Jury Convicts Tom DeLay for Money Laundering

Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, once one of the most powerful and feared Republicans in Congress, was convicted Wednesday on charges he illegally funneled corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.

Jurors deliberated for 19 hours before returning guilty verdicts against DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces up to life in prison on the money laundering charge.

After the verdicts were read, DeLay hugged his daughter, Danielle, and his wife, Christine. His lead attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said they planned to appeal the verdict.

"This is an abuse of power. It's a miscarriage of justice, and I still maintain that I am innocent. The criminalization of politics undermines our very system and I'm very disappointed in the outcome," DeLay told reporters outside the courtroom. He remains free on bond, and his sentencing was tentatively set to begin on Dec. 20.

Prosecutors said DeLay, who once held the No. 2 job in the House of Representatives and whose heavy-handed style earned him the nickname "the Hammer," used his political action committee to illegally channel $190,000 in corporate donations into 2002 Texas legislative races through a money swap.

DeLay and his attorneys maintained the former Houston-area congressman did nothing wrong as no corporate funds went to Texas candidates and the money swap was legal.

The verdict came after a three-week trial in which prosecutors presented more than 30 witnesses and volumes of e-mails and other documents. DeLay's attorneys presented five witnesses.

Prosecutors said DeLay conspired with two associates, John Colyandro and Jim Ellis, to use his Texas-based PAC to send $190,000 in corporate money to an arm of the Washington-based Republican National Committee, or RNC. The RNC then sent the same amount to seven Texas House candidates. Under Texas law, corporate money can't go directly to political campaigns.

Prosecutors claim the money helped Republicans take control of the Texas House. That enabled the GOP majority to push through a Delay-engineered congressional redistricting plan that sent more Texas Republicans to Congress in 2004 — and strengthened DeLay's political power.

DeLay's attorneys argued the money swap resulted in the seven candidates getting donations from individuals, which they could legally use in Texas.

They also said DeLay only lent his name to the PAC and had little involvement in how it was run. Prosecutors, who presented mostly circumstantial evidence, didn't prove he committed a crime, they said.

"We will see an appeal here and it will be stronger than most because Texas prosecutors tried a new theory to get a conviction," said CBS Radio News Senior Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen. "They indicted DeLay on money laundering charges - a notion the appellate courts on going to want to chew on a bit."

Cohen said other states could start using their money laundering statutes to go after politicians.

DeLay has chosen to have Senior Judge Pat Priest sentence him. He faces five years to life in prison on the money laundering charge and two to 20 years on the conspiracy charge. He also would be eligible for probation.

The 2005 criminal charges in Texas, as well as a separate federal investigation of DeLay's ties to disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, ended his 22-year political career representing suburban Houston. The Justice Department probe into DeLay's ties to Abramoff ended without any charges filed against DeLay.

Ellis and Colyandro, who face lesser charges, will be tried later.

Except for a 2009 appearance on ABC's hit television show "Dancing With the Stars," DeLay has been out of the spotlight since resigning from Congress in 2006. He now runs a consulting firm based in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land.

[ianlou]

Tom Delay Convicted!!!!

Don't they know he danced on "Dancing with the Stars"!!!!!

Never mind he sold out the American Tax payer to K Street during the Dubya Days while he was "The Hammer" in the House of Reps.

His jail-house dance will be "Hammer-Time" da...dadada...da.da...da.da.........

He better do it sitting down.

[rockcutr]

It is truely an insult to the Norse God Thor to call this pipsqueak da hammer. The biggest cheater in politics..yes.
Question: how come this tool gets to select the judge for his own sentancing? That smells really bad.
The good news is convicted felons cannot vote or own weapons,,,this included hammers. Another good thing, no more practicing law. Because, apparantly to practice means that you haven't got it right yet.
If he isn't right then he is left...really? TD is a closet Democrat? too funny.

[Samatt281]

Tom DeLay:
Dumber than a sh*thouse rat.

[WVVic]

Tom DeLay and Ohio's Bob Ney worked hard to impeach President Clinton. Both have now been convicted of crimes.

[slicked25]

They spent more money investigating Monicagate than they did looking into 9/11. That's a sad fact. Throw the book at this loser. I can hear him on the first night in the Big House, I'm not supposed to be here you don't understand. I want my momma.

Delay: Alright stop
Bubba: Hammertime

[WWBoone]

A blow for Justice. Unfortunately he will probably receive probation. Remember he helped gerrymander the districts in Texas where the judge was elected. Go after Bush and Cheney next, then we'll believe in the system.

[euge005]

Amen. For every dollar this criminal laundered, Chaney stole 10,000. And when W slithered out of office he got 100 million in kick backs for his center with in a couple months. Nut no prison term will bring the dead they murdered back to life.

[PatriotMike3]

Hopefully this turkey won't get a pardon!

[jfb100]

"This nation sits at a crossroads. One direction points to the higher road of the rule of law. Sometimes hard, sometimes unpleasant, this path relies on truth, justice and the rigorous application of the principle that no man is above the law." (Tom DeLay R-TX, 1998)

[euge005]

And like Gingritch, as per the wife's book, said that applies to other people not me.

[stn_sage]

The ONLY 'miscarriage of justice' is all the crimes that DeLay has committed that he will never even be brought up on! He'll get a 'slap on the wrist', and be given a nice job later as a reward from his friends! You can count on it! Don't worry about Tom DeLay, he'll be alright; which, might not be the same case with those he has hurt himself over the years!

[jfb100]

He is facing over 100 years in cumulative sentences. He would need a Republican in the White House (and a Republican that doesn't hate him, which is hard to find), to get a pardon.

Not to worry, DeLay will be the literal poster boy for political corruption for the next century.

[roblearns]

Money is fungible. Even if I don't like politicians either, all they have proven is juries tend to convict.

You put any case in front of them, they will convict... and because of that justice is entirely in the hands of the prosecutor. The prosecutor should have never brought these charges because what they've essentially done here, is added themselves to the political process, and now they are part of who gets elected, and who doesn't.

This is not an improvement.

[ddal10]

Can you say Poetic Justice?

[jfb100]

I remember an old adage "judge not, lest ye be judged". It seems entirely egalitarian (as the Bible passage suggests) that the sole architect of the political assassination of President Clinton be prosecuted for his actions to illegally launder money to influence elections.

The obvious difference here is that President Clinton was prosecuted by DeLay for what amounted to an extramarital affair (which is not illegal), and Delay was prosecuted and found guilty for money laundering which is in fact illegal and a felony.

This is in fact a vast improvement.

[ddal10]

I can picture it now. Tommy will be the New Prison Dance Instructor. He will be able to show off all of those Fancy Dance Moves in his Kmart Evening Apparel! He certainly will be the Belle of the Ball!