It is from NPR so I doubt its an April Fool, but charges have been dropped against Ted Stevens

[wndycty]

Sources: Ex-Sen. Stevens' Conviction To Be Voided

by Nina Totenberg

The Justice Department will drop all charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, NPR has learned.

A jury convicted Stevens last fall of seven counts of lying on his Senate disclosure form in order to conceal $250,000 in gifts from an oil industry executive and other friends. Stevens was the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, however, he lost his bid for an eighth full term in office just days after he was convicted. Since then, charges of prosecutorial misconduct have delayed his sentencing and prompted defense motions for a new trial.

According to Justice Department officials, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has decided to drop the case against Stevens rather than continue to defend the conviction in the face of persistent problems stemming from the actions of prosecutors.

The judge in the Stevens case has repeatedly delayed sentencing and criticized trial prosecutors for what he's called prosecutorial misconduct. At one point, prosecutors were held in contempt. Things got so bad that the Justice Department finally replaced the trial team, including top-ranking officials in the office of public integrity. That's the department's section charged with prosecuting public corruption cases.
-snip-

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102589818

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

1. It's true. Holder dropped the charges.

[KharmaTrain]

2. A Totally Botched Prosecution...

Fortunately, he was found guilty by a jury and Senator tooobs was sent packing. The dude is 85 and no matter if charges are dropped, his reputation has been ruined. BTW...dropped does not mean he's innocent, just how poorly the prosecution of this case went.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Of course they dropped the charges, he's rich and a peer

And accountabiliy is just applied to teachers these days, not to crooks and the like. Look-over there! A bad teacher! Get 'em! Just don't look at the venality and corruption in government, oh no, look at the teachers!

[Odin2005]

4. Right, so we should let prosecutors act in Bushist ways to get what we want, huh?

Manipulating justice towards partisan ends is NOT a liberal value.