The New York Times has filed motions in New York State Supreme Court to unseal the criminal cases of four “John Does” and two “Jane Does” who are believed to be six of the seven former employees who have pleaded guilty. The seventh person cannot be identified from the state court’s online docketing service, the newspaper says. New York prosecutors earlier this month filed charges against three former top executives in the firm – former chairman Steven Vavis, former executive director Stephen Di Carmine, finance chief Joel Sanders and the former client relations manager Zachary Warren.  They also announced that pleas and potential co-operation from seven other people. 

A right of access

According to the New York Times, defense lawyers are surprised by the continued secrecy over the names and are comparing it to the way prosecutors often handle organised crime or an underground investigation. 

In its court papers, the newspaper said news organisations and the public had a right of access to criminal proceedings that ‘can be abridged only in carefully defined circumstances’.  Source: NewYorkTimes.com