Legal News

Opening statements delivered in Nguyen trial

By Richard Binder

Former congressional candidate Tan Nguyen faces a possible 40 years in prison if convicted on two counts of obstruction of justice, stemming from a controversial campaign letter sent to Latino voters during his run against Loretta Sanchez in 2006.

The letter, written in Spanish and on a letterhead mimicking a well-known immigration reform group, was mailed to 14,000 voters with Spanish last names who'd been born abroad. The letter warned that "emigrados" could be jailed for voting in the upcoming election. The letter also claimed a computer system would track new voters and possibly be accessed by anti-immigration organizations.

Prosecutors allege that Nguyen lied to investigators about the letter, saying he had only read an initial draft in English.  They also say that Nguyen blamed a campaign worker for the mailing, asking her to take responsibility.

Dean Steward, Nguyen's attorney, says the idea for the letter originated with another campaign advisor.

Federal prosecutor Gregory Staples delivered opening statements in the trial yesterday.  See the OC Register for the full story.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on August 25, 2010 (boomark / email).