OCVLC Seeks Fraud Inquiry

The OCVLC has asked a federal judge to look into an affidavit submitted by a man who was convicted of sodomizing his then-teenage daughter as part of his claim of "actual innocence." On Oct. 11, the OCVLC, which represents the victim, now 25, submitted an affidavit to U.S. District Judge Thomas Coffin of Eugene in which the victim reiterated her 2003 testimony that her father had sexually assaulted her.

OCVLC Legal Director Janine Robben also submitted a sworn declaration in which she questioning an affidavit that the victim had signed, in 2006, retracting the allegations. Robben, a former fraud prosecutor, told the Court that in her opinion, the 2006 affidavit was a "cut-and-paste" of a letter the victim had written onto a typed affidavit prepared by someone else.

 The defendant, who was convicted in Polk County Circuit Court, currently is serving time at the Snake River Correctional Institution with an expected release date of 2019. He has filed a petition for post-conviction relief alleging, among other things, that his convictions should be vacated because he actually is innocent of the crimes of which he was convicted.