New York judge calls for DOJ investigation in SDNY handling of Iran sanctions case

A federal judge called for a Justice Department investigation into alleged prosecutorial misconduct tied to the Southern District of New York’s mishandling of a criminal case linked to the evasion of U.S. sanctions against Iran, which resulted in a jury conviction being tossed out.

U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan has repeatedly lambasted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for its botching of the case against Iranian businessman Ali Sadr Hashemi Nejad, who was charged with a host of crimes in 2018 connected to his alleged efforts to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran and was found guilty last year, only to have the case dismissed after it was revealed prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence.