September 19, 2013
(http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/DeLay-conviction-overturned-4827002.php?cmpid=hpfc)
An Austin appeals court has overturned the conviction of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on charges related to a scheme to influence Texas elections, DeLay’s attorney said Thursday.
The vote by the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin was 2-1, said Brian Wice, the Houston attorney who represented DeLay in his appeal.
DeLay’s three-year prison sentence has been on hold as his case has made its way through the appellate process.
Delay was convicted of illegally channeling $190,000 in corporate donations to Republicans running for the Texas Legislature. State law prohibits corporate campaign contributions to local races.
A jury in Austin found that DeLay’s actions-collecting checks, moving the funds through a political action committee and distributing the donations to state candidates-violated state money-laundering statutes.
