Prosecutor hints at Bonds conflict
The new chief federal prosecutor in San Francisco, U.S. Atty. Joseph P. Russoniello, said Thursday that he wants to personally try some cases but may be barred from involvement in his office’s high-profile perjury case against home run king Barry Bonds.
At a news conference, Russoniello said the Justice Department was deciding whether he should be recused from participating in the Bonds case, based on disclosures he made when nominated for the job.
Citing confidentiality, Russoniello declined to say what might prevent him from being involved in the case. But he described in general terms the sorts of potential conflicts that commonly arise in such matters. “It is not just clients,” he said. “It may be investments, or the law firm I came from. It may be a gaggle of circumstances.”
President Bush named Russoniello to replace former San Francisco Judge Kevin Ryan, who was fired last year.
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