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Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price Will Not Be Retried

Bill Zeeble
/
KERA News
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price leaving federal court the day he was acquitted on 7 of 11 counts. The U.S. Attorney today decided not to pursue four tax evasion charges that left the jury deadlocked last month.

John Wiley Price is now completely free of the federal corruption charges that dogged him for years.

U.S. Attorney John Parker said in a statement Friday afternoon that the Justice Department would not re-try Commissioner Price on the four tax evasion charges that left the jury deadlocked last month.

Parker said, "It is my considered judgment that pursuing another trial against Mr. Price will not serve the interests of justice." He also said additional information unavailable at the time of the indictment "substantially diminished" chances for success at trial. 

On hearing the news, Price was ecstatic. He said, “I feel like the most blessed man in America. Everything happens for a reason. Hopefully, the system gets better because of whatever happened here.”

On April 28, after an eight-week trial and more than a week of deliberations, the jury in Price’s federal corruption case acquitted the commissioner on seven of 11 counts that included mail fraud and bribery.

“We said all along,” Price said, “we had faith. We didn’t have fear. We felt we were depending on the resources around us.”

U.S. Attorney Parker also decided not to pursue a trial for Kathy Nealy, the political consultant who had been accused of funneling money to Price.

Price, happy enough to celebrate loudly, said for now he was leaning toward being “quiet and humble.”

“I continue doing what I’ve been doing — supporting good friends and never, never growing weary in doing good. You do what you’re supposed to do.”

Price also said “the government, at the end, did the right thing,” in choosing not to re-try him.

Bill Zeeble has been a full-time reporter at KERA since 1992, covering everything from medicine to the Mavericks and education to environmental issues.