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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: CYBERKEN who wrote (701702)	9/13/2005 11:04:46 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Oops. "DeLay associates indicted in election investigation Associated Press AUSTIN —Two associates of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay were charged today with two additional felony charges of violating Texas election law and criminal conspiracy to violate election law for their role in the 2002 legislative races. The indictment is the seventh this month from a Travis County grand jury investigating the use of corporate money in the campaigns that gave Republicans control of the Texas House. Jim Ellis, who heads Americans for a Republican Majority, and John Colyandro, former executive director of Texans for a Republican Majority, already are facing charges of money laundering in the case. Colyandro also faces 13 counts of unlawful acceptance of a corporate political contribution. The use of corporate money to influence political races is illegal in Texas. The money laundering charges stem from $190,000 in corporate money that was sent to the Republican National Committee. The party then spent the same amount of money on seven candidates for the Texas Legislature. Austin attorney Joe Turner, who represents Colyandro, said the attorneys for the RNC examined and cleared all of the suspect transactions. "Prosecutors must not be too confident in their indictments, otherwise there would be no need for these additional indictments on the same set of facts," Turner said. "We don't believe a crime was ever committed." Americans for a Republican Majority, also known as ARMPAC, is DeLay's national fundraising committee. The Republican from Sugar Land helped create Texans for a Republican Majority. Last week, the grand jury issued five felony indictments against TRMPAC and the Texas Association of Business, alleging the illegal use of corporate money for political influence. DeLay has not been charged with any criminal activity in the case. The activities in question helped elect enough Republicans to the Texas House to give the Legislature its first GOP majority since Reconstruction. The Republican-led House in turn ousted its Democratic leader in favor of Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick. Money laundering is a first-degree felony with a punishment of five to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The two violations of the Election Code constitute third-degree felonies punishable by a possible prison sentence of two to 10 years and a fine of up to $10,000. Criminal conspiracy as charged in this indictment is a state jail felony with a possible punishment of 180 days to two years in a state jail and a fine of up to $10,000." chron.com