2 charged with drug, other charges in probe of medical examiner’s office

Two employees of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner have been charged  as a result of the ongoing probe  into compromised drug evidence.

The investigation has the potential to compromise hundreds of drug cases handled by the office.

“With these indictments we are beginning to hold individuals accountable for the significant damage that has been caused to the integrity of our criminal justice system,”  Attorney General Beau Biden stated.  “I want to recognize the Delaware State Police and the staff from my office who have led a comprehensive investigation to understand the full scope of the irregularities and identify those responsible, and also to ensure that the criminal justice system continues to operate fairly and in the interest of justice.  I want to remind the public that this investigation is ongoing, and that it remains our intention to publicly disclose details of our findings at the earliest opportunity, when doing so does not compromise the ongoing investigation.”

Biden’s office secured indictments from the New Castle County Grand Jury charging the following employees of the OCME Controlled Substance Lab:

– James Woodson,  38, of Wilmington, was indicted on one count each of Trafficking Cocaine, Theft of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine), Official Misconduct, and Tampering with Evidence for allegedly removing cocaine from an evidence bag at the Controlled Substances Lab.  In addition, Woodson was charged with a violation of DELJIS for violating the terms of use governing his access to the database in April, 2014.

–     Farnam Daneshgar, age 54, of Wilmington, was indicted on two counts of Falsifying Business Records for allegedly failing to produce reports documenting discrepancies in drug evidence he reviewed in two specific cases.  He was also charged with one count each of Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia related to evidence seized during a search warrant at his home.

Woodson had been a courier at the Lab, and most recently worked as a death investigator at the facility.  Daneshgar worked as a Chemist at the Lab.  Both men were arrested by Delaware State Police and arraigned this afternoon in New Castle County Superior Court.  Bail amounts were set at $5,000 secured for Daneshgar, and $20,000 cash for Woodson.

The joint Delaware State Police and Delaware Department of Justice investigation was launched in January after drug evidence submitted for analysis to the Controlled Substances Lab was found to be compromised.

The identified compromises included drug evidence tampered with, missing, and/or substituted.  The investigation included internal audits of police evidence lockers, which detected discrepancies amongst several Delaware law enforcement agencies that existed between drug evidence submitted to the OCME Controlled Substances Lab and evidence returned to police evidence lockers in sealed envelopes after analysis and testing.