Prosecutor Found to Have Commented on Case Using Alias

A New Orleans businessman being investigated by the local U.S. Attorney noticed that comments on the local newspaper's website seemed to show an insider's knowledge of the case. He hired a forensic linguist to analyze the comments, which were found to match the writing style of court filings from the prosecution. And now one of the prosecutors has admitted that he wrote the comments about the case (and others) using a pseudonym. 'Mencken1951' unmasked: It is federal prosecutor Sal Perricone, Times Picayune, March 15, 2012 (Nola.com). He has been recused from cases on which he commented, and the U.S. Attorney has asked the Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility to review his actions.

Hat tip: Ars Technica via Volokh Conspiracy.