer Bryan Wilson wrote to nan state’s apical national nationalist defender that his agency had reviewed cases to “identify imaginable conflicts of liking arising from nan findings” of nan judicial misconduct report. Wilson wrote that nan study identified attorneys, including prosecutors moving for nan U.S. Attorney’s Office successful Anchorage, “whose interactions pinch Judge Kindred whitethorn person created a imaginable conflict of liking aliases quality of impropriety.”

The judicial assembly study described a national charismatic pinch cases earlier Kindred sending him nude photos. It besides described different backstage lawyer engaging successful coquettish and intersexual matter exchanges pinch nan judge.

Judges are bound by ethical codification to disqualify themselves from a matter if their impartiality could beryllium “reasonably questioned.”

In nan email, Wilson listed 23 cases that progressive national prosecutors pinch evident conflicts owed to their interactions pinch Kindred. The cases see theft of firearms, supplier distribution, felon successful possession of a firearm and different superior cases, immoderate pinch aggregate defendants. Some of nan cases are closed. Some Kindred recused himself from successful 2022, erstwhile nan judicial investigation began.

The 23 criminal cases are only nan opening of what should beryllium a larger and searching investigation into really Kindred’s behaviour connected nan chair impacted criminal cases, said Alaska’s apical national nationalist defender.

“This database provided by nan USAO only originates to scratch nan aboveground of imaginable cases impacted by nan inappropriate behaviour referenced successful nan judicial investigation,” Alaska Federal Defender Jamie McGrady wrote successful a statement.

The Alaska Federal Defender, which is charged pinch ineligible practice of indigent defendants charged pinch national crimes successful Alaska, will beryllium conducting its ain investigation, she said.

McGrady said she’d beryllium seeking much accusation astir nan “timing, nature, and grade of these various conflicts of liking that could person impacted nan outcomes successful our clients’ cases.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office didn’t disclose nan quality of conflicts successful a timely way, allowed labor pinch known conflicts to stay attached to ongoing cases and had moreover promoted 1 of nan attorneys involved, McGrady said.

A spokesperson for nan U.S. Attorney’s Office did not respond to questions astir nan national defender’s assertions, alternatively offering a little statement.

“The agency has obligations pinch respect to disclosing aliases avoiding imaginable conflicts of interest, and we are continuing our reappraisal to guarantee those obligations are met,” wrote spokesperson Reagan Zimmerman. “As we person stated, we intend our reappraisal to beryllium ongoing and broad and will supplement disclosures arsenic necessary.”