Federal Lawsuit Accuses Raleigh DA Lorrin Freeman & Police Chief Rico Boyce of Evidence Cover-Up

Whistleblower Plaintiff Claims Three-Year Discovery Withholding, Fabricated Warrants, and Unconstitutional Raid
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RALEIGH, N.C. - A major scandal is emerging inside Wake County's criminal justice system as a newly filed Second Amended Complaint in the federal case Hernandez v. City of Raleigh et al. publicly accuses District Attorney Lorrin Freeman and Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce of participating in - or approving - actions that allegedly include evidence suppression, a defective warrant, and a rapid forced-entry raid that took place while two minor children were inside the home.
The filing, submitted by plaintiff Abdul Kareem Hernandez, names more than a dozen Raleigh officials and supervisory personnel. The lawsuit is now positioned to draw national attention due to allegations of constitutional violations, prosecutorial misconduct, and multi-year delays in disclosing critical law-enforcement records.
The case is currently before U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

KEY ALLEGATIONS PRESENTED IN THE COMPLAINT
1. Fabricated and Defective Warrant Procurement
The complaint alleges that the 2022 search warrant was obtained using false, misleading, or incomplete statements - including an incorrect criminal history notation and the omission of a protective order that directly affected the credibility of a key witness.
2. Forced Entry Conducted in Approximately Three Seconds
According to the filing, officers with Raleigh's Special Enforcement Unit allegedly breached Hernandez's residence in roughly three seconds, contradicting the knock-and-announce requirement and Raleigh Police Directive 1109-06.
Two minor children were reportedly inside during the event.
3. Nearly Three Years of Alleged Evidence Withholding
The complaint asserts that the Forced Entry Report (FER), supervisory approval records, body-camera activation logs, IAPro internal reviews, and other warrant-related documentation were withheld until early 2025, following a court-ordered in-camera review.
The FER includes multiple layers of supervisory signatures - including those tied to Chief Rico Boyce.
4. "Trial-Ready" Certification Despite Missing Records
According to the lawsuit, prosecutors - including ADA Guadalupe Howell and ADA Thomas Crosby - repeatedly certified the case as "trial-ready" while discovery materials were allegedly missing or incomplete.
The complaint further alleges that District Attorney Lorrin Freeman was repeatedly notified in writing of discovery violations but failed to intervene.
RELIEF SOUGHT
Hernandez requests the following remedies:
$300 million in damages

Declaratory relief

Permanent injunction requiring preservation and disclosure of all related records

Policy reforms to Raleigh Police and Wake County DA procedures regarding warrants, forced entry, discovery obligations, and chain of custody

The complaint cites alleged violations of the First, Fourth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
CASE INFORMATION
Federal Court: U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina
Case Number: 5:24-cv-00542-BO
Judge: Hon. Terrence W. Boyle
Status: Defendants have not yet filed responses to the newly amended complaint.
STATEMENT FROM PLAINTIFF
"I filed this amended complaint after receiving documents that were withheld for nearly three years," said Abdul Kareem Hernandez, who is representing himself pro se. "These records reveal significant issues that the public deserves to be aware of."

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This press release has been prepared by an independent legal writer and public-interest researcher focused on documenting federal civil-rights litigation, government accountability, and issues affecting transparency within the U.S. justice system. The purpose of this publication is to provide accurate reporting and national visibility for the lawsuit filed by Abdul Kareem Hernandez, whose case raises significant questions regarding evidence handling, law-enforcement oversight, and prosecutorial responsibility in Wake County, North Carolina.

This release was published on openPR.