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Albany Defense Attorney Indicted Over Leak of Protected Witness List Tied to Prison Attack

Prosecutors describe a breach of a strict protective order in the Branch homicide case that exposed cooperating witnesses to retaliation.

Defense attorney Jasper Mills addresses Albany County Court Judge Andra Ackerman during a pretrial hearing in a murder case in Albany in June 2024. Mills has been indicted on multiple felony charges for allegedly disclosing information about a confidential witness who subsequently was the subject of a death threat and had an attempt on his life. 

Overview

  • New York Attorney General Letitia James announced charges against Jasper Mills, a former Albany County prosecutor who represented Vramir Branch in the 2021 killing of Shanita Thomas.
  • Mills is accused of criminal contempt, first- and second-degree witness intimidation, and first- and second-degree witness tampering.
  • Investigators say a June 3, 2024 witness list bearing Mills’ distinctive markings circulated by text and on Snapchat, followed by threats to a cooperating witness at FCI Ray Brook on June 5.
  • The same witness was slashed on Sept. 8, 2024 while in protective custody and required hospitalization for an infection from the wound.
  • Prosecutors also allege Mills delivered a prohibited hard drive to Branch on April 8, 2024; Mills was arraigned Dec. 30 in Albany Supreme Court and faces up to 8⅓ to 25 years if convicted.