Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

DeLay Guilty of Money Laundering
Houston Press ^ | 11/24/10 | Unknown

Posted on 11/24/2010 3:18:25 PM PST by Non-Sequitur

For five years, the case against Tom DeLay for money laundering through his Texans for a Republican Majority PAC has been seemingly trapped in the Texas courts facing pre-trial appeals. On November 1, it finally made it to trial and today the verdict is in: guilty on both money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The slightly-less-than-humble DeLay lost his majority leadership in Congress after the indictment came down, but he has maintained his claims that this case was politically motivated throughout the entire process right up to defense attorney Dick DeGuerin's closing arguments.

The jury clearly didn't buy his argument and now DeLay is potentially facing life in prison on money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering charges. DeLay is accused of channeling $190,000 in corporate money through his Texans for a Republican Majority PAC in 2002 to aid GOP candidates.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: delay; getdelay; kangaroocourt; moneylaundering; partisanwitchhunt; ronnieearle; showtrial; starchamber; texas; tomdelay
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 241-260261-280281-300 ... 321-323 next last
To: Danae
Good. I hope politicians start getting loud and clear, we are SICK of their corruption! I don’t care WHICH party it is, Its time for these criminals to start paying the price for their crimes. No matter what the party affiliation is, they ought to have the whole book thrown at em.

But it's perfectly alright if the law itself is corrupt -- so complex, intrusive and overreaching that it becomes impossible to act, even in the best faith, or in any measure of virile liberty, without "violating" it? Indeed the better that it be so, as it provides all the more occasion to indulge outbursts of self-satisfying populism?

261 posted on 11/25/2010 7:14:55 AM PST by Stultis (Democrats. Still devoted to the three S's: Slavery, Segregation and Socialism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 122 | View Replies]

To: Friendofgeorge

Perry has to do the right thing here: Pardon.


262 posted on 11/25/2010 7:18:25 AM PST by Mouton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: HANG THE EXPENSE

....bet he wins on appeal....

Caution, dont bet more than you can afford to lose. Texas courts are not friendly to appeals. DeLay was a tough pol who skated close to the thin ice. Looks like he skated too close.


263 posted on 11/25/2010 7:41:03 AM PST by mono
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: GoCards

Austin = lib town


264 posted on 11/25/2010 7:55:45 AM PST by JaneNC (I)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: mono

Time will tell.The people know the charges were bullshit to begin with.Just remember you can indict a ham sandwich and thats just what ole commie ronnie dirtbag earle did.The people also voted against his son who ran for office if I remember right.The people of texas dont like the earles.


265 posted on 11/25/2010 8:03:04 AM PST by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life is tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 263 | View Replies]

To: wendy1946

Hear, hear!


266 posted on 11/25/2010 8:05:15 AM PST by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life is tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 258 | View Replies]

To: DoughtyOne

Then where will Delay go to get his reputation back? The damage is done, just as the left planned.


267 posted on 11/25/2010 8:08:34 AM PST by Republic of Texas (Socialism Always Fails)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: w1andsodidwe

The article was certainly thin on details of the “crime” itself. No info on where the money in dispute went?


268 posted on 11/25/2010 8:15:25 AM PST by RitaOK
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: ichabod1

Actually that`s exactly what I meant!


269 posted on 11/25/2010 8:34:49 AM PST by Friendofgeorge (SARAH 2012 OR BUST)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 148 | View Replies]

To: businessprofessor

NOPE. He’s a government servant.

If he really committed a crime, he must face the full measure of the Law.

NOW WE CAN MOVE ON!

Search every politician in DC. Check out all the crooks!

Red and blue.

I want all those crooks, if proven guilty, be locked up in jail.


270 posted on 11/25/2010 8:59:59 AM PST by convertedtoreason ( Nature tells us to take a LIBERTARIAN CONSERVATIVE stance)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Friendofgeorge

“...clearly the jury was selected for their left leaning politics! These jury picking experts are good at doing this.”

I imagine that DeLay’s attorneys were as good at jury selection as a public prosecutor would be. By the way, you don’t get to “select” anyone as a lawyer in the Texas voir dire process. You are merely given a certain number of peremptory challenges, which allow you to excuse any juror for any reason you choose, except prohibited reasons such as race. All other jurors must be excused “for cause”, which means generally that you are able to show to the Court that the juror is already prejudiced against your client.


271 posted on 11/25/2010 9:04:36 AM PST by freethinker_for_freedom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Bad~Rodeo

If your argument is correct, we can now strike the terms “Betrayal of Public Trust” and “Ethics” off the US English Language.

He committed a crime. He must suffer.

And let that be reminder to everyone.

