Posted on 03/14/2007 11:48:35 PM PDT by iowamark
Des Moines- A state senator was indicted Wednesday on one count of attempted extortion for allegedly threatening to use his influence as a legislator to force a former business partner to pay him $2,000.
Sen. Matt McCoy, a Des Moines Democrat, faces a maximum prison sentence of up to 20 years and a potential fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker said McCoy attempted to extort money from Reid Schultz, owner of a home security business in Des Moines, and an employee, Tom Vasquez.
Whitaker said the business was planning on selling security systems for elderly adults throughout Iowa. McCoy is alleged to have demanded money from Schultz and Vasquez and threatened to have their status as a Medicaid vendor pulled if they didn't pay.
McCoy accepted $2,000 in payments between Dec. 29, 2005, and March 24, 2006, Whitaker said. The money was provided by the FBI as part of an undercover investigation.
The charge relates to the Hobbs Act, a federal law enacted in 1946 to fight racketeering in labor-management disputes but that also includes a section on extortion involving public officials.
Whitaker said a summons was issued for McCoy to appear before a federal magistrate for arraignment on March 29.
McCoy said he will prove that the charges stem from a business relationship that soured and former partners who turned against him and cooperated with federal authorities.
"I'm terribly disappointed in the decision by the U.S. attorney to pursue charges against me," McCoy said. "I'm looking forward to my day in court when I can bring these facts out and we can present the evidence and the jury has the opportunity to ask questions and understand the evidence."
McCoy said people should look at the facts carefully in his case and should watch events unraveling in Washington about federal prosecutors being fired by the Bush administration for what some contend are political reasons.
"I expect once the facts come out in this case, people will make their own judgments about what the motivations of the U.S. district attorney are in this case and whether this thing was in fact politically motivated or not," McCoy said.
Some in Congress have called for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who acknowledged Tuesday his department mishandled the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys and misled Congress about how they were fired. Scores of newly released documents detailed a two-year campaign by the Justice Department and White House to purge federal prosecutors.
Whitaker said his office has been investigating the case for about a year and it has nothing to do with events in Washington.
"I do my job without regard to partisan politics," he said. "Part of the role of a U.S. attorney is to do justice and we investigate allegations of wrongdoing, especially allegations of public integrity issues and we kind of go where the facts lead."
McCoy served two terms in the Iowa House before being elected to the Senate. He was elected to his third term in November and faced a primary challenger that made an issue of the fact that McCoy is gay.
He said the burden is now on prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed.
"This has been a march through hell," said McCoy, who is vice president of the Downtown Community Alliance, a Des Moines business group. "The good news is I'm armed with the truth and the truth is I've done nothing wrong."
Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said McCoy's case will be monitored to assure there are no "real or perceived conflicts of interest as it relates to his ongoing legislative duties."
"Naturally, we are concerned about the criminal indictment against Senator McCoy. If true, these are serious charges. Obviously, like any other U.S. citizen, Senator McCoy is presumed innocent until proven guilty."
Oh! It is a Democrat?
Nothing to see here. Move along. It is a Bush attack. *sarc.*
ROTFLOL!! Pelosi's "culture of corruption" against the repubs evidently isn't going too well.
You can email this newly indicted Iowa state Senator about Shields and Cragan's "research" that the Bush administration Justice Department pursues Democrats far more than Republicans to see if he'll cry wolf like PA state Senator Vince Fumo.
Self-fulfill your prophecy. LoL! ;-)
This guy, who actually committed a crime, will walk away free while Scooter Libby, who committed no crime, will go to jail.
This story was all over the local radio yesterday. I knew he had to be a democrat, simply because no party affiliation was ever mentioned, and were he a republican they would have been sure to point that out.
This slimball. He's trying to become the victim and blaming this on the firings of the other US Attorneys. He's a typical corrupt Polk Co. Democrat, right along with the CEITC players.
LOL! OMG!! His defense: Bush's fault! hahahahahaa
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.