SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The state of Utah is refusing to pay $1.5 million in legal bills for a former Utah Attorney General acquitted of bribery and other charges.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office said in a letter released Friday that the office doesn’t have the money to pay the bills for John Swallow.
The letter also argues that laws requiring the state to pay legal expenses for public employees don’t apply because he wasn’t working for the state when he was acquitted in March.
Swallow’s lawyer Scott Williams didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment.
Attorney Greg Skordas has worked on similar public-employee cases and says the size of the legal defense bill in the high-profile case is likely the highest in state history.
The story was first reported by The Salt Lake Tribune.