MINNEAPOLIS — The highly-scrutinized murder case against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan took another turn Wednesday as a new team of high-level prosecutors takes over the handle the case against him.
Londregan is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb II on the shoulder of I-94 in Minneapolis last July. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty's office dissected the initial investigation of the shooting and decided to charge Londregan with murder, but in early May she signed a contract to hire outside counsel, saying the HCAO didn't have the resources to handle such a labor-intensive case.
The new team, made up of former federal prosecutors from Washington D.C.-based Steptoe LLP, was expected in court Wednesday afternoon for a hearing. KARE 11's Lou Raguse said that's where we might get a sense of the team's direction and strategy, and a timeline for when Londregan's trial will actually begin.
Raguse also said there may be some motions introduced by the defense, including a request for a speedy trial, which would put pressure on the prosecution team as they just inherited the case.
Here are the attorneys who will be involved in the prosecution of Ryan Londregan.
Prior to entering private practice in 2016, Karima Maloney served as the deputy chief of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division's Criminal Section. During 12 years with the DOJ, she handled cases involving high-profile official misconduct, human trafficking, and hate crime prosecutions across the United States.
Michael R. Bromwich has more than 40 years of experience in the criminal justice field. He served as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and as a special prosecutor during the Iran-Contra scandal. He later served as the inspector general for the Department of Justice, the principal oversight official in the Department of Justice with jurisdiction over the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Over the past 20 years, he has worked with police departments around country on use of force issues, including Washington, DC, Chicago, Baltimore, and Phoenix. Recently, he led teams of Steptoe lawyers in a comprehensive investigation of the largest corruption scandal in the history of the Baltimore Police Department and an investigation of the Boise Police Department.
Prior to returning to private practice, Ryan Poscablo spent six years as an assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York where he served as a member of its violent and organized crime unit. During his time as a prosecutor, Poscablo investigated, prosecuted and convicted defendants involved in racketeering, financial crimes, violent crimes and public corruption. He tried and convicted numerous defendants of murder.
Steven Levin has over ten years of experience in senior positions within the government, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland (USAO). As a former supervisor in the USAO, he investigated and prosecuted cases involving financial crimes, public corruption, racketeering, cybercrime, national security, narcotics, money laundering, immigration offenses, and violent crime. He successfully prosecuted a former Baltimore Police Commissioner on public corruption charges, successfully represented an off-duty police officer in a first-degree murder case, and successfully represented two other police officers in misconduct cases.
Levin retired from the United States Army, having served for 30 years on both active duty and as a reservist. After serving as a prosecutor, military defense counsel, and criminal law professor, Levin served as a military judge for his last ten years of service. Upon retirement, Levin was awarded the Legion of Merit.
The contract signed with Steptoe LLP stipulates that the total cost to Hennepin County, including reimbursable expenses, is not to exceed $1 million, but experts told KARE 11 that Moriarty could easily go back to the Hennepin County Board and request more funding.
Reporter Lou Raguse will be in court for the hearing and share the latest developments on KARE 11's evening broadcasts.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: