John Swallow pleads not guilty to bribery charges


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SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah Attorney General John Swallow pleaded not guilty Monday to more than a dozen criminal charges resulting from a sweeping public corruption investigation.

Swallow did not speak during the brief hearing in 3rd District Court, letting his attorney, Steve McCaughey, enter the plea on his behalf.

Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills scheduled a four-week jury trial to begin April 5, 2016. She set a scheduling hearing for Dec. 14 and a final pretrial hearing for March 28, 2016. Swallow faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

"I have been told not to make any comment," Swallow said outside the courtroom.

McCaughey, too, had little to say after the hearing. He acknowledged he's watching the case against Swallow's predecessor Mark Shurtleff, who also faces felony charges as a result of the investigation. Shurtleff's attorney intends to challenge the charges with a series of court motions.

"As soon as he files something, we'll look at it," McCaughey said. "We'll look at our own motions also."

Prosecutors say Swallow and Shurtleff illegally accepted gifts and money from several businessmen. Both have maintained their innocence.

Swallow is charged with three counts of soliciting a bribe, two counts of accepting a gift, engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity, money laundering and making false statements, all second-degree felonies. He faces three counts of tampering with evidence and one each of misuse of public money and obstructing justice, all third-degree felonies. He also is charged with falsifying a government record, a class B misdemeanor.

Scott Winterton/Deseret News

Swallow, 52, last month opted to waive a preliminary hearing where a judge would have decided if the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office has enough evidence to take the case to trial.

Prosecutors had lined up 33 witnesses to testify against the one-time Republican officeholder who resigned under a cloud of suspicion in December 2013. Witnesses in the case include indicted businessman Jeremy Johnson, imprisoned businessman Marc Sessions Jenson and former Swallow campaign workers and office staffers.

Prosecutors allege Swallow illegally used houseboats owned by Johnson and Jared Pierce, the principal in a company that had been investigated the year before and who contributed to his and Shurtleff's election campaigns. Swallow is also accused of jetting around in a private plane borrowed from Johnson.

A federal grand jury indicted Johnson and four associates in an 86-count fraud complaint in connection with his online company, iWorks.

Jenson, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence after failing to pay restitution on a fraud conviction, claims Swallow and Shurtleff shook him down for money and favors during all-expenses-paid visits to the posh Pelican Hill Resort near Newport Beach, California.

Contributing: Nkoyo Iyamba

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