Appeals court sanctions Chandra Levy prosecutor over ethics breach in murder case

By David Thomas

Aug 21 (Reuters) - A Washington, D.C., appellate court on Thursday declined to suspend the law license of a former lead federal prosecutor in the unsolved, headline-grabbing 2001 Chandra Levy murder case, instead placing the lawyer on probationary status.

The D.C. Court of Appeals found that Amanda Haines failed to timely disclose evidence to defense lawyers for a man accused of killing Levy, a federal government intern. The disclosure failure helped lead to charges being withdrawn in the case a decade ago.

But the appellate court reduced the sanctions recommended by the D.C. Board on Professional Responsibility, which in July 2023 said Haines' law license should be suspended for 60 days. The court said Haines' misconduct "was the result of a seemingly honest mistake."

"We do not think it appropriate to suspend a career prosecutor from the practice of law for sixty days for a once-in-a-career lapse in judgment," the court said.

The D.C. Court of Appeals imposed the suspension but immediately stayed it for one year of probation. The court has final say on all disciplinary matters involving attorneys licensed in the district.

Haines' attorney Justin Dillon said they were grateful for the court's probationary sentence and ruling, which included a "finding that she never intended to withhold evidence from the defense."

"For that and for the sheer end of the thing, we are grateful," Dillon said. Haines is retired.

Levy's disappearance in May 2001 gripped the U.S. capital after it was revealed that she had been involved in an affair with a Democratic member of Congress from California. Levy's remains were later found in Washington's Rock Creek Park.

The only person charged in the murder was Ingmar Guandique, who was convicted at trial in 2010. But prosecutors subsequently abandoned the charges in 2016 after Guandique was granted a new trial, saying they could no longer prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

A hearing committee in 2022 said Haines withheld information from Guandique's defense lawyers about a key witness' prior interaction with law enforcement. The committee recommended a 90-day license suspension. Haines fought that recommendation and denied misconduct.

The court also dismissed ethics claims against Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez, another former prosecutor involved in the Levy case. He now works for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, according to his Linkedin profile. He also denied misconduct.

Mark Lynch, a lawyer at Covington & Burling who represented Campoamor-Sanchez, said they are pleased with the court's decision.