SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A jury is acquitting a former Utah attorney general of bribery and evidence tampering charges in one of the highest-profile scandals in state history.
The jury announced its verdict against John Swallow on Thursday in a Salt Lake City courtroom following a three-week trial. Swallow was found not guilty of nine counts. He had faced one to 30 years in prison.
Prosecutors accused Swallow of hanging a virtual “for sale” sign on the door to the state’s top law enforcement office by taking campaign donations and gifts like beach vacations from fraudsters and businessmen in exchange for favorable treatment.
Swallow’s defense attorneys argued that the case was a politically motivated smear campaign and that prosecutors were twisting the facts to fit the story they wanted to tell.