By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services | San Tan Valley Sentinel
A federal judge has rejected a bid by a former utility regulator, his wife, a lobbyist and a utility executive to throw out criminal charges against them.
In a ruling Wednesday, Judge John Tuchi sided with federal prosecutors in concluding that there’s nothing inherently unconstitutional about federal laws which make bribery a crime. More to the point, the judge said the statutes are sufficiently clear to allow Gary Pierce and the others to defend themselves when the trial starts on May 30.
