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Hurtgen withdraws guilty pleas; 6 of 7 charges dismissed
9/18/2010 12:00:00 AM
Federal prosecutors in Chicago have dismissed six corruption-related charges against Nicholas Hurtgen, the former top Wisconsin state official and Bear Stearns director caught in the corruption investigation of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Hurtgen had been charged under the "honest services" fraud statute. But in June the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the coverage of that law to cover only bribes and kickbacks, so Hurtgen -- like many defendants convicted under the broader interpretation of the law -- sought to withdraw the guilty pleas he had entered to the charges last year. Hurtgen pleaded guilty to threatening to deny state permission for a suburban hospital expansion if the hospital's chief didn't hire a contractor favored by Blagojevich.
On Wednesday, a judge allowed Hurtgen to withdraw the pleas, and prosecutors dismissed the charges. Hurtgen still faces a related extortion charge, and has until Oct. 8 to file any motion to dismiss that count.
After rising to a top post in the Department of Administration under Thompson, Hurtgen joined Bear Stearns in 1995 and later became the managing director of the investment firm's Chicago office. He also played a key role in Thompson’s campaign fund raising before Thompson left office in 2001 to become federal health and human services secretary.
