As noted here (KTUU.com, Weyhrauch Gets Fine, Probation in Corruption Case Plea) and also Becky Bohrer, Anchorage Daily News (AP),Weyrauch Gets Suspended Jail Sentence, $1,000 Fine , the Weyhrauch case is finally being resolved.  But lets look at what is happening here –

Weyhrauch was initially charged with an individual named Kott, who is now awaiting a ruling on whether his case will be dismissed for discovery violations. Perhaps we have a preview of the reasoning of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals by the decision last week in the Kohring case that found that the government had failed to provide Brady material to the defense. (see here, here, and here).

Weyhrauch's case went to the Supreme Court as one of three cases being examined as part of the "honest services" doctrine that prosecutors stretched to a point that the Court decided to place new limits upon — requiring a showing of  "bribery and kickbacks."  In its ruling in Skilling, the Court did not directly address the question raised in the Weyhrauch case as to whether you needed a violation of state law for a mail fraud charge that uses honest services.  Rather the Court reframed the question with a new test of "bribery or kickbacks."  (see also here)

Now Weyhrauch is back in court pleading to the charge noted in the articles above.  In dismissing the federal case against him he filed a non-opposition to the motion to dismiss as follows:

"Weyhrauch non-opps the motion to dismiss for two reasons.  First, this was a very weak case from the beginning and all the evidence the government ever really had was that Weyhrauch had participated in, aided, or abetted a lobbyist engaging as a lobbyist without being registered.  See, attached Exhibit 1, Information and Plea Agreement.  Now that Weyhrauch has pled to that crime in state court, there are no longer facts to support a federal indictment.  Second, Weyhrauch believes there is evidence to support dismissal of the indictment because of "misconduct before the grand jury which returned the indictment against Weyhrauch." (reference to a letter filed under seal), which is filed under seal because it refers to grand jury testimony and other grand jury proceedings.  If the standard is that dismissal is appropriate when the ends of justice are served, then this case qualifies by any measure."

The more important question is:  Did the ends of justice warrant the federal government using the mail fraud statute to bring this alleged state case in the first place?

(esp)