United States Attorney Martin Estrada Establishes New Executive Position to Oversee Ethics and Post-Conviction Reviews

LOS ANGELES – United States Attorney Martin Estrada today announced that he has created a new executive position to address ethics and post-conviction issues. In conjunction with this, the United States Attorney’s Office is establishing a new committee to review innocence claims brought by defendants convicted in the Central District of California.

The Chief of Ethics and Post-Conviction Review will, among other things, oversee the work of the office’s ethics and professional responsibility officers, coordinate the investigation of claims of prosecutorial misconduct, lead the office’s training and development program, and review the office’s responses to requests for pardons and commutations. This position will report directly to the United States Attorney.

 The Conviction Integrity Committee will review and consider claims of factual innocence brought by defendants who were convicted in the Central District of California. The Chief of Ethics and Post-Conviction Review will chair the committee, the other members of which will include the United States Attorney, the First Assistant United States Attorney, and the Executive Assistant United States Attorney. The new process to review claims of factual innocence is partly modeled on other committees that have been formed the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and other prosecutorial agencies around the country.

“Our foremost duty as federal prosecutors is to achieve justice. Therefore, while we will continue to do everything in our power to protect the public and uphold the rule of law, we will also do all we can to ensure the integrity of our convictions, as well as the fairness of sentences,” Mr. Estrada said. “Transparency in the criminal justice system is important. While wrongful convictions are rare, we will carefully review – and, when appropriate, fully investigate – any claim that the facts of a case do not support a conviction. We are committed to obtaining fair and just outcomes in each and every case we prosecute.

“The work of the Conviction Integrity Committee also will serve as an opportunity for my office to continually review our work as prosecutors and will buttress all of the policies and procedures designed to prevent wrongful convictions.”

An application to submit innocence claims to the Committee has been placed on the United States Attorney’s Office website.

The position of Chief of Ethics and Post-Conviction Review will be held by Assistant United States Attorney Allison L. Westfahl Kong, who will also chair the Conviction Integrity Committee. Ms. Westfahl Kong has been an Assistant United States Attorney for 10 years, most recently serving as the Chief of Trials, Integrity, and Professionalism. This new role will expand her work to include post-conviction review, which is aimed at promoting fairness and integrity at every stage of a criminal prosecution.

“Allison is an experienced prosecutor, a respected legal thinker, and a consummate professional,” Mr. Estrada said. “Her experience and judgment will ensure success in her new role.”