Russian prosecutors increased the pressure significantly on July 2, when they arrested Platon Lebedev, Mr. Khodorkovsky's friend and partner, on charges of fraud.
However, the overall number of the number of hate crime prosecutions was down from 15,542 in 2015-16 to 14,480 in 2016-17, while the number of cases referred to prosecutors increased slightly from 12,997 to 13,086.
The intensified scrutiny of hazardous-material licenses came as federal prosecutors increased the pressure on a Virginia man whose name and phone number were found in a car registered to one of the hijackers of the jet that slammed into the Pentagon.
Prosecutors' increasing focus on minor cases makes Castillo think they're becoming "more worried about processing numbers than seeking justice," she said. . "They're not going to be able to be discerning in prosecutions," she added.
The risks of both professional liability and criminal indictment by public prosecutors were increased.
O'Connor also noted that some rapists are serial offenders, and that if prosecutors have increased opportunities to target offenders, reform efforts like the Colorado proposal could get dangerous people off the street and help prevent future assaults.
At the news conference, Mr. Holder also announced that the Justice Department was merging its Organized Crime and Racketeering Section with its Gang Unit, a move he said would provide more-experienced prosecutors and increased resources for cases like the one announced on Thursday.
During Mr. Giuliani's tenure, from 1994 to 2001, the rate of violent felonies plunged, amplifying his reputation as a crime-fighter — he had been a prosecutor — and increasing his popularity.
In March 2015 an internal security law was passed which allows police to conduct searches without prior authorization, detain suspects for up to 48 hours without the authorization of a prosecutor, and increases the penalty under anti-terror legislation for people participating in violent or "propaganda" demonstrations.
Lawyers acting for the detained men yesterday appeared for a third day at Ga-Rankuwa magistrate's court to argue for them to be released on bail, after it emerged that state prosecutor Nigel Carpenter had increased the charges against the men from attempted murder and public violence to murder.
Capers stressed, however, that "collective efforts" by Hashi and his fellow defendants served to "strengthen al Shabaab," which, the prosecutor said, "unquestionably increased the strength and numbers of a great dedicated to the destruction of the United States and its allies".
