Courtesy photo
Dianna Duran
A judge has granted a request by Secretary of State Dianna Duran’s attorney to delay an important hearing in her criminal case until Dec. 1.
The preliminary hearing, which was initially scheduled to begin Oct. 30, is expected to last several days.
From The Associated Press:
Defense attorney Erlinda Johnson made the request for more time last month, saying she had to review information provided by prosecutors that includes hours of audio interviews and grand jury proceedings as well as more than 20,000 pages of banking records and other financial documents.
“This is a very technical case,” Johnson told the judge about the 65 counts of fraud, embezzlement and tampering with state records faced by her client. “The documents are vast.”
Duran is facing charges including fraud, embezzlement, money laundering and identity theft for allegedly using campaign funds to keep her personal bank account in the black. She has pleaded not guilty.
In the meantime, she remains on the job, but the state House of Representatives has begun the process of considering whether to impeach her.