Public defenders ask for broader review

The D.C. Public Defender Service is asking a judge to order a broader, more transparent investigation into past convictions involving lab work by FBI agents who later came under criticism.

The U.S. attorney's office completed a partial review of the cases in March, following the exoneration of Donald Eugene Gates after 28 years in prison. His conviction rested on testimony from FBI hair examiner Michael Malone. Malone was one of 13 FBI examiners criticized in a 1997 inspector general report.

So far, D.C. prosecutors have reviewed 20 cases, but found the lab examiners didn't play a big role.

In a letter to the D.C. Superior Court's chief judge, the public defenders said Wednesday that they should be involved in the review process and that it should encompass more cases.

-- The Associated Press