Renzi Pleads Not Guilty, May See April TrialRep. Rick Renzi pleaded not guilty Tuesday to all charges in a federal indictment accusing him of abusing his office for financial gain and for raising campaign funds by embezzling insurance premiums collected by his family’s firm….Renzi, a Republican who announced last year that he would not be seeking a fourth term, spoke briefly with reporters after his court appearance.
“I have a lot of faith in my attorneys,” Renzi said. “I’ll be OK.”…
Defense lawyer Reid Weingarten cautioned against a rush to judgment and said Renzi will stay in office. Trial is set for April 29, and Weingarten said the defense was “not going to drag our feet.”
An April trial would be a remarkably quick turnaround for such a complicated and weighty case — especially considering that the other pending indictment against a sitting lawmaker, which came down last June against Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA), has been tied up for months in appeals involving Constitutional issues.