Federal trial slated for Ron Paul 2012 campaign advisers
Source: Thonline
DES MOINES Three top campaign advisers to 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul who are scheduled to go on trial this week have lost their fight to get charges of conspiracy to cover-up campaign payments to a former state senator dismissed.
Judge John Jarvey denied the defense teams motion to dismiss the case in an order filed Wednesday, setting it up to go to trial as scheduled in federal court in Des Moines on Tuesday.
Pauls 2012 campaign chairman Jesse Benton, campaign manager John Tate and deputy manager Dimitri Kesari are charged with conspiracy to cover up $73,000 in campaign payments to former Iowa Sen. Kent Sorenson, who dropped his support for Michelle Bachmann and endorsed Paul six days before the Iowa caucuses. Federal prosecutors say the men secretly agreed to pay Sorenson for his endorsement and attempted to hide the payments by funneling them through a video production company.
The three also are charged with causing false campaign contribution reports to be filed to the Federal Election Commission and participating in a false statement scheme. Benton and Tate are charged with causing the campaign to file false records of the payments; Kesari was convicted of that charge last year.
Read more: http://www.thonline.com/ap/state/article_14ca8594-36c8-5a25-ae39-ce2898e1389b.html