What does sealed indictment mean?
I understand what an indictment is but what dies it mean if it is sealed?
Answers:
A sealed indictment is simply an indictment which has not been made public. Most often this is because one or more of the suspects has not been arrested. Occasionally it is sealed because the investigation is ongoing and a statute of limitations was about to run out on one or more of the charges.
Contrary to the statement above, an indictment can not be classified. Some of its contents and/or accompanying affidavits may be, but the charges themselves are a matter of public record.
It means the details are sealed and not subject to public scrutiny. This is done in some cases to protect potential witnesses.
It could mean one of two things, depending on the jurisdiction and how that term is used locally.
It could refer to an indictment where the existence of the charges is public, but the evidence that was used to secure the indictment is classified and not available for review.
It could also refer to a situation where the indictment is gotten secretly, and the indictment itself is classified -- not even the defendant is notified until the govt is ready to proceed with the case.
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