In 1988, North was convicted of three felonies connected to the Iran-Contra affair. Those convictions were later overturned on the grounds that members of the prosecution used his congressional testimony to help convict him.
(alternate title: Raw Story commits act of journalism)
North admitted shredding government documents related to his Contra and Iranian activities, at William Casey's suggestion, when the Iran–Contra scandal became public. He also testified that Robert McFarlane had asked him to alter official records to delete references to direct assistance to the Contras and that he had helped.[25]
North was tried in 1988. He was indicted on 16 felony counts, and on May 4, 1989, he was initially convicted of three: accepting an illegal gratuity, aiding and abetting in the obstruction of a congressional inquiry, and ordering the destruction of documents through his secretary, Fawn Hall.