A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a claim that law enforcement agents and prosecutors improperly targeted 21 African Americans arrested on charges of bilking a government welfare program for the blind, disabled and elderly poor. U.S. District Judge Edward Rafeedie denied a defense motion to dismiss a 24-count fraud indictment against Dessie Robinson, 55, of Los Angeles, on grounds of selective enforcement and vindictive prosecution. Rafeedie said the federal public defender's office, which represents most of the defendants, had failed to meet the legal standard of proof required. But he also had some critical words for the prosecution's handling of the case, telling opposing lawyers, "Counsel, I think both sides are equally wrong." The arrest of Robinson and 20 other defendants in July by agents from the Social Security Administration's inspector general's office has been the subject of a bitter dispute between the public defender's office and federal prosecutors.Public defenders assigned to the case contend that the defendants were needlessly arrested, many at gunpoint, and hauled into court on what at the time were misdemeanor complaints. [more
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