TUCSON -- Former Arizona District 1 Congressman Rick Renzi will not now stand trial until March. Renzi is the most prominent of four men accused after a federal investigation of being involved in a real estate deal that exchanged federal land to Resolution Copper Company. According to the indictment, the deal financially benefited both Renzi and a partner.
The trial was originally scheduled for Jan. 20. The federal judge granted the continuance when one defendant asked for a delay.
All four men have pleaded not guilty in federal court in Tucson.
Renzi is charged with 48 counts that include money laundering, insurance fraud and racketeering among others. He is also charged with using money from his family insurance business to fund his election.
After the charges were brought, Renzi declined to run for a fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
His successor, Ann Kirkpatrick, campaigned that she was Arizona born and bred, a clear reference to complaints that Renzi, who has Arizona roots, was a Virginia carpetbagger.
