History Main / JusticeByOtherLegalMeans

* '''Multiple Courts:''' Many countries prohibit or restrict double jeopardy, i.e. multiple trials for the same crime. However, common law permits cases where multiple jurisdictions have sovereignty; for example, a case that could be tried in the courts of multiple states or provinces, or a state court and a national court, or a civilian court and a military court, to be retried in other jurisdictions if the suspect is acquitted on the first attempt. (Some countries also permit retrial if new evidence is found, but strictly speaking that is Administrivia/NotAnExample.)

* Ilse Koch, the so-called "Bitch of Buchenwald" who had subjected concentration camp prisoners to sadistic cruelty and was accused of making lampshades from the skin of tattooed prisoners, had her life sentence commuted to four years by General Lucius C. Clay even though he was aware of her cruelties because he didn't believe the specific accusations for which she was tried. A Senate committee concluded that he was wrong to commute the sentence but that there was nothing they could do about it; nothing, that is, except hand her over to the West German government to be prosecuted for crimes against Germans imprisoned at Buchenwald, which had not been covered at her original trial. A German court sentenced her to life imprisonment and she committed suicide while serving her sentence.

* Former [=HealthSouth=] CEO [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Richard Scrushy]] was acquitted of all charges in 2005 after being brought to trial for massive embezzlement and fraud in his company because the prosecution lacked enough evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he was aware of the fraudulent accounting practices. However, he was then hit with two examples of his trope as he was both prosecuted again and found guilty in Federal court for some of his corrupt actions which had involved the Governor of Alabama, ''and'' sued in civil court, found liable for fraud and ordered to pay several billion in restitution.

* Former [=HealthSouth=] CEP [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Richard Scrushy]] was acquitted of all charges in 2005 after being brought to trial for massive embezzlement and fraud in his company because the prosecution lacked enough evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he was aware of the fraudulent accounting practices. However, he was then hit with two examples of his trope as he was both prosecuted again and found guilty in Federal court for some of his corrupt actions which had involved the Governor of Alabama, ''and'' sued in civil court, found liable for fraud and ordered to pay several billion in restitution.

* Mob boss Vito Genovese was acquitted of murdering a minor gangster named Ferdinand Boccia after several prosecution witnesses were murdered. However, he was later convicted of drug running through perjury and died in jail. Many have since questioned the flaws in Genovese's conviction as it would have been OOC for him to directly involve himself in ''any'' racket, let alone a drug operation, arguing that the Mafia's totem pole-like hierarchy shields the boss from legal prosecution. Plus, the key witness was a petty dealer who reportedly got paid by Genovese's rivals in retaliation for the legal fallout from [[CriminalConvention the 1957 Apalachin summit]], during which 60 mafiosi were detained when local cops became suspicious of the expensive cars parked at the ranch of mobster Joe Barbara.

** In the sequel to ''Investigations'' Edgeworth can't have the BigBad Simon Keyes arrested for his connection to the other murders due to the fact Keyes didn't directly order the murders, [[MurderByProxy only engineered events to make them happen]]. He does get Keyes eventually when it turns out Keyes personally killed the body double who had been masquerading as Zheng Fa's president for the past twelve years.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder]]'': In one episode, the Joker and his thugs, disguised as a filming crew, were looking for a treasure. It was later revealed the only treasure was a fake. The Joker thought he'd get off because he couldn't be convicted for looking for a false treasure he never found. He was then told he could be nailed for making a film without proper authorization.

* In 1992 a group of police officers involved in the Rodney King beating were acquitted by an all-white jury. All the officers involved were later charged with and convicted of federal civil rights violations as well.

* Following the acquittal of the police officers involved in the Rodney King beating by an all-white jury, the presiding judge doxxed every last juror. This was significant because normally, the names of the jurors in a trial are not released for a specified period of time. This was recounted in one interview featured in ''Theatre/TwilightLosAngeles''. All the officers involved were later charged with and convicted of federal civil rights violations as well.

