Richard Convertino served as lead prosecutor against Karim Koubriti, a high-profile suspected terrorist in Detroit. In 2003, following Koubriti's acquittal, the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) began investigating allegations of prosecutorial misconduct by Convertino, who was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The OPR created a series of confidential letters detailing the allegations. Only a few people had access to them. Yet someone leaked the information, and the news ended up in the Detroit Free Press on Jan. 14, 2004. The Office of the Inspector General opened an investigation to find the source of the leak but ultimately determined there was insufficient evidence to prove who it was.