Giglio v. United States
Citation 405 U.S. 150 (1972)
In 1972, Giglio was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for his part of a forgery scheme involving money orders. The prosecution’s star witness was the alleged accomplice in the forgery crime, Robert Taliento, who testified that he was not promised an agreement of immunity for his testimony about the case. During the appeal process the defense of Giglio discovered a promise of immunity was indeed given to Taliento but by another prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mr. DiPaola. In light of the new discovery the defense moved for a new trial. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's denial of the motion.
On a writ of certiorari, the higher court reversed and remanded because of the prosecution's failure to disclose that a promise of leniency to the witness was given for his testimony which was an issue affecting Taliento’s credibility, which was therefore material. …show more content…
The Conclusion in Giglio v. United States was that the Court remanded the case for a new trial and reversed the appellate court's judgment and the trial court's conviction of defendant.
“Giglio is therefore an important case because it establishes that a prosecutor’s duty to disclose exculpatory evidence extends beyond information that he or she personally possesses. Instead, a prosecutor has a duty to find and disclose any exculpatory information in the hands of the government” (Moran, Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150