* '''Justice for Another Crime:''' The criminal can't be indicted for one crime, but he or she can get nailed for another. Tax Evasion instead of murder, for example. This one is often TruthInTelevision. May also be the discovery they had committed FelonyMurder. If the convicted crime in question is [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking disproportionately minor]], it may overlap with JaywalkingWillRuinYourLife or MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot. This is also why most court cases have a litany of charges so that the jury can deliberate over all of them at once rather than having a Not Guilty verdict for the most serious offense and have Jeopardy become attached. Alternately, the criminal has committed crimes in multiple jurisdictions and is caught in one of them. A criminal might be convicted and jailed for armed robbery in one jurisdiction without the authorities realizing they've unwittingly caught the serial killer who's been terrorizing another jurisdiction.

* In the final issue of the ''[[WesternAnimation/COPS1988 C.O.P.S.]]'' ComicBookAdaptation, the team went after Big Boss for an unpaid parking ticket, knowing that his gang would try to stop them—and racking up tons of charges they could pin on the previously untouchable Big Boss.

* In 1990, Joe Son, a former actor famous for a bit role in Film/{{AustinPowers}} and a brief martial artist career, abducted and raped a Californian woman (who was given the pseudonym of "Victoria" in a 48 Hours episode) with an accomplice. The case went unsolved until 2008, when Son was required to give his DNA in an unrelated vandalism charge. The DNA was linked to Victoria's abduction, but California's stature of limitations for rape had expired by then. Thus Son was simply charged with torture by the prosecution, and he was given a 7 years to life sentence. His sentence escalated to 34 years to life when Son killed his cellmate a month after his conviction.

* The rare "perjury trap" usually involves a form of this, and works like this: A person committed a crime that is now outside the statute of limitations. A prosecutor calls them to the stand in some trial related to the crime. The prosecutor then specifically asks the person about the previous crime, and the person, who doesn't want to reveal their involvement, lies about it. Now the prosecutor brings a perjury charge as they can prove the person lied on the stand.
* One notable exception to the "no double jeopardy" rule in the United States is the Uniform Code of Military Justice. A military service member who is subject to it and commits a crime "out in town" (not on military property) that is an offense in both the local and military legal systems can be tried in both, so it is possible for someone to be acquitted by a civilian court but convicted by a court martial for the same offense, or vice versa.

* Melvin Ignatow of Louisville, Kentucky murdered his girlfriend, Brenda Sue Schaefer. He beat the charge and was acquitted, having sold his house to pay for the defense. Apparently, he had forgotten he'd hidden incriminating photos under the carpet. The new homeowners ripped up the carpet and found solid proof that he did, in fact, commit the crime. Because of double jeopardy, he couldn't be charged with the murder again, but he had lied under oath when he testified that he didn't do it. He went to federal prison for perjury to serve five years of a eight year sentence. Upon release he was convicted again of perjury, this time for his testimony during a trial where he accused Schaefers Schaefer's boss of threatening him, and received nine years in state prison.

* ''VideoGame/GRiD Legends'': By the end of story mode, the racing commission is clearly sick of Ravenwest's on-track antics, specifically lead driver Nathan [=McKane=] frequently crashing his opponents and causing at least one massive on-track pileup that nearly cost another racer their career. While GRID is full-contact as racing goes, this was turning into a bad look, but the team's [[ScrewTheRulesImFamous fame]] and team principal Ryan [=McKane's=] [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney wealth]] mean the commission couldn't level sanctions that mattered without looking like they were either on a witch hunt or favoring other teams... until evidence of Nate's chronic cheating came to light. At that point the commission was so sick of Ravenwest that they completely ignored everything they had authority over and went for the alternate means: releasing evidence that the worst crash was planned, completely intentional, and deliberately targeted a specific rival; more than enough to get Ryan arrested in charges of criminal conspiracy and reckless endangerment, and leave Nate terrified once his protection and secrecy were stripped away.

