March 04, 2016
More than 7,000 criminal cases in New Jersey have been cast into doubt after the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office revealed that a lab technician allegedly faked results in a drug case.
Earlier this week, the Office of the Public Defender issued a memo detailing the alleged violation in Little Falls by Laboratory Technician Kamalkant Shah, who was removed from his duties on Dec. 10 following the discovery.
According to the memo, Shah "dry labbed" suspected CDS specimens.
"Basically, he was observed writing 'test results' for suspected marijuana that was never tested," the memo said.
Shah, who was employed at the lab from 2005 to 2015, earned a salary of $101,039 and was suspended without pay effective Jan. 12, said Peter Aseltine, spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General, in an interview with NJ Advance Media.
As a result of the discovery, more than 2,100 criminal cases in Passaic County alone have been called into question. Statewide, Shah's faked results could compromise the integrity of up to 7,827 cases on which he worked.
In response to the alleged violation, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office plans to submit specimens from open cases for retesting, however there is currently no policy or protocol in place to deal with cases that have already been resolved.
Aseltine said that the New Jersey State Police will work together with prosecutors to address any issues connected to Shah's cases.
