A startling revelation has emerged, casting a shadow over the Northern California Innocence Project (NCIP).
Paige Kaneb, a lawyer associated with the NCIP, who played a pivotal role in overturning the 1990 murder conviction of Maurice Caldwell, is alleged to have been involved in a romantic relationship with a key witness in the case.
This witness, Marritte Funches, was instrumental in securing Caldwell's freedom. Caldwell's release was followed by a successful lawsuit, which saw him awarded $8 million. This victory also led to a significant increase in donations to the NCIP.
As reported by The Post Millennial, Kaneb, who now holds the position of director at the NCIP, was blackmailed by Funches. He threatened to expose their clandestine affair if she did not meet his demands. When she failed to comply, he leaked a trove of evidence to the San Francisco Standard.
Kaneb began working on Caldwell's case soon after joining the NCIP as a fresh law school graduate in 2007. In 2010, she met Funches, who was serving a life sentence in Nevada for a separate murder. Their professional relationship soon turned personal, and they began a romantic affair. Funches assisted Kaneb in securing additional witnesses to support Caldwell's innocence, while she provided him with legal counsel. However, when Kaneb allegedly broke his condition of keeping the witnesses anonymous, Funches ended their relationship.
Despite this setback, Kaneb and the NCIP managed to build a compelling case that persuaded a San Francisco Superior Court judge to grant Caldwell a new trial. However, the district attorney chose to dismiss the case instead of retrying it. Caldwell subsequently sued the city and received a hefty payout, despite never being officially declared "factually innocent."
According to the San Francisco Standard, Kaneb and Funches resumed their relationship a few years later. By 2023, they were exchanging thousands of text messages, videos, and photos, some of which were explicit. They even introduced each other to their children. However, their relationship soured once again when Funches confessed to Kaneb that he had lied about Caldwell's innocence. He also began to suspect that Kaneb had manipulated him to secure Caldwell's release.
Funches told the Standard, "She pretended to take a personal interest in me. It was the art of seduction at its finest. All to get me to finally help Mr. Caldwell."
While it is not unlawful for a lawyer to be romantically involved with a witness, the intimacy between Kaneb and Funches could have potentially led a judge to dismiss Funches' testimony. Despite the controversy, the NCIP has defended Kaneb, stating that they believe "these claims have no bearing on the rightful exoneration of this innocent man."
The allegations against Kaneb, supported by evidence provided by Funches, are currently under investigation by Santa Clara University. The district attorney's office is also examining the matter. It should be noted that the Northern California Innocence Project operates independently from the national Innocence Project.
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