* In 1990, Joe Son, a former actor famous for a bit role in Film/{{AustinPowers}} and a brief martial artist career, abducted and raped a Californian woman (who was given the pseudonym of "Victoria" in a 48 Hours episode) with an accomplice. The case went unsolved until 2008, when Son was required to give his DNA in an unrelated vandalism charge. The DNA was linked to "Victoria's" abduction, but California's stature of limitations for rape had expired by then. Thus Son was simply charged with torture by the prosecution, and he was given a 7 years to life sentence. His sentence escalated to 34 years to life when Son killed his cellmate a month after his conviction.

* In 1990, Joe Son, a former actor famous for a bit role in Film/{{AustinPowers}} and a brief martial artist career, abducted and raped a Californian woman (who was given the pseudonym of "Victoria" in a 48 Hours episode) with an accomplice. The case went unsolved until 2008, Son was required to give his DNA in an unrelated vandalism charge. The DNA was linked to "Victoria's" abduction, but California's stature of limitations for rape had expired by then. Thus Son was simply charged with torture by the prosecution, and he was given a 7 years to life sentence. His sentence escalated to 34 years to life when Son killed his cellmate a month after his conviction.

* In 1990, Joe Son, a former actor famous for a bit role in Film/{{AustinPowers}} and a brief martial artist career, abducted and raped a Californian woman (who was given the pseudonym of "Victoria" in a 48 Hours episode) with an accomplice. The case went unsolved until 2008, Son was required to give his DNA in an unrelated vandalism charge. The DNA was linked to "Victoria's" abduction, but California's stature of limitations had expired by then. Thus Son was simply charged with torture by the prosecution, and he was given a 7 years to life sentence. His sentence escalated to 34 years to life when Son killed his cellmate a month after his conviction.

* In 1990, Joe Son, a former actor famous for a bit role in Film/{{AustinPowers}} and a brief martial artist career, abducted and raped a Californian woman (who was given the pseudonym of "Victoria" in a 48 Hours documentary) with an accomplice. The case went unsolved until 2008, Son was required to give his DNA in an unrelated vandalism charge. The DNA was linked to "Victoria's" abduction, but California's stature of limitations had expired by then. Thus Son was simply charged with torture by the prosecution, and he was given a 7 years to life sentence. His sentence escalated to 34 years to life when Son killed his cellmate a month after his conviction.

* Melvin Ignatow of Louisville, Kentucky murdered his girlfriend, Brenda Sue Schaefer. He beat the charge and was acquitted, having sold his house to pay for the defense. Apparently, he had forgotten he'd hidden incriminating photos under the carpet. The new homeowners ripped up the carpet and found solid proof that he did, in fact, commit the crime. Because of double jeopardy, he couldn't be charged with the murder again, but he had lied under oath when he testified that he didn't do it. He went to federal prison for perjury to serve five years of a seven year sentence. Upon release he was convicted again of perjury, this time for his testimony during a trial where he accused Schaefers Schaefer's boss of threatening him, and received nine years in state prison.

* Melvin Ignatow of Louisville, Kentucky murdered his girlfriend, Brenda Sue Schaefer. He beat the charge and was acquitted, having sold his house to pay for the defense. Apparently, he had forgotten he'd hidden incriminating photos under the carpet. The new homeowners ripped up the carpet and found solid proof that he did, in fact, commit the crime. Because of double jeopardy, he couldn't be charged with the murder again, but he had lied under oath when he testified that he didn't do it. He went to prison for state perjury for five years and then was convicted of federal perjury and received nine years in prison.

