That assertion comes in a
federal case that alleges the powerful Southwest Side Democrat planted two "sham" candidates on the ballot, the central complaint of a lawsuit stretching into its third year.
The judge in the
federal case said that question belongs in state court, not federal court, and sent that part of the case back to Bucks County Court.
MacDonald asserted a variety of constitutional and state-law violations in the
federal case, but none was upheld.
Manafort is also due to be sentenced on March 13 in a parallel
federal case in Washington.He pleaded guilty last year to a conspiracy against the United States for conduct that ranged from money laundering to unregistered lobbying and admitted to witnessing tampering as well.
Bredar, chief judge for the District of Maryland, ordered the
federal case be reopened as of Aug.
Corley initially granted a motion to stay in both the Griggs and Reid cases because of an ongoing
federal case in which many of the defendants overlap.
If this becomes a special case or
federal case, then it becomes serious."
Co-defendants in Johns'
federal case have drawn sentences ranging from probation to 65 months in federal prison.
It was not immediately clear Monday if any of the children named as victims in the
federal case are the same youngsters involved in the case that resulted in Johnson serving prison time in Cambodia.
Shafighi was accused in the
federal case of lying that he was not a fugitive in a 2007 passport renewal application.