Attorney General James Announces Indictment of Albany Defense Attorney for Tampering with Witness

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James today announced the arrest and indictment of Jasper Mills, a criminal defense attorney who unlawfully shared confidential witness information in a homicide trial, which ultimately led to a cooperating witness being threatened and attacked in a federal prison. Mills, a former Albany County prosecutor, was indicted for violating an Albany County protective order, which prohibited him from providing any copies of discovery material that listed witness names, including a sensitive list naming two cooperating witnesses. Shortly after Mills shared the sensitive witness list, a cooperating witness was threatened in federal prison and later slashed with a knife, which required a hospital stay for his wounds. Mills was charged with five crimes, including Intimidating a Witness and Tampering with a Witness, and was arraigned today in Albany County Court.

“Witness intimidation corrupts our justice system and prevents victims of crimes from getting justice with a fair trial,” said Attorney General James. “Jasper Mills allegedly shared witness information that put lives in danger, and my office will hold him accountable. I will not tolerate any illegal tactics that jeopardize criminal investigations and put New Yorkers at risk.” 

“This investigation underscores our commitment to protecting witnesses and holding individuals accountable when their actions jeopardize public safety and the justice system,” said Superintendent James.

Mills was retained by defendant Vramir Branch, one of four indicted defendants in an ongoing prosecution for the January 2021 gang-related murder of 32-year-old Shanita Thomas. The Albany County District Attorney’s Office applied for two protective orders against Branch in the homicide case due to the fear of gang-related reprisals against witnesses. The second and final protective order was issued on October 27, 2022 by Judge Roger McDonough prohibiting Mills from giving the defendant any documents, including documents listing the name or personal information of any of the witnesses.

During a June 3, 2024 pre-trial conference, Judge McDonough ordered the Albany District Attorney’s Office to hand over a witness list that named two cooperating witnesses that prosecutors intended to call for trial. That night, the assigned Assistant District Attorney emailed all the defense attorneys in the case a list that named two witnesses, one of whom was a cooperating witness who was federally incarcerated. The Assistant District Attorney included a copy of the protective order with the witness list and reminded the defense attorneys that their clients were not allowed to have copies. 

In the early morning of June 5, 2024, the cooperating witness, who was incarcerated in general population at FCI Ray Brook in Lake Placid, New York, was approached by several armed inmates and threatened. The witness was told that they knew he had “turned state witness” and if he did not leave their housing unit, he would be killed. The cooperator ran to a correction lieutenant’s office to inform him of the threats and was moved to protective custody.

An investigation uncovered that a witness list that contained Mills’ distinctive markings was released on social media, including Snapchat. A second copy of the witness list that also contained Mills’ distinctive markings was circulated via text message. However, the protective order barring Mills from providing any hard copies of the discovery was still in effect.

On September 8, 2024, the cooperating witness was attacked again while in protective custody. The attackers stated they knew the cooperator was a witness and the cooperator was slashed on the wrist with a prison shiv, which required hospitalization due to infection.

In addition to the witness list that was circulating on social media, Mills delivered a hard drive with other information on it to Branch at Albany County Correctional Facility on April 8, 2024. The hard drive contained multiple documents that Mills was prohibited from providing to his client, including the names and quotes from various eyewitnesses to the Shanita Thomas homicide that were used for various search warrant affidavits.

Mills is charged with Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree, Intimidating a Witness in the First Degree, Intimidating a Witness in the Second Degree, Tampering with a Witness in the First Degree, and Tampering with a Witness in the Second Degree. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of eight and one-third to twenty-five years in jail.

Mills was arraigned today in Albany Supreme Court. The charges in the indictments are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The investigation of this matter was conducted by the New York State Police.

The prosecution is being handled by Senior Counsel Mary Gorman and Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Kyriacou, under the supervision of Public Integrity Bureau Chief Gerard Murphy, with assistance from Legal Support Analyst Samantha Shaughnessy. The Public Integrity Bureau is part of the Division for Criminal Justice. The Division for Criminal Justice is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.