CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Judge Testifies in Corruption Retrial

Federal Judge Robert Aguilar testified in his own retrial on corruption charges that federal law enforcement agents were “out to get” him even though he never did anything wrong. Aguilar was joined by fellow federal Judge Stanley A. Weigel, who also testified that the jurist did nothing wrong. Aguilar is accused of interceding with Weigel on behalf of Rudy Tham, a friend of a former relative who was trying to get an embezzlement conviction overturned. In his original trial, which ended in March, Aguilar faced eight federal criminal counts, including the first racketeering charge ever brought against a federal judge. The trial ended in acquittal on one count and a hung jury on the other seven. Aguilar faces five counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice, lying to the FBI and disclosing wiretap information. The racketeering charge was among those dropped.