Austin, Texas - A Texas appeals court on Thursday overturned the 2010 convictions of former U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay for money laundering and conspiracy, citing insufficient evidence.
Dubbed "the Hammer" for his hard-driving, partisan style, DeLay had been accused of conspiring to illegally funnel $190,000 in corporate campaign donations to Republican candidates for the Texas Legislature in the 2002 elections.
A three-justice panel from the Third District Court of Appeals in Austin threw out the 2010 conviction of DeLay and rendered judgments of acquittal in a 2-to-1 ruling.
"We conclude that the evidence presented does not support a conclusion that DeLay committed the crimes that were charged," Justice Melissa Goodwin wrote for the court.
The Travis County District Attorney's office said it disagreed with the ruling and would ask for a review by the full Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
DeLay was sentenced in January 2011 to three years in prison but has been free pending appeal.
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