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Former Michigan State Rep. Larry Inman will not be retried on bribery and extortion charges after his first trial ended with an acquittal on one charge and a hung jury on two others.
To retry the northern Michigan lawmaker would have a chilling effect on free speech rights and may be barred by double jeopardy because the jury acquitted Inman of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about his innocence of bribery and extortion charges, U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker ruled Monday.
For the acquittal on the lying charge to have full effect and not run afoul of double jeopardy, prosecutors must be barred from retrying the other counts, he wrote.
9 & 10 News
April 20, 2021
A U.S. district judge ruled Larry Inman won’t face a retrial on bribery and extortion charges.
Federal prosecutors argued back in 2018 that Inman, who was representing Grand Traverse County, attempted to sell his vote.
Inman’s first trial ended with an acquittal on the charge of lying to the FBI. The other two charges ended in a hung jury.
Normally, a case can be retried if it ends in a hung jury.
The judge said this trial runs the risk of double jeopardy because Inman’s acquitted charge was tied to the other charges.
The judge also said a retrial could harm freedom of speech rights for campaign contributions.
Judge: No 2nd trial for ex-lawmaker in campaign cash case
April 20, 2021 GMT
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) A judge has dismissed criminal charges against a former Michigan lawmaker who was accused of trading votes for campaign money when he was in the House.
Larry Inman’s constitutional rights would be violated if he faced a second trial on charges of soliciting a bribe and attempted extortion, U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said Monday.
In 2019, Inman was acquitted of lying to the FBI, but the jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict on the other charges.
Jonker said jurors didn’t believe Inman was lying about his acts, a “key predicate” underlining the other charges.
Judge rejects retrial of ex-state Rep. Larry Inman on charges of attempted extortion, soliciting bribe
Updated Apr 20, 2021;
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GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Former state Rep. Larry Inman, R-Williamsburg, cannot be retried on charges of attempted extortion and soliciting a bribe, a federal judge ruled.
The Northern Michigan legislator was acquitted at trial of lying to the FBI but jurors deadlocked on the other charges.
The government said Inman sought campaign contributions in exchange for his vote on a 2018 repeal of the prevailing-wage law. The law required workers on public projects, such as school buildings, receive union-level wages.
Inman voted for the repeal, which narrowly passed. The government contended he offered to vote against repeal in exchange for campaign contributions.