A federal judge today denied a request from Kansas City mayoral candidate Katheryn Shields to make public all evidence from her federal mortgage fraud case.
But Senior U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs took steps to protect her rights to speak on the campaign trail and answer charges made against her by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In a seven-page order, Sachs wrote that releasing a “flood” of documents would add nothing to the public’s understanding of the case and could hurt the fair trial rights of 10 other defendants. He did, however, allow prosecutors or defense lawyer Curtis Woods to release a critical document in the case and said they could argue before a magistrate about the release of a second record that Shields has said is important to her defense.
Sachs also declined to explicitly order the parties to abide by a court rule that bars them from making any statement that could hinder the “due administration of justice.” Such an order, Sachs wrote, “would surely create constitutional problems if applied to Ms. Shields at this time.”
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined comment on the order.
Shields said she was grateful for Sachs’ ruling.
“While I would like for all the prosecutor’s files related to me to be disclosed so that the public can fully understand how baseless (the) charges are, I am happy the court has given us the opportunity to seek the public release of this very important document,” Shields said.
Shields and her husband, Philip Cardarella, are accused of knowingly signing documents last fall that contained false information in the planned $1.2 million sale of their home. Nine others are charged with preparing the documents and setting up the deal.
Sachs said he would permit the release of the final settlement statement Shields signed in November. Shields said her lawyer is drafting a paperwork that would permit a federal magistrate to release what Shields has described as an “incomplete closing statement” sent by others to the lender. That document purportedly induced the lender to approve the $1.2 million loan.
