This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Former three-term Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is scheduled to be in a Salt Lake City courtroom Monday for a hearing that could determine whether he stands trial on corruption and bribery charges.
Shurtleff's preliminary hearing in 3rd District Court could last up to five days.
Court records do not indicate who might be called to testify. That's unusual, given that prosecutors had revealed a list of more than 30 potential witnesses well before a preliminary hearing planned for Shurtleff's one-time co-defendant, former Attorney General John Swallow.
In the end, Swallow waived that June 8 hearing because his lawyer said he expected a judge to send the case to trial anyway and saw no benefit to his client to going forward with the proceeding.
Swallow faces 14 criminal counts, including charges of money laundering, bribery, misuse of public funds, obstruction of justice and falsifying government records.
He is expected to plead not guilty in a July 27 hearing.
Shurtleff is charged with nine felonies, including counts of bribery, illegally accepting gifts and obstruction of justice.
The charges brought jointly in July 2014 by Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, a Democrat, and Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings, a Republican, followed months of investigative work by county, state and federal authorities, state lawmakers and the lieutenant governor's office.
The probe also led to multiple charges against Swallow, Shurtleff's handpicked GOP successor who stepped down after less than a year as attorney general.
Both Shurtleff, 57, and Swallow, 52, have maintained they are innocent. Their cases have since been separated.
Prosecutors contend the two established a pay-to-play culture inside the office. If convicted, they could spend up to 30 years in prison.
In December, Rawlings, who is handling the Shurtleff case, dropped one of the 10 felonies originally charged. The prosecutor long has been expected to file another amended criminal information in the case. To date, that has not happened.
Rawlings said Friday that issue would be addressed in court.
A preliminary hearing is the prosecution's chance to detail its case — often for the first time — and show a judge sufficient evidence exists for a trial.