A former securities lawyer serving 23 years in jail for fraud won an early victory in his fight to obtain documents from the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI about his case.

Gregory Bartko was found guilty of fraud and other securities law violations in late 2010. He sent Freedom of Information Act requests to the Justice Department, the FBI and other agencies for information about his case and the prosecutor who put him behind bars, Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Wheeler. He filed a lawsuit in July 2013 in the federal court in Washington after most of his requests were denied.