Miss. Court Justice Faces Indictment

[Judi Lynn]

Miss. Court Justice Faces Indictment
Mississippi Supreme Court Justice, Acquitted Last Week in Bribery Case, Faces New Indictment
By HOLBROOK MOHR Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. Aug 16, 2005 — The state Supreme Court justice acquitted of bribery last week is charged in a newly unsealed indictment with federal tax evasion, his attorney said Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate unsealed the tax evasion indictment on Monday against Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz Jr., defense attorney Robert McDuff confirmed to The Associated Press.

The indictment was handed up March 22. It had been sealed in the lead-up to the bribery trial after Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Burkhalter said it would have "undue and potentially prejudicial impact" on the jury.

Diaz and two former trial judges had been accused of taking bribes from prominent attorney Paul Minor, and all four men were tried together. Diaz was acquitted of all counts Friday. Jurors were deadlocked on some of the counts against his co-defendants, but none of the was convicted of any counts.
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http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1042490



File photo/The Clarion-Ledger
State Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz Jr.