American Fork • Utah County prosecutors will lay out their case against former Provo Municipal Councilman Steve Turley in June.
On Tuesday, 4th District Judge Christine Johnson set a June 20 preliminary hearing on the 10 felony fraud charges filed against Turley.
Turley's lawyer, former U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman, hopes the case will be dismissed.
"At this point, the government's case is supported by a very brief statement of probable cause," Tolman said. "It is our intention to attack that. We very adamantly deny these charges."
Turley declined to comment Tuesday and walked out of the courthouse without talking to reporters.
The former councilman faces seven counts of communications fraud, two counts of exploiting vulnerable adults and one count of engaging in a pattern of criminal conduct. If convicted, he faces a possible sentence of 1-to-15 years on each count.
The charges stem from Turley's private business dealings and not his council activities.
Although the charges were filed in July, the preliminary hearing has been delayed because of Tolman's claims that prosecutors have not turned over all the evidence they have.
In a March hearing, Tolman said his requests for additional information yielded 1,300 pages of documents and four hours of recorded conversations. But he said he believed prosecutors still have other exculpatory information they are holding back.
Tolman said Tuesday that negotiations for the evidence are continuing, but he and Turley are ready to proceed regardless of the outcome.
Deputy Utah County Attorney Mariane O'Bryant said her office has turned over everything it has to Turley's attorney. She also disputed Tolman's claim that the case against Turley was flimsy.
Turley resigned from the council in September, moments before his colleagues planned to vote to remove him for ethical lapses.
A city investigation into residents' complaints found five instances where he failed to disclose conflicts of interest and acted on information he gleaned as a councilman.
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What's next?
The preliminary hearing for former Provo Municipal Councilman Steve Turley will be June 20, 8:30 a.m., in 4th District Court in American Fork.