Robert Simels, who has represented some of New York’s most notorious gangsters and rappers, was charged with a plot to “neutralize” witnesses willing to testify against his clients.

The secrecy of the grand jury process was weighed against the interests of public accountability in the atomic espionage case.

The state attorney general’s office said it would not retry Martin H. Tankleff for the murder of his parents.

The Assembly approved a bill on Monday that toughens penalties for witness intimidation and tampering.