By John Moritz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 13, 2005

14 Sep 2005 // Additional indictments were handed up Tuesday against two associates of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, this time accusing the pair of conspiring to violate Texas election laws on behalf of several Republican candidates during the 2002 campaign.

Jim Ellis, one of DeLay's top political aides in Washington, and Austin resident John Colyandro, who three years ago ran the majority leader's Texas political action committee, were also accused of additional violations of law prohibiting corporate campaign contributions.

A lawyer for one of the men accused Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, of abusing his prosecutorial authority and dragging out the investigation he opened nearly three years ago despite little or no evidence of wrongdoing.

"It looks like the same old stuff to me," said J.D. Pauerstein, who represents Ellis. "The fact that he's gone back and added indictments for what is essentially the same deed is an example of gross prosecutorial misconduct. I don't know what kind of game he's playing."

Joe Turner, who represents Colyandro, said, "They've been at it for going on three years now, and they still don't know what their case ought to look like." Turner restated his insistence that his client did nothing unlawful during the 2002 campaign.

Nearly a year ago, Ellis, Colyandro and DeLay associate Warren Robold were indicted on charges that they had circumvented the laws barring corporate campaign contributions in their zeal to orchestrate the successful GOP takeover of the Texas House.

Last week, Earle announced the indictment of two high-profile organizations on charges that they, too, skirted the ban on corporate contributions.

One of the groups, Texans for a Republican Majority, an outgrowth of DeLay's Americans for Republican Majority, was run by Colyandro. It is now defunct. The other group was the Texas Association of Business, one of the most influential lobby organizations in Austin.

The indictments announced Tuesday include the same money-laundering charge that was already pending against Ellis and Colyandro.

In addition, the men are now charged with making a corporate contribution in violation of the Texas Election Code and with making a political contribution to a political party within 60 days of an election in violation of the Texas Election Code.

They are also charged with conspiracy to violate both provisions of the Texas Election Code.

Money laundering is a first-degree felony with a possible punishment of 5 to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The two violations of the Election Code are third-degree felonies punishable by a possible prison sentence of 2 to 10 years and a fine of up to $10,000.

Criminal conspiracy as charged in this indictment is a state jail felony with a possible punishment of 180 days to 2 years in the jail and a fine of up to $10,000.

The allegation of money laundering came after Earle's office learned that $190,000 in corporate campaign contributions that was delivered to the national Republican Party was returned to Texas, where it was then spent on behalf of seven GOP legislative candidates.