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Dawn Pasela, a trusting and fierce advocate for justice, realized the unimaginable — the prosecutors she works for are hiding evidence to keep innocent people imprisoned. She’s threatened to stay silent, but just as Dawn is supposed to testify, she’s found dead in her apartment under suspicious circumstances.

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Learn More About What Happened to Dawn

Born in 1985, Dawn graduated at the top of her class at both Cleveland State and at Cuyahoga County Community College, where she was President and founder of Phi Theta Kapa, a member of the National Honor Society’s Dean’s List and an important participant in the Criminal Justice Club. Dawn was hired by Prosecutors Dan Kasaris and Mark Bennett to serve as Office Manager of a multi-jurisdictional Mortgage Fraud Task Force. One of the cases prosecuted by Bennett and Kasaris was that of real estate broker Anthony Viola, who prosecutors mistakenly thought was involved in the mortgage business and who was indicted in both state and federal court on identical charges. Rather than admit a mistake and dismiss the case against Viola, Kasaris directed Dawn to pose as a graduate student studying criminal justice and working with local defense attorneys on similar cases, and directed her to record a series of post-indictment conversations with Viola so prosecutors could obtain confidential defense trial strategy information. Kasaris and Bennett also had Dawn donate funds towards Viola's legal fees so prosecutors could use her cancelled check to identify the law firm's bank account. The FBI tracked investigative expenses and identified potential defense witnesses -- who were promptly threatened with indictment if they testified for Viola's defense. Dawn was aware of this, and other misconduct inside the Task Force --including proof that prosecutors were withholding key evidence.

Viola was convicted in federal court but following the jury verdict at the first trial, but before federal sentencing or the start of the second trial, Dawn provided Viola with exculpatory evidence prosecutors failed to produce before the first trial, and offered to testify at Viola's second trial about prosecutorial misconduct. Bennett, Kasaris and other law enforcement officials all threatened Dawn with indictment and federal prison if she appeared in court. Dawn was found dead in her apartment under suspicious circumstances shortly after her scheduled testimony, but no inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death has ever been conducted by any governmental officials or offices.

Exhaustive Investigation - Foul Play in Dawn's death (pdf)

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Affidavit of Dawn's Mother Karen Pasela (pdf)

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Affidavit of Dawn's Father Edward Pasela (pdf)

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Investigation into Dawn's death: Supporting Documents (pdf)

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Letter from Judge Gaul (pdf)

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Affidavit of Donald Cleland (pdf)

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