One of the nearly inevitable consequences of being accused of a crime is that investigators tend to leave no stone unturned. A probe into possible misdeeds is very likely to uncover others, if they exist, which can lead to more trouble for suspects of a crime. And the more accusations that arise, the greater the need for an aggressive criminal defense.

An example of this is the case of a Denver oral surgeon currently accused of both a white collar crime and possible medical malpractice. The doctor first came under suspicion after a former employee of his contacted state officials and media outlets about some of the surgeon's practices. The employee said the doctor had been ordering prescription drugs under some of his patients' names. The Colorado Board of Dental Examiners launched an investigation, which led the dentist to agree to give up his license to practice in June 2011.

But the investigation also produced an alarming allegation that the dentist had been reusing syringes and needles. Colorado's Department of Health and Environment announced in recent weeks that it had sent letters to about 8,000 of the dentist's former patients about the practice and advised them to get tested for HIV and hepatitis. Officials there say the dentist may have been reusing needles as early as September 1999. But since the doctor's records only date back to 2005, the state decided to issue a press release in hopes of informing earlier patients.

The press release about the possible needle reuse could make it much more difficult for the oral surgeon to get a fair trial because even though the allegations of needle reuse are unrelated to the case alleging prescription fraud, prospective jurors who have heard about the infection scare may not be able to withhold bias toward the dentist in the other case. It will be up to his defense attorney to ensure that if he's tried by a jury, all of the jurors will be able to remain objective, whether or not they're familiar with the separate accusations.

Source: CBS News, "Ex-employee may have led to investigation into Colo. oral surgeon accused of reusing needles: Report," Ryan Jaslow, July 18, 2012