Apr 9, 2008 1:43 pm US/Mountain
ICE Agent Found Not Guilty In Campaign Ad Trial
By P. Solomon Banda, AP Writer
DENVER (CBS4/AP) ―
A federal immigration agent has been acquitted on charges he got information from a restricted criminal database that ended up in a campaign ad.
Cory Voorhis had been charged with exceeding his authorized access to government computers. He faced up to three years in prison if convicted.
A federal court jury returned a not-guilty verdict on Wednesday after deliberating two hours.
There were applause and hugs as Voorhis left courthouse. It took the jurors just two hours to find him not guilty.
"Well, there probably could have been a better way to handle it, but we don't think he did anything unlawful and we don't think he did anything with the intent for personal gain." juror Craig Disney said.
Prosecutors alleged Voorhis got information about plea deals that Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter made with illegal immigrants when he was Denver district attorney.
The information was used in a campaign ad run by Ritter's opponent in the 2006 gubernatorial race, Republican Congressman Bob Beauprez
Voorhis' attorneys say he was exercising his First Amendment rights.
Voorhis faced up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine on each count if he was convicted.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