* Ilse Koch, the so-called "Bitch of Buchenwald" who had subjected concentration camp prisoners to sadistic cruelty and was accused of making lampshades from the skin of tattooed prisoners, had her life sentence commuted to four years by General Lucius C. Clay even though he was aware of her cruelties because he didn't believe the specific accusations for which she was tried. A Senate committee concluded that he was wrong to commute the sentence but that there was nothing they could do about it; nothing, that is, except hand her over to the West German government to be prosecuted for crimes against Germans imprisoned at Buchenwald, which has not been covered at her original trial. A German court sentenced her to life imprisonment and she committed suicide while serving her sentence.
* In 1987 four members of the Kunz family were shot dead at their home and a fifth, Helen Kunz, was found dead in a nearby swamp nine months later. The main suspect, Christopher Jacobs, was put on trial but was found not guilty, likely because of the large amount of sensationalist rumours surrounding the family that convinced the public there was more to the case. When Jacobs later confessed to the murder he was protected by double jeopardy. Or so he thought. However, because Helen Kunz had been taken away from the house before she died, prosecutors were able to indict him for kidnapping her, with charges being filed mere hours before the statute of limitations on kidnapping would have run out. Jacobs was convicted of kidnapping Helen Kunz and jailed for 31 years.

* Invoked by the War Crimes group during the Postwar Period. As genocide fell outside of their jurisdiction they could not investigate concentration camp personnel for killing Jews. However, it just so happened that many concentration camp inmates were prisoners of war or Resistance members, meaning that personnel ''could'' be held legally responsible for war crimes, which ''did'' fall under the War Crimes group's jurisdiction. This allowed them to hang concentration camp personnel and other Holocaust perpetrators with impunity. A specific example of this would be the prosecution of the staff of the Hadamar Clinic, a children's clinic where mentally and physically handicapped people were murdered. After Hadamar was occupied by the US army they attempted to prosecute the staff for murdering children but found that since the children were German citizens they had no jurisdiction. Following an investigation, however, they discovered that a few Polish and Russian adults had also been killed there, giving them an excuse to try the staff for war crimes.

* ''Justice by Loophole:''' Going through the normal court system would be guaranteed to be bogged down by red tape, but find an archaic or little known but otherwise still legal clause in order to wring some degree of retribution. This could be a law that promised a theft could be reimbursed through providing the victim with a cow and two sheep, and then enact red tape on the modern value of the cow and two sheep. Or it could be allowing a DuelToTheDeath to settle matters, all completely within the law.

* '''Justice By Vendetta''': The criminal has covered his tracks well enough to avoid prosecution...but then he goes and pisses off someone else who knows where all the (literal or figurative) bodies are buried. They get back at the criminal by telling the authorities everything they know, possibly in exchange for an immunity deal or plea bargain. This time, the prosecution has more than enough evidence to nail him to the wall.

* '''Justice for Another Crime:''' The criminal can't be indicted for one crime, but he or she can get nailed for another. Tax Evasion instead of murder, for example. This one is often TruthInTelevision. May also be the discovery they had committed FelonyMurder. If the convicted crime in question is [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking disproportionately minor]], it may overlap with JaywalkingWillRuinYourLife or MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot. This is also why most court cases have a litany of charges, so that the jury can deliberate over all of them at once rather than having a Not Guilty verdict for the most serious offense and have Jeopardy become attached. Alternately, the criminal has committed crimes in multiple jurisdictions, and is caught in one of them. A criminal might be convicted and jailed for armed robbery in one jurisdiction without the authorities realizing they've unwittingly caught the serial killer who's been terrorizing another jurisdiction.
* '''Multiple Courts:''' Many countries prohibit or restrict double jeopardy, i.e. multiple trials for the same crime. However, common law permits cases where multiple jurisdictions have sovereignty, for example a case that could be tried in the courts of multiple states or provinces, or a state court and a national court, or a civilian court and a military court, to be retried in other jurisdictions if the suspect is acquitted on the first attempt. (Some countries also permit retrial if new evidence is found, but strictly speaking that is Administrivia/NotAnExample.)

