This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Former Attorney General John Swallow is parting ways with his defense lawyer, Rod Snow, even as the long-running investigation appears to be nearing its conclusion.
"It was a mutual decision," Snow said Wednesday.
He said Swallow is transitioning to new counsel, which is expected to be completed by next week.
"We are not at liberty to provide further detail. However, it was agreed it would be in John's best interest to make the move now," Snow said. "We remain hopeful that John will be exonerated from any alleged criminal wrongdoing."
Snow and his partners have represented Swallow since at least late 2012, through probes by the U.S. Department of Justice, state and county investigators, the lieutenant governor's office and a Utah House committee.
Swallow's campaign-finance disclosures show he paid Snow's firm $235,000 out of his campaign account as of January. When Swallow announced his resignation in late 2013, he said the various investigations had cost him some $300,000 in legal fees and taken a severe financial toll on his family.
Snow is a former federal prosecutor, a longtime defense attorney and a past president of the Utah State Bar.
He was aggressive in his defense of Swallow, sparring in particular with investigators from the House panel. Investigators were critical of Snow, suggesting he was not forthcoming with information, in particular letting them believe that documents provided to the committee were created before the scandal erupted when they were actually crafted well after the fact.
Twitter: @RobertGehrke