Let’s Go To The Grand Jury Audiotapes! Takeaways For The Defense Bar From The Recent Chicago Debacle

August 25, 2026  |  The Insider: White Collar Defense and Securities Enforcement

This summer, federal prosecutors in Chicago dropped multiple criminal indictments in the wake of revelations of serious irregularities and prosecutorial misconduct in the grand jury process. Critically, some of that misconduct would not have come to light but for the existence of grand jury audiotapes, which contained material omitted from transcripts, raising two key questions: 1) Are federal grand jury proceedings taped in all districts? and 2) How should defense lawyers incorporate the potential existence of grand jury audiotapes into their practice? In Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello P.C. partner Lisa Zornberg’s latest Forbes Insider article, she examines these questions and offers guidance to defense counsel. The fact that grand jury audiotapes likely exist – which is not commonly known – raises strategic considerations for defending clients in federal criminal matters and safeguarding client’s rights.

Let’s Go To The Grand Jury Audiotapes! Takeaways For The Defense Bar From The Recent Chicago Debacle