* Mr. Mastermind makes his debut in the comic book version of ''WesternAnimation/DynomuttDogWonder'' by holding the city hostage over [[DisproportionateRetribution the $ 1.47 fine he had to pay for a 49-day overdue library book]]. When Blue Falcon and Dynomutt find his hideout, he blows it up so there won't be any proof to get him arrested for the crime. Unfortunately, for him, he's 49 ''years'' overdue with another library book and ends up being arrested for it. He's so ego driven he considers it worse than being arrested for the main crime.
* In ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica'', a confrontation with the Crimson Avenger reveals that ComicBook/{{Wildcat}} framed a man for killing his fiancé, but reveals that he only did that because he couldn't prove that the man had killed his brother, sister-in-law and nephew after his brother killed the man's fiancé, although Wildcat insists that he just ensured the man's arrest and it was up to the courts if he were executed.

** At the end of ''The Pit'', Dredd has no evidence to convict Fonzo Bongo on being the head of his sector's branch of the Frendz crime syndicate. What Dredd does have, thanks to an observant rookie, is several hundred unpaid parking tickets in Bongo's name, earning him a sentence of twenty five years.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}},'' Judy is frustrated to find that Nick's "pawpsicle hustle" stays within the letter of the law, since he has a vendor's license and a cross-district commerce permit, and he said the used sticks were [[ExactWords "red wood", with a space.]] However, when she later needs his help on a case, she finds he didn't report any income on his tax forms and is able to record him bragging about the income he makes from his hustles. This enables her to use a charge of tax evasion to pressure him into helping her.

* ''Film/TheLastDuel'': The duel is fought because Jean de Carrouges can't hope for a fair trial against Le Gris; the feudal court system means their overlord Count Pierre, who's good friends with the latter, will be the judge. Carrouges has to appeal directly towards the French king for a legal duel for any chance of success.
* In ''Film/{{Tapeheads}}'', the main characters get revenge on a SleazyPolitician by broadcasting a HomePornMovie of him on live TV, which gets them arrested by the FBI. They're acquitted of the crime, but go to jail anyway for outstanding traffic warrants.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons 3.5e'': In the supplement ''Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells'', the [[LawfulEvil devils]] will often do this to damned souls who successfully argue their cases. A damned soul can make a case if they use one or both of the following defenses: forced to sign a DealWithTheDevil, or they did not receive the promised benefits from a [[DealWithTheDevil Pact Certain]]. Now, it is entirely possible to ''win'' these cases... but it's also fairly likely that the either some clause in the pact or the pactee's attempts to escape the pact have made their alignment Lawful Evil, in which case they're damned to Baator anyways. Devils find this sort of thing ''hilarious''.

* ''VideoGame/GRiD Legends'': By the end of story mode, the racing commission is clearly sick of Ravenwest's on-track antics, specifically lead driver Nathan [=McKane=] frequently crashing his opponents and causing at least one massive on-track pileup that nearly cost another racer their career. While GRID is full-contact as racing goes, this was turning into a bad look, but the team's [[ScrewTheRulesImFamous fame]] and team principal Ryan [=McKane's=] [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney wealth]] mean the commission couldn't level sanctions that mattered without looking like they were either on a witch hunt or favoring other teams... until evidence of Nate's chronic cheating came to light. At that point the commission was so sick of Ravenwest they completely ignored everything they had authority over and went for the alternate means: releasing evidence that the worst crash was planned, completely intentional, and deliberately targeted a specific rival; more than enough to get Ryan arrested in charges of criminal conspiracy and reckless endangerment, and leave Nate terrified once his protection and secrecy were stripped away.

* In the Christmas episode of the animated series ''WesternAnimation/AceVentura'', Ace couldn't prove Odora stole Santa Claus's reindeers (she intended to use the secret of their gravity-defying abilities on a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive cosmetic]]) but could get her arrested for illegally keeping a crocodile from an endangered breed, which she also intended to use as ingredient.

