Greitens latest of several US governors indicted
By The Associated Press, Associated Press
Feb 23, 2018 4:53 PM CST
FILE- In this June 14, 1996, file photo, former Alabama Gov. Guy Hunt attends a rally for Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole in Birmingham, Ala. Hunt was convicted and forced from office in April 1993 for looting his 1987 fund and pocketing the money. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)   (Associated Press)

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is the latest of several U.S. governors who have been indicted on a wide variety of charges in the last century. He is the sixth governor indicted since 2000.

Here is the list of previous indictments:

Feb. 22, 2018: Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is indicted by a grand jury on one count of felony invasion of privacy. The charge stems from an affair the Republican governor had with his St. Louis hairdresser in 2015, before he became governor. The indictment alleges Greitens took a compromising photo without the woman's consent.

Aug. 15, 2014: Texas Gov. Rick Perry was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly abusing the powers of his office by carrying out a threat to veto funding for state prosecutors investigating public corruption. He became Texas' first indicted governor in nearly a century. The longest-serving governor in Texas history, he called the two felony indictments a political witch hunt. The coercion charge was tossed on appeal before Texas' highest criminal court voided the abuse of power charge in February 2016. He was sworn in as President Donald Trump's secretary of the Energy Department in March 2017.

April 2, 2009: Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was formally indicted on corruption charges, including allegations that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat. Blagojevich had become the first Democrat elected governor of Illinois in 30 years in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. He was arrested by federal agents in December 2007, and in January 2009 became the first Illinois governor in history to be impeached. The Illinois Senate then voted unanimously to remove him from office. In June 2011 he was convicted on 18 counts, and reported to Colorado federal prison in March 2012 to begin a 14-year sentence. In 2015, an appeals court dismissed five of the counts and ordered a new trial and resentencing but the U.S. Supreme Court refused in 2016 to hear Blagojevich's appeal of his corruption convictions.

March 27, 2008: Puerto Rico Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila was indicted on 19 counts including conspiracy to violate federal campaign laws and defraud the Internal Revenue Service, as well as giving false testimony to the FBI. Vila pleaded not guilty. In August, a U.S. federal grand jury handed down a new indictment against Vila, charging him with four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with alleged campaign finance violations. A judge dismissed 15 of the 24 charges in December 2008, and in March 2009 a jury found Anibal not guilty.

May 11, 2006: Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher was indicted on misdemeanor charges that he rewarded politically connected Republicans with jobs at the expense of Democrats. At least 14 people were indicted along with the governor, who later issued pardons to everyone but himself. Prosecutors dropped the misdemeanor charges against Fletcher in a deal, in which he acknowledged that the evidence "strongly indicates wrongdoing" by his administration and that the actions "were inappropriate." Fletcher maintained that the investigation and resulting indictments were politically motivated by Democrats to lessen his chances of being re-elected.

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Governors indicted before 2000:

Gov. Fife Symington of Arizona, indicted in June 1996 on federal charges alleging he defrauded lenders in his former career as a real estate developer. Convicted on Sept 3, 1997.

Gov. Jim Guy Tucker of Arkansas, indicted in June and August 1995 in two Whitewater-related cases. Tucker was convicted in May 1996 of mail fraud involving a $150,000 loan and of conspiracy to set up a series of fraudulent loans. He resigned hours after the convictions were announced.

Gov. David Walters of Oklahoma, September 1993, indicted on a misdemeanor campaign law violation. Admitted in a plea bargain that he encouraged a contributor to give more than the legal $5,000 maximum. Fined $1,000 and agreed to contribute $135,000 from his campaign fund to the state Ethics Commission.

Gov. Guy Hunt of Alabama, convicted and forced from office in April 1993 for looting his 1987 fund and pocketing the money. He was ordered to pay $211,000 and perform 1,000 hours of community service.

Gov. Evan Mecham of Arizona, 1988, on fraud and perjury charges for allegedly hiding a campaign loan. A jury acquitted him, but only after he was impeached by the state Senate and removed from office on other grounds.

Gov. Edwin Edwards of Louisiana, 1985, on federal racketeering charges in connection with nursing home and hospital projects. First trial ended in a hung jury; acquitted in 1986; voters returned him to office in 1991.

Gov. Marvin Mandel of Maryland, 1975, charged with five others in a federal mail fraud and bribery case. Served 14 months in prison.

Gov. Arch A. Moore Jr. of West Virginia, 1975. Acquitted of extortion in 1976 but pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges in 1990, after he left office.

Gov. Warren R. McCray of Indiana, convicted in 1924 of using the mail to misrepresent his holdings in letters to banks regarding loans. Served three years in prison and received a full pardon from President Hoover in 1930.

Gov. William L. Langer of North Dakota, removed from office in 1934 by the state Supreme Court after being convicted of obstructing the administration of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and soliciting money from federal employees for personal political purposes. Was tried four times and eventually cleared of wrongdoing. Re-elected in 1936.

Gov. Ed Jackson of Indiana, tried in 1928 on charges of conspiracy to bribe. Cleared because the statute of limitations had run out.

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