Federal authorities dismissed charges against all 16 remaining defendants in an alleged multistate sex-trafficking ring after a scathing Court of Appeals opinion disclosed that a St. Paul police officer lied, the U.S. attorney's office in Tennessee announced Tuesday.
The dismissal was prompted after the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently cleared the names of three Minnesota men convicted of their alleged role in case. After the jury convictions, a district judge acquitted the men, saying the evidence and witness testimony did not back the charges. The Appeals Court upheld that decision last week.
The three men acquitted last week were among 30 people — 21 from the Twin Cities — charged in connection with the case.
On Friday, some of the 16 defendants whose cases are pending were released. Most are from the Twin Cities, but have relocated.
Minneapolis attorney Gary Wolf's client, Liban Omar, was released after serving 54 months while waiting for his trial.
"Everybody in the world prejudged these guys as the devil incarnate, and there was nothing to it," Wolf said. "It's like the Salem witch trials. It's the same crap. People make allegations, it rolls down the hill. They weren't witches. These guys weren't devils. All built on lies."
In a written statement, David Boling, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Nashville, announced the dismissal against the remaining defendants.
"We've conducted a thorough review of the Sixth Circuit's recent opinions and have considered all possible options for moving forward with this case in light of those opinions," Boling said.