* ''WesternANimation/DanVs'': At the beginning of "Anger Management", Dan is on trial for breaking into [=NORAD=] and attempting to launch the entirety of America's nuclear arsenal at the U.S./Canadian border [[DisproportionateRetribution to get revenge on a family of squirrels]]. After everything is said and done, trespassing is the only offense Dan is officially charged with, when he just as easily could have been charged with treason and/or the attempted extinction of the human race. {{Justified}} as the U.S. Government wants everyone to remain ignorant of how easily Dan got a hold of the nuclear launch codes, broke into [=NORAD=], and almost started WorldWarIII.

* Jack [=McCall=] was found not guilty of murdering Wild Bill Hickock, despite doing it in front of several witnesses. However, the court his trial took place in was set up by a town illegally settled on Indian territory, so it had no authority. This allowed him to be tried again in the Indian territory court, without violation of double jeopardy under the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution. He was convicted by the jury and sentenced to death. His last words before hanging were in response to a question why he shot Hickock, a famous gunfighter who had out-drawn everyone who ever faced him, in the back: [[CombatPragmatist "I wasn't looking to commit suicide."]]

* Another 19th-century criminal, Edward Rulloff, could not be prosecuted for the murders of his wife and daughter according to the laws of the time because their bodies were never found. But he could be tried, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the ''kidnapping'' of his wife, because it was considered that she would never leave the family home of her own free will without taking a single one of her items with her.

* "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli became the most hated CEO in America after he raised the price of a AIDS-related drug by over 5,000%. However, raising a price of a drug he owns is legal, so nothing could be done about that. Then it was discovered that he was involved in a Ponzi-like scheme, which is a federal crime. [[https://harpers.org/archive/2017/09/public-enemy/ Also, it turns out that making yourself the most hated CEO in America is not conducive to getting an unbiased jury.]] Shkreli was ultimately sentenced to 7 years in prison, [[HumiliationConga crying in court while his verdict was read.]]
--> '''The Court:''' The question is, have you heard anything that would affect your ability to decide this case with an open mind. Can you do that?
--> '''Juror no. 144:''' [[VeryPunchableMan I don’t think I can because he kind of looks like a dick.]]

* Melvin Ignatow of Louisville, Kentucky murdered his girlfriend, Brenda Sue Schaefer. He beat the charge and was acquitted, having sold his house to pay for the defense. Apparently, he forgotten he'd hidden incriminating photos under the carpet. The new homeowners ripped up the carpet and found solid proof that he did, in fact, commit the crime. Because of double jeopardy, he couldn't be charged with the murder again, but he had lied under oath when he testified that he didn't do it. He went to prison for state perjury for five years, and then was convicted federal perjury and received nine years in prison.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Gilbert_Graham Jack Gilbert Graham]] was the first American ever arrested for blowing up a commercial airliner when he was accused of blowing up United Airlines Flight 629 in 1955. However, when prosecutors looked in the federal statutes, they discovered that no one had actually bothered to make it a crime to blow up an airplane. So they turned the case over to state prosecutors, who indicted, tried and convicted him on a single charge of first-degree murder (for his mother, who was one of the passengers and unwittingly carried the bomb aboard).

* Invoked by the War Crimes group during the Postwar Period. As genocide fell outside of their jurisdiction they could not investigate concentration camp personnel for killing Jews. However, it just so happened that many concentration camp inmates were prisoners of war or Resistance members, meaning that personnel ''could'' be held legally responsible for war crimes, which ''did'' fall under the War Crimes group's jurisdiction. This allowed them to hang concentration camp personnel and other Holocaust perpetrators with impunity. A specific example of this would be the prosecution of the staff of the Hadamar Clinic, a children's clinic where mentally and physically handicapped people were murdered. After Hadamar was occupied by the US army they attempted to prosecute the staff for murdering children but found that since the children were German citizens they had no jurisdiction. Following an investigation however they discovered that a few Polish and Russian adults had also been killed there, giving them an excuse to try the staff for war crimes.
* Mob boss Vito Genovese was acquitted for murdering a minor gangster named Ferdinand Boccia after several prosecution witnesses were murdered. However, he was later convicted of drug-running through perjury and died in jail. Many have since questioned the flaws in Genovese's conviction as it would have been OOC for him to directly involve himself in ''any'' racket, let alone a drug operation, arguing that the Mafia's totem pole-like hierarchy shields the boss from legal prosecution. Plus, the key witness was a petty dealer who reportedly got paid by Genovese's rivals in retaliation for the legal fallout from [[CriminalConvention the 1957 Apalachin summit]], during which 60 mafiosi were detained when local cops became suspicious of the expensive cars parked at the ranch of mobster Joe Barbara.

