Khan, a central figure in Operation Perfect Hedge, was one of the original cooperators with the government and she testified against Whitman at trial.

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David White was one of the early cooperators, but he was also at the company the least amount of time.

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Of the 28 men on trial, eight had been considered prime defendants, alleged to be either the bombers, ideologues, or "necessary cooperators" in the fatal plot.

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But morality has little to do with the relationships that the federal government builds with its cooperators.

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While a case is being built against the targets of an investigation, these cooperators are often a hot commodity.

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Accordingly, cooperators loom large in both the hearts and minds of line prosecutors.

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Nor will they have the benefit of the interpersonal relationships that often develop between prosecutors and their cooperators.

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