Seeking Justice For The Innocent

August 22, 2009 Organizations Upset With Yolo County DA Unite In A Common Voice

On Saturday, August 22, 2009 the Justice Coalition organized a march and press conference with approximately 300 people representing various groups expressing their outrage and frustration with the Yolo County DA's Office, the District Attorney Jeff Reisig and the Yolo County Sheriff. Marchers called for an Independent Federal Investigation.

Marchers consisted of supporters for the following victims of the corruption in Yolo County. 

1. Luis Gutierrez a farm worker, shot six times by the Yolo County Sheriff's undercover gang suppression unit have yet to be held accountable for their actions.
2. Ajay Dev, an innocent man, was overzealously prosecuted by the DA's office. The distortion of facts and lies in and out of court by the DA's office, and an unfair trial involving prosecutorial misconduct resulted in his wrongful conviction.
3. Jeff Lockwood a young man who was also overzealously prosecuted and wrongfully convicted by the DA's office.

The following is a press statement by the Advocates for Ajay:

Yolo County District Attorney’s Office Cease and Desist. 
Stop lying to the People of California!

We will not permit the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office to continue to perpetuate lies and to spin stories in the case of Ajay Dev. We are here to expose the DA’s office for the corrupt practices it engages in, including outright lies to the public in and out of trial in order to gain convictions. The record will confirm the following facts:

• Deputy District Attorney (DDA) Steve Mount said that Ajay kept the accuser out of the country to avoid prosecution.  It was the Nepal government, not Ajay, who put the case against the accuser, and that is why she was kept in Nepal.  Mr. Mount knew the accuser dropped the case a month before going to Nepal. He also knew, the Nepal Court documents would have shown the accuser (an adult) was convicted of criminal passport fraud by the Government of Nepal, not Ajay, and that the conviction was upheld in their Appellate Court. The documents would verify the accuser had a motivation to lie and was not an innocent girl contrary to the picture the DA’s office has painted in the press and in court and  . 
• The DDA said Ajay followed the accuser to Nepal. Ajay went to Nepal before the accuser. Ajay and his father traveled to Nepal due to a death in the family of his first cousin who was responsible for the lives of 8 people, leaving them with no means of support. 
• The DDA told the jury that Ajay never denied the allegations in the pre-text call. Ajay directly denied the allegations 27 times, indirectly 25 times--in English and Nepali--throughout the 58 minute call.  The DDA said Ajay admitted to the crime on the pretext phone call. However, the accuser admitted multiple times on the taped phone call that Ajay did not give her the admission she wanted because there was no such admission. 
• The DDA said Ajay showed the accuser pornography. The court record shows Ajay was found not guilty. The pornography was not on Ajay’s computer, as Mount claims; it was on the accuser’s computer. Forensic evidence showed that the pornography was being viewed while Ajay was at work, and was not viewed after she moved out of the home. 
• The DDA said Ajay was responsible for three abortions. Ajay was not found guilty. Evidence shows the accuser did not have 3 abortions. She only had 1 abortion and coincidentally had a boyfriend (not Ajay) at the time.

If the evidence in the case against Ajay Dev is strong enough to merit 378 years in prison, why the lies? What is more important the TRUTH or winning the case! The DA Jeff Reisig and Deputy DA Steve Mount are trying to conceal the truth. Stop lying to the People of California!