Monday, July 27, 2015
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A former Utah attorney general has pleaded not guilty to 13 charges of bribery and other crimes after prosecutors say he accepted beach vacations and use of a luxury houseboat from businessmen in trouble with regulators.
A defense attorney entered the plea on John Swallow’s behalf in a Salt Lake City courtroom Monday. Swallow stood next to his lawyer but didn’t speak and declined to comment afterward.
Swallow, a Republican, resigned in late 2013 amid the accusations and was arrested last summer. His trial is scheduled for April 2016.
His predecessor, Mark Shurtleff, also has been charged and pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say Swallow and Shurtleff enjoyed meals, golf and massages at a high-end resort in Newport Beach, California, courtesy of a businessman who had been charged with fraud by their office.