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Court of Criminal Appeals Declines to Reinstate Tom Delay's Conviction

Former House majority leader Tom DeLay (left) and his defense lawyer Dick DeGuerin at the Travis County Criminal Justice Center on November 1, 2010.
Matt Largey, KUT News
Former House majority leader Tom DeLay (left) and his defense lawyer Dick DeGuerin at the Travis County Criminal Justice Center on November 1, 2010.

The state’s highest criminal appeals court isrefusing to reinstate the 2010 convictions of former House Majority Leader Tom Delay on money laundering and conspiracy charges.

Prosecutors alleged Delay illegally funneled $190,000 in corporate campaign contributions to several candidates for the Texas Legislature in 2002.

But the conviction was overturned by the state's Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which found the evidence was not sufficient. Today, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed with that finding.

When convicted, Delay was sentenced to three years in prison, though the sentence was put on hold while he appealed.

Several of Delay’s alleged co-conspirators pleaded guilty to charges related to the campaign contributions.

Copyright 2014 KUT 90.5

Matt has been a reporter at KUT off and on since 2006. He came to Austin from Boston, then went back for a while--but couldn't stand to be away--so he came back to Austin. Matt grew up in Maine (but hates lobster), and while it might sound hard to believe, he thinks Maine and Texas are remarkably similar.