GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Former state Rep. Larry Inman was acquitted on charges of attempted extortion and soliciting a bribe.
The acquittal Thursday, Jan. 11, in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, came four years ago another jury found him not guilty of lying to the FBI but deadlocked on the extortion and solicitation charges.
The verdict – after four days of trial and 45 minutes of deliberation – vindicated the Grand Traverse County Republican, who has always maintained his innocence, his attorneys said.
“To me, this case showcases the damage that can be done to a person just from being charged with a crime, well before the case gets to the jury,” attorney James Stevenson Fisher said in an email to MLive.
“It isn’t just that Mr. Inman lost his job and his savings – his otherwise stellar, quarter-century long career in public service was tarnished over what amounted to a few clumsily worded texts.”
Related: Ex-lawmaker on trial, 4 years after jury deadlocked on bribery, extortion charges
Inman, 69, was represented by Fisher and two other assistant federal public defenders, Parker Douglas and Areeb Salim.
The government said Inman sought campaign contributions for his vote to repeal the prevailing-wage law, which required workers on public projects, such as school buildings, to receive union-level wages.
He voted for the 2018 repeal. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has since signed legislation to restore the prevailing-wage law.
Related: End ‘the nightmare’ for state Rep. Larry Inman, attorney tells jury in bribery, extortion case
U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker earlier ruled that Inman could not be retried after his initial acquittal for lying to the FBI because that allegation was part of the basis for the other charges.
“By the government’s own logic, that must mean the jury believed Mr. Inman’s testimony,” Jonker said after the first trial.
A federal appellate panel overturned the ruling.
Federal prosecutors alleged Inman sought campaign contributions from the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights in exchange for his vote on the prevailing-wage issue.
Related: Judge weighs Rep. Larry Inman fund-raising: Bribery or protected speech?
Fisher said that the allegations weighed heavily on his client.
“I know Mr. Inman is glad to have this case finally behind him. I think Mr. Inman views the verdict as vindication.”
Salim, one of Inman’s other attorneys, said the case “highlights the devastation that criminal prosecution, especially federal prosecution, can have. At this point, Mr. Inman has spent 5 years litigating his innocence. Despite being unable to get a jury to convict Mr. Inman in the first trial, the government decided to have another trial. During this time, Mr. Inman lost his career, had his reputation slandered, and spent his life savings fighting to prove his innocence.
“And although he is elated that his innocence has been proven, he will not be able to recover much of what he has lost.
He said that “Mr. Mr. Inman remains optimistic for the future. He was able to get through these trying times because of his unwavering commitment to proving his innocence.”
U.S. attorney Mark Totten said in a statement: “While I respectfully disagree with this outcome, today’s verdict does not deter my commitment to fight public corruption with impartiality and safeguard the public’s trust in our democracy.”
The defense attorneys argued in a motion for acquittal that text messages between Inman and potential contributors did not amount to a “quid pro quo.”
“The text mentions the financial realities facing possible supporters, and gives a garbled but logical description of what others might likely do because of the upcoming needs for campaigns, and that they would have campaign issues surrounding their support,” defense attorneys said.
They said there was no “explicit” agreement for payment for a vote.
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