Indeed, one of the works of the New Congress is to IDENTIFY WHO SHOULD “NEXT” FOLLOW THE FATE OF MR. DELAY.


272 posted on 11/25/2010 9:06:02 AM PST by convertedtoreason ( Nature tells us to take a LIBERTARIAN CONSERVATIVE stance)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: littleharbour

“The American legal system puts more value on money than human life. Bizarre.”

Last I heard, the sentencing range for murder without special circumstances (like kidnapping) in Texas, was five years to life. The penalty range for selling 50 pounds of marijuana was 15 years to life.


273 posted on 11/25/2010 9:09:21 AM PST by freethinker_for_freedom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 253 | View Replies]

To: HANG THE EXPENSE

“I’m sure he had a jury of his peers.”

I doubt that. Austin is a communist stronghold in Texas. In his cave somewhere in Switzerland, Soros is laughing like a maniac.....


274 posted on 11/25/2010 9:51:50 AM PST by Frank_2001
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: deport
This case is complicated and what is being discussed to some degree maybe off base as to what the real charge and conviction was. I'm not an attorney but the best explaination I've found is in the NY Times which requires excerpting. I'll post a short snippet and the complete article can be read at the link.

DeLay was not convicted on donations of Corporate money to political candidates under the Election Code. The DA realized that would be a hard one to prove. So they swapped their approach and charged him with criminal money laundering under the Texas Penal Code. It is under this code and the activities of swapping money from TRMPAC to the RNC and back to the seven Texas House candidates that he was found guilty. There are two other individuals awaiting trial on lesser charges.

DeLay Is Convicted in Texas Donation Case

snip

During the three-week trial, the prosecution presented more than 30 witnesses in an effort to prove that Mr. DeLay conspired to circumvent the state law. Since 1903, Texas has prohibited corporations from giving money to candidates directly or indirectly.

Mr. DeLay was initially charged with breaking campaign finance law. But prosecutors later switched strategies because it was impossible under the law at the time to accuse someone of conspiring to break campaign finance rules, prosecutors said.

Instead, prosecutors used a novel legal theory never before tried in Texas: They argued that Mr. DeLay and two of his political operatives — John Colyandro and Jim Ellis — had violated the criminal money-laundering law.

They were charged with conspiring to funnel $190,000 in corporate donations to state candidates through the Republican National Committee.

The main facts of the case were never in dispute.

end snip

Read the entire article at the link above.
275 posted on 11/25/2010 10:02:09 AM PST by deport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 273 | View Replies]

To: AndrewC

What don’t you understand? The section you cited applies to corporations but not LLCs or partnerships, limited partnerships, etc.


276 posted on 11/25/2010 10:45:41 AM PST by Texas Federalist (DeMint 2012!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 239 | View Replies]

To: Freedom_Is_Not_Free

It appears that all Delay (or those responsible for running his PAC) is guilty of is failing to have 2 bank accounts - one for the corporate donations and one for the private donations, so as to establish an indisputable money trail. Tsk, tsk, just sloppy bookkeeping - like Charlie Rangel.

IIRC, Travis County Attorney Ronnie Earlls had to convene 3 grand juries in an attempt to indict Delay. He finally succeeded on the third attempt, which shows the weakness of the charges.


277 posted on 11/25/2010 11:19:31 AM PST by KAUAIBOUND (Hawaii - paradise infested with left-wing cockroaches and centipedes)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: deport

Ignorance (alledged) is no defense of a crime. If he did it, that’s it. I loved his politics, but there is no excuse.


278 posted on 11/25/2010 11:29:04 AM PST by Tolsti2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 275 | View Replies]

To: Texas Federalist
What don’t you understand? The section you cited applies to corporations but not LLCs or partnerships, limited partnerships, etc.

This is what you stated.

Corporate donations are banned,

They are not banned. They are restricted and controlled by the section I cited.

279 posted on 11/25/2010 11:40:32 AM PST by AndrewC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 276 | View Replies]

To: convertedtoreason
He committed a crime. He must suffer. And let that be reminder to everyone.

Yeah, you're right. Let's forget about August 11, 1999, when Bill Clinton commuted the sentences of 16 members of FALN, a violent Puerto Rican terrorist group that set off 120 bombs in the United States, mostly in New York City and Chicago.

And March 2000, when Bill Clinton pardoned Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory, owners of the carnival company United Shows International, for charges of bank fraud from a 1982 conviction. And And And.....sheesh

280 posted on 11/25/2010 11:40:55 AM PST by Bad~Rodeo (Don't overthink common sense)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 272 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 241-260261-280281-300 ... 321-323 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson