Court denies Vigil change of venue request

It looks like the retrial of former state Treasurer Robert Vigil will proceed as planned beginning Sept. 5.

The 10^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver denied Friday a motion by the defense to move the trial out of the state, according to the Associated Press.

“It looks like the trial is going forward a week from Tuesday,” Vigil’s attorney, Sam Bregman, told the news service. “We are hopeful we can empanel a fair and impartial jury to ensure Robert Vigil gets a fair trial.”

Bregman had argued that pretrial publicity and campaign advertisements in the nasty race between U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson and Democratic challenger Patricia Madrid, which have focused on public corruption, tainted the entire state. The court disagreed.

“We respect the judge’s decision. We respect the 10^th Circuit Court’s decision,” Bregman told the Associated Press.

Vigil faces two dozen racketeering and extortion charges.