DeLay convicted of money laundering charges

[babylonsister]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7308000.html

DeLay convicted of money laundering charges
By R.G. RATCLIFFE
AUSTIN BUREAU
Nov. 24, 2010, 4:56PM


AUSTIN – A Travis County jury today found former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay guilty of political money laundering charges relating to a corporate money swap in the 2002 elections.

The verdict came down five years after DeLay was forced to step down as the second most powerful Republican in the U.S. House. The charges also led DeLay to resign from his Sugar Land congressional seat in 2006.

DeLay was accused of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. On the conspiracy charge, DeLay faces a sentence of two to 20 years in prison and five to 99 years or life in prison on the money laundering count.

In preparation for the 2002 elections, DeLay cloned his Americans for a Republican Majority political committee as Texans for a Republican Majority. TRMPAC was designed to help Republicans win a state House majority in preparation for a mid-decade congressional redistricting in 2003.

That redistricting helped the Republicans take a 17-15 majority from the Democrats and win a 21-11 GOP majority in the 2004 elections.

At the center of the case against DeLay was an exchange of $190,000 in corporate donations to TRMPAC for an equal amount of money donated by individuals to the Republican National Committee. The RNC money was given to seven Texas candidates specified by TRMPAC.

Corporate money cannot be used in candidate campaigns in Texas.

[jaxx]

1. 7 years minimum sentence.

Sounds good.

[liberalmuse]

3. Damn! I was hoping for 20.

But 7 is good for starters.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Yes!!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[FiveGoodMen]

5. And how!

[bluestateguy]

4. Can Martin Frost and Chuck Stenholm have their House seats back now?

When does that happen?

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Justice at times moves at glacial speed

[WestSeattle2]

22. Next up: Rove

[hyphenate]

7. Let's just see how much play

this gets on the main news outlets. It should be interesting.

:evilgrin:

[Catshrink]

8. Bug man in the slammer!

Actually, I doubt he'll serve any time. He'll probably get probation and a slap on the wrist.

[Imagevision]

9. Tom just said he's deeply disappointed in the verdict and will appeal, have you seen "Casino Jack"

[AllyCat]

10. Will he go to a country club or does he go to butt-rape prison like everyone else?

[struggle4progress]

11. buh-bye bugsy

[sensate2000]

12. Prediction:

Presidential pardon. (And no I don't mean Palin in 12)

[babylonsister]

18. You're nuts. Ain't gonna happen. nt

[blogslut]

19. I so very much doubt that

My guess is Tom is on his own.

[bluestateguy]

23. For a state charge?

No, that is not allowed. The president can only pardon people with federal convictions.

[Scuba]

13. Ken Lay. Tom DeLay. Hmmmmmm.

[blogslut]

14. Oh my

There's something to be thankful about. The Turkey is going to taste a little like crow at the Delay home this year.

[malaise]

15. PHEW - prison at last

Now he can dance with the stars
Go to prison you creep. :rofl:

[warrior1]

16. well I hope

that wipes the grin off his face.

[muffin1]

17. K&R

:thumbsup:

[derby378]

20. CELEBRATE!!!

http://rog.thoughtbludgeon.com/mp3/tracker2.asp?trackURL=RoG_Hardcore_Produktionz-18_Minutes_of_HARDCORE.mp3

:headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang:

[WestSeattle2]

21. FAUX/Rushbot Spin: "A liberal jury in Austin, Texas, today found a true

God-fearing, American patriot guilty of ridiculous charges filed by one of the country's most liberal prosecutor's. A reasonable jury in a reasonable city would never have found Mr. Delay guilty of anything other than perhaps jaywalking."


...sigh...

[Imagevision]

24. I hope Obama doesn't pardon him...? like Scooter baby

[babylonsister]

30. Nah. Scooter worked for idiot son (not that that's justification);

I imagine there's no love lost between Obama and DeLay.

[localroger]

32. Dubya commuted Scooter's sentence

And oddly enough, it took Darth Cheney's leaning on him to get him to do even that. Cheney wanted Scooter to be pardoned and apparently resents to this day that W didn't give him one.

Obama has no reason at all to even consider such a thing.

[Imagevision]

25. I meant to say commute his sentence

[bushisanidiot]

26. And the hammer goes DOOOOOOOWWWWNN!!

HAHAHA!

Suck it, Tommy Boy!

[nuxvomica]

27. Can this be appealed to the Supreme Court?

I can imagine the conservatives on the court striking down the Texas corporate donation law. But would that clear away the money laundering verdict? I'm really hoping there's no way out for Toxic Tom.

[Recursion]

31. Even striking down the law doesn't make money laundering legal

It was a novel prosecution theory, though, and that does leave room for a higher court to find a legal error which would take the prosecution back to square one. However, a jury verdict pretty much can't be overturned.

[Octafish]

28. ZZZZAP!!!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lm2JI7sGwYI/Sr1tO92nuvI/AAAAAAAAGvQ/WT_qkqUlsQs/s400/dancing+Bug-Man.jpg

Oh! Happy day!

[Johonny]

29. of course now corporations need no middle man :(

they can buy their people directly.