A member of O.J. Simpson's defense team has rebuffed claims that lead defense attorney Johnnie Cochran tampered with a key piece of evidence in order to help Simpson walk away from his Los Angeles murder trial a free man 17 years ago, the Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday.

Former Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Christopher Darden on Thursday accused Simpson's defense lawyer, the late Johnnie Cochran, of "manipulating" one of the infamous gloves that the prosecution said linked Simpson to the grisly double murder of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. 

After Simpson struggled to fit the gloves on his hands -- in one of the defining moments of the racially charged trial that captivated the nation -- Cochran famously admonished the jury, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." 

On Saturday, attorney Shawn Holley told the Los Angeles Times in a statement:

"As members of the defense team, Carl Douglas and I were present in court on the day that Chris Darden asked O.J. Simpson to try on the glove ... Mr. Darden's self-serving assertion that Johnnie Cochran tampered with the glove -- or any piece of evidence -- is false, malicious and slanderous ... Almost 20 years later, it seems Mr. Darden is still trying to exculpate himself from one of the biggest blunders in the history of jurisprudence."

'I think Johnnie tore the lining'
On Thursday, during a panel discussion about the trial at Pace Law School in New York City, Darden, a member of the prosecution team, declared: "I think Johnnie tore the lining. There were some additional tears in the lining so that O.J.'s fingers couldn't go all the way up into the glove." 

Darden said in a follow-up interview on Friday that he noticed that when Simpson was trying on a glove for the jury its structure appeared to have changed. "A bailiff told me the defense had it during the lunch hour." He said he wasn't specifically accusing anyone, adding: "It's been my suspicion for a long time that the lining has been manipulated."

Related: Ex-prosecutor claims O.J. Simpson attorney tampered with glove
Related: O.J. Simpson appeals verdict to Nevada high court

He said he had previously voiced similar concerns in TV interviews, but could not recall the details. 

Darden's charge surprised key participants in the trial and related legal action. Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, who was a member of Simpson's defense team, and Paul Callan, who represented Nicole Brown Simpson's estate in a successful civil trial against Simpson, said it was the first time they had ever heard the allegation. 

A civil jury in 1997 found Simpson liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the murder victims' families. Simpson, the former National Football League star and Hollywood actor, is currently serving up to 33 years in prison for a 2007 armed robbery in which he claimed he was trying to recover his own sports memorabilia

On Friday, Dershowitz called the claim that the defense had an opportunity to tamper with the gloves "a total fabrication" and said "the defense doesn't get access to evidence except under controlled circumstances." 

Dershowitz said in a follow-up email that he "was certain" in this case that the defense team did not have access to the glove before it was tried on by Simpson in open court. 

"Having made the greatest legal blunder of the 20th century," Dershowitz said of Darden, "he's trying to blame it on the dead man." 

Reuters contributed to this report.

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SAN DIEGO -- A retired president of the National Border Patrol Council has been indicted on federal charges after being accused of allegedly using hundreds of thousands of dollars in union funds for personal use, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Campo, Calif., resident Terence Bonner, 59, allegedly diverted thousands of dollars in union funds for personal use.

The indictment accuses Bonner of using union dues while he was in charge to do things such as visit his mistress in Chicago or attend hockey games and other sporting events.

See the original story  |  More from NBCSanDiego.com

He held his position for more than 20 years.

Charges include wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme to defraud some 14,000 dues-paying union members.

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In addition, the indictment alleges that Bonner submitted expense vouchers seeking reimbursement for union-related travel expenses such as meals, car rentals, tips, luggage, books and magazines -- when he was traveling for personal reasons, including vacations and other non-union activity.

According to the indictment, Bonner used his position to enact a number of unusual policies to benefit himself and other union officials, such as reimbursement for clothing expenses and up to $800 a year for gifts.

During his tenure, Bonner initiated a policy requiring the union to pay premium rates for work completed on Sundays, holidays and night shifts. But the indictment states Bonner allegedly submitted false claims for “lost wages,” including “seeking ‘lost wages’ for time frames when he was not working on union activities but at home, downloading, viewing and archiving” inappropriate material.

He also allegedly submitted and obtained reimbursement for dozens of hard drives used to store the inappropriate material on his computer.

Read the original report from NBCSanDiego here

NBCSanDiego spoke to Bonner’s wife Thursday night, but she did not want to appear on camera. She said she is standing by her husband and believes he is innocent.

For others, sticking by Bonner may not be an option.

For 22 years, Bonner was highly trusted by many as union's persident. However, according to current president George McCubbin, that trust is now gone.

McCubbin said the investigation into Bonner began about two years ago, after government officials found unusual activity with his travel vouchers.

“He always claimed that he was doing union business when in reality it was private business,” said McCubbin.

McCubbin said Bonner claimed he didn’t do anything wrong and that the indictment was “all just a fishing expedition.”

However, McCubbin is not convinced.

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He said the union travel reimbursement system has been overhauled to prevent this from happening again.

“We're going to talk to an attorney and see what we can recoup -- some of the funds, if not all of them,” added McCubbin.

Bonner will appear in court on Aug. 20.

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