New ABA Formal Opinion on prosecutors who allow debt collection companies to pretend the prosecutors' office backs them up

Astonishing that there should be a need for such advice.  The NJ Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics (on which I sit) barred "renting" letterhead by private lawyers.  But prosecutors!? - gwc
Professional Responsibility Blog: New ABA Formal Opinion on prosecutors who allow debt collection companies to pretend the prosecutors' office backs them up:
 "The ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility has issued a new Formal Opinion (No. 469).  You can read the full opinion here.  The summary speaks for itself:

A prosecutor who provides official letterhead of the prosecutor’s office to a debt collection company for use by that company to create a letter purporting to come from the prosecutor’s office that implicitly or explicitly threatens prosecution, when no lawyer from the prosecutor’s office reviews the case file to determine whether a crime has been committed and prosecution is warranted or reviews the letter to ensure it complies with the Rules of Professional Conduct, violates Model Rules 8.4(c) and 5.5(a).

'via Blog this'