WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A federal judge has thrown out a retired Kansas Highway Patrol troopers conviction and probation sentence related to a charge that he lied to the FBI during an investigation into illegal gambling in Wichita.
The Wichita Eagle reports U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren on Tuesday granted 54-year-old Michael Frederiksens request to vacate his conviction. Frederiksen had argued his attorney was ineffective.
The judge agreed, writing that Frederiksens trial attorney was inexperienced, unfamiliar with court rules regarding evidence and, while he was licensed to practice in New Mexico, he was not licensed in Kansas.
Frederiksen, of Derby, was convicted in May of lying to FBI investigators about participating in an illegal cash poker game while he was still a trooper. Prosecutors at his trial said video showed he had participated.
