A Philadelphia prosecutor resigned on Friday and surrendered to state prosecutors after being accused of ethical and criminal misconduct.
Assistant District Attorney Lynn Nichols was the Assistant Chief of the homicide unit within the District Attorney's office.
She's accused of pressuring a Philadelphia police officer to change information in order to protect her boyfriend and then, after the two broke up, calling 911 and making a false report.
According to the Attorney General's office, in October of 2012, Nichols used her influence to have a vehicle that had been reported stolen, removed from the Philadelphia police department's record of stolen vehicles. At that time, the car was being driven by Nichols' boyfriend, but was owned by another woman.
After breaking up with the boyfriend months later, Nichols devised a scheme, prosecutors say, to get back at her ex. Investigators say Nichols went to the car owner's house, where they together called 911 and reported the vehicle was stolen that day. According to investigators, Nichols then called and told local police in New Jersey where to find the car.
The alleged scheme backfired when the other woman told police everything.
Nichols is charged with making false reports and obstruction of justice. She was arraigned on Friday night and posted $10,000 unsecured cash bail.
Before resigning, Nichols was suspended by her boss, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, who applauded her 22 years of work with his department.
"Lynn Nichols had a long and successful career in this office," Williams said in a statement. "While it is with both professional and personal sadness that I am making this announcement today, we must maintain the highest standards of conduct in my office, and the legal process must take its course."
Nichols was hired as an Assistnat District Attorney in August of 1991. She has worked in Family Court, Majors, Felony Waivers, and Truancy. She was Chief of the South Division before becoming Assistant Chief of Homicide.
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During her time at the DA's office, Nichols has been assigned to high-profile cases.
In 2005, she retried rapper Beanie Sigel on attempted murder charges after the first trial ended with a hung jury. Sigel was acquitted of all charges.
In 2011, Nichols led a team within the DA's office that was tasked with reviewing more than 1,100 DUI cases after Philadelphia police revealed that the arrests were compromised because their Breathalyzers were not calibrated correctly.
Tasha Jamerson, a spokeswoman with the DA's office, repeatedly ignored our requests for more information on Nichols. When pressed, Jamerson did say, however that "none of her cases or casework have been called into question or review."