* Louis Riel, the leader of a Canadian Indigenous settlement, took 48 members of the Red River Settlement hostage in 1870 for undermining his authority. When one of the hostages, Thomas Scott, insulted his guards, Riel charged him with insubordination and had him shot. He managed to escape arrest for this crime but was later apprehended while trying to overthrow the Canadian government, tried for treason, convicted and hanged. As one of the jurors at his trial remarked, "We tried Riel for treason and he was hanged for the murder of Scott".

* Nathaniel Bar-Jonah was suspected of abducting, raping and murdering Zachary Ramsey but Ramsey's body was never found and his mother refused to believe he was dead and threatened to testify in Bar-Jonah's defense so the case never made it to trial. While the police could do nothing about Ramsey's disappearance, they had found the DNA of several other children while searching Bar-Jonah's house and followed up on this, discovering that two of the samples came from a couple of children who used to live near him and who were willing to testify Bar-Jonah had sexually abused them. The end result was that Bar-Jonah received a [[LongerThanLifeSentence 130-year sentence]].

* In 1866 the four members of the Burgess-Kelly Gang[[note]]Not to be confused with the Australian [[UsefulNotes/NedKelly Kelly Gang]][[/note]] were arrested for the disappearence of four wealthy businessmen along the Maungatapu track in New Zealand. One of the four, Joseph Sullivan, confessed that the gang had robbed and murdered the men and another victim named James Battle, leading police to the bodies and agreeing to testify against the others in return for being pardoned. Once his accomplices had been convicted, police charged Sullivan with James Battle's murder on the grounds that the immunity agreement only covered the businessman's murders and Sullivan was found guilty, serving seven years of a life sentence before being deported from New Zealand.
* [[LesCollaborateurs French Nazi collaborator]] Paul Touvier, who had led the collaborationist police in Lyon during the occupation, fled treason charges after the war and didn't resurface until 1966, by which time the statute of limitations had run out. Outraged, the son of a Jew killed on Touvier's orders brought a private prosecution against him in 1973 for crimes against humanity, an offence with no statute of limitations, for his involvement in the murders of French Jews. Touvier fled again, but was eventually captured in 1989 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

** In the sequel to ''Investigations'' Edgeworth can't have the BigBad Simon Keyes arrested for his connection to the other murders due to the fact Keyes didn't directly order the murders, only engineered events to make them happen. He does get Keyes eventually when it turns out Keyes personally killed the body double who had been masquerading as Zheng Fa's president for the past twelve years.

* Mob boss Vito Genovese was prosecuted for murdering a minor gangster named Ferdinand Boccia, but was acquitted after several prosecution witnesses were assassinated. However, he was later convicted of drug trafficking through perjury and died in jail. However, many have since questioned Genovese's conviction, stating it would've been out of character for him to be directly involved in ''any'' racket, let alone a drug operation, as like other kingpins, Genovese insulated himself with multiple layers of protection so he won't be implicated directly in a crime. Furthermore, the star witness in the case was a small-time dealer who may have been paid by Genovese's rivals to take him down in retaliation for the legal fallout from [[CriminalConvention the 1957 Apalachin summit]], during which 60 mafiosi were detained when local cops became suspicious of the expensive cars parked at the ranch of mobster Joe Barbara.