They were looking at possible jail time! There is no shade of corruption in stating the obvious!

Probably the most damning examples for the prosecution were two separate FBI reports in which Bill Allen directly contradicted his courtroom testimony. One of those reports had the contradictory statement blacked out when it was finally provided to the defense. The government also used false VECO accounting records to establish the value of renovations to Stevens' home.

There is a lengthy article on the DC Bar website that details all of the prosecutorial misconduct. The Stevens case is far from the only example of misconduct from Justice Dept. prosecutors in recent years, but it is the case that finally shook up the department.