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The Department of Justice said Friday it will not retry its case against John Wiley Price – a final vindication for the long-serving Dallas County Commissioner.
Price was found not guilty on the biggest charge of bribery and six other conspiracy and mail fraud charges in late April. But the jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the tax fraud and tax underpayment charges. A mistrial was declared by the judge on those four counts, with an option for the government to retry the case.
“Having painstakingly done so, it is my considered judgment that pursuing another trial against Mr. Price will not serve the interests of justice,” said U.S. Attorney John Parker in a statement.
The government also said it would not pursue a trial against longtime Price associate Kathy Nealy.
“I have information available to me now that was not available at the time of the indictment and could only be obtained through the trial process. This additional information compels the conclusion that the reasonable, good-faith beliefs we had at the time of indictment regarding our chances for success at trial have been substantially diminished,” Parker said.
Since being found not guilty, Price has returned to work full time at the commissioner’s court.