A disciplinary committee says North Carolina prosecutor Mike Nifong will be disbarred for his handling of the Duke University lacrosse rape case.

"This matter has been a fiasco. There's no doubt about it," said committee chairman F. Lane Williamson.

Before the decision was announced, Nifong's lawyer said Nifong believed he should be disbarred.

The disbarment quickly followed a disciplinary committee ruling Saturday that Nifong broke numerous rules of professional conduct during his prosecution of three Duke University athletes falsely accused of rape.