http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/25800179/appeals-court-hears-case-of-ex-rep-rick-renzi

PHOENIX (AP) - An appeals court has upheld former U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi's convictions on public corruption, money laundering and other charges.

A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declined Thursday to throw out Renzi's convictions and three-year prison sentence.

Renzi represented Arizona's sprawling 1st Congressional District from early 2003 until early 2009.

He chose not to run for re-election.

In June 2013, a jury in Tucson convicted Renzi on 17 of 32 counts, including wire fraud, extortion and racketeering.

Prosecutors alleged Renzi had looted a family insurance business to help pay for his 2002 campaign, but he wasn't convicted of illegally using money from the firm.

Still, he was convicted of filing false statement with regulators after failing to use premiums collected from nonprofit groups to buy policies.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news...zis-conviction-sentence-upheld/16981483/


Former U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi's criminal conviction and prison sentence were upheld Thursday by a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The appellate tribunal rejected multiple legal arguments filed in Renzi's appeal. An opinion authored by Judge Richard Tallman begins: "Congressmen may write the law, but they are not above the law. Former Arizona Congressman Richard Renzi learned this lesson the hard way."

The judges' ruling did not address whether Renzi should begin serving his time or remain at liberty through further appeals. As of Thursday, he had not been incarcerated.

Renzi's lawyers could seek a review by the full 9th Circuit Court prior to potentially appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kelly B. Kramer, one of Renzi's attorneys, declined to comment but issued a brief written statement: "We are disappointed with the court's ruling. We intend to seek further appellate review."

Renzi, a Republican who served from 2003 through 2009, was found guilty last year on 17 counts of conspiracy, racketeering, money-laundering and other felonies. Hereceived a three-year prison sentence but remained free pending the appeal.

Renzi's U.S. District Court conviction stemmed from two criminal schemes. He was found guilty of extortion in a federal land-exchange proposal that he had threatened to block unless it included property owned by a business associate. He also was convicted of misappropriating insurance premiums paid to his company, then funneling the money into his political campaign.

Renzi's appeals consisted of technical arguments about whether the extortion plot involved "something of value" and whether prosecutors violated legislative immunity in the land-exchange case. Defense attorneys also challenged the embezzlement convictions, disputing whether the trial court properly defined what constitutes an insurance business and financial documents.

The 9th Circuit judges rejected every argument. They also turned down an appeal by James Sandlin, Renzi's business associate and convicted co-defendant.

Renzi had been considered an up-and-coming Republican until he bowed out of Congress while fighting the indictment.

His prosecution is a case study in the wheels of justice grinding slowly. Embezzlement for campaign purposes occurred in 2000, prior to Renzi's first election. Extortion related to the proposed land-exchange bill took place in 2005. Indictments came down in 2009.

The Renzi scandal has for years tainted a proposed real-estate exchange to facilitate one of the world's largest copper mines, already partially developed near Superior. Efforts continue to pass legislation enabling the Resolution Copper Mining project.

If you would have sent him a little scratch, he wouldn't of had to borrow from peter to pay paul to get elected. But I imagine you only support democrats.

He was a carpet-bagger from Virginia, sent out to run for office. AZ folks are so dumb, they loved him.

Crook from the word go. His dad was a Army General who went to work for tech companies, revolving door stuff.

" Among his numerous assignments, he served as deputy chief of staff for operations and plans for the U.S. Army Communications Command in Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; director of Defense Communications Systems in Washington; and director for command and control and communication systems for the U.S. Pacific Command at Camp H.M. Smith in Hawaii.

In 1993, he became a senior executive vice president at ManTech International. Three years later, he became president of ManTech Telecommunications and Information Systems. In 2004, he became the group president of ManTech Defense Systems Group.

At ManTech International, he managed corporate business development related to defense communications activities that span six continents and support U.S. military efforts around the world. "

Well that explains it.

No,

this explains it:



that you would pretend to defend the indefensible says a lot. Still have your Duke Cunnigham poster up in your bedroom?

I'm not defending him. I'd just like to see you a little more, how do say it? Fair and balanced We know which way you twist, but at least appear impartial if possible.


Maybe make an angry remark here, you know for appearances sake


https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...icago_voting_machines_cast_v#Post9271736

damn, girlfriend, I quoted foxnews, didn't I? How much more fair and balanced can anyone be?

Sycamore

You better look out, fox news might enlighten your libby butt.

Cook County? I'll give you some Cook County!

Live in Cook County Jail. Turn up the volume.

This is TFF. Syc gives a link on a crooked Repuk and WTFbear comes to defend the bastard saying Syc should be fair and balanced.

I have not met sycamore, but we have an awful lot in common in our respective families going back many many years. I wouldn't pin the label "liberal" on him.
Second, what he said was correct, but he didn't go far enough.
I live in a district that the senator's job has been held by a guy who while i would not know of anything crooked he has done, certainly he is a carpet bagger from virginia, with a daddy who was an admiral in WWII that should have been court martialed twice. He wasn't due to political influence. This feller walks with a limp from his POW days in vietnam.
We got's all kinds of crooked republican politicans in arizona, a few of them i have personally known. Democrats don't have a monopoly on them, it's just harder for democrats in general to get elected in arizona.