An office inside the Food and Drug Administration routinely shares details internally about criminal matters pending before grand juries, a step some lawyers say may run afoul of rules meant to safeguard investigations. FDA agents send updates about anticipated grand jury testimony and indictments to more than two dozen people, many of whom have nothing to do with the case, emails from the agency’s Office of Criminal Investigations, OCI, show. The e-mails, known as “headquarters alerts,” give FDA brass a heads up about expected actions inside or outside of court – such as arrests, the execution of search warrants, grand jury indictments or jury verdicts – so managers can prepare for possible press coverage.
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FDA’s sharing of grand jury information comes under criticism