CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Montoya Lawyers Minimize Charges

Attorneys for state Sen. Joseph B. Montoya sought to minimize the significance of a superseding indictment filed against the Whittier Democrat, saying it simply corrected “defects” in the original 10 charges filed against him. In a brief statement, the law firm of Kelton & Artan maintained that the revised indictment “appears to do no more than correct errors contained in the original indictment.” The new indictment filed in Sacramento Federal Court by U.S. Atty. David F. Levi adds two counts of bribery against Montoya based on allegations already included in the original indictment. At the same time, one bribery allegation that initially had been cited in a sweeping charge of racketeering was dropped because it used an inappropriate section of the penal code that applies to executive branch officials. Lawyers on both sides of the case said the revised indictment does not substantially affect the case against Montoya.