Federal prosecutors have backed off their assertion that Bob Beauprez’s campaign manager met with a federal agent at the headquarters of a GOP political group, according to court papers filed Thursday.
In a court filing earlier this week, federal prosecutors described a meeting between John Marshall, who managed Beauprez’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign, and Alan Philp, who ran The Trailhead Group. That raised questions of possible campaign violations. So-called 527 groups such as Trailhead are barred from coordinating with candidate campaigns, and participants in the alleged meeting denied it had taken place.
On Thursday, the prosecutors agreed.
“Marshall was not present at the meeting,” wrote special assistant U.S. Attorney James Anderson, noting that the allegation in court papers he filed Monday was a “misstatement.”
Both Marshall and Philp said they had separately met with immigration agent Cory Voorhis. Voorhis has been charged with three federal misdemeanor counts for obtaining information about the identity of an illegal immigrant from the restricted National Crime Information Center database and giving it to Beauprez’s campaign. Beauprez used the information in a series of ads questioning plea agreements Bill Ritter’s office made with illegal immigrants when he was Denver’s district attorney.
Voorhis’ lawyers filed more motions Thursday, notifying Anderson that the agent plans to assert a defense of “actual or believed exercise of public authority on behalf of a law enforcement agency.”
Additionally, Voorhis requested that the court suppress statements and evidence that were obtained before he was advised of his rights.
Karen Crummy: 303-954-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com
