Former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul decried the public corruption case brought in Iowa against three of his 2012 campaign staff members. Grant Rodgers/The Register DES MOINES, Ia. — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of the felony convictions of three top staffers on Ron Paul's 2012 presidential campaign.
Campaign chairman Jesse Benton, campaign manager John Tate and deputy campaign manager Dimitri Kesari were convicted in 2016 of causing false records and campaign expenditure reports to be filed to the Federal Election Commission.
Prosecutors say the trio tried to hide $73,000 in payments to former Iowa Sen. Kent Sorenson for his endorsement of Paul.
They argue that they broke no laws when they concealed the payments through a third-party campaign vendor.
They have served their sentences but sought to clear their names of felony convictions.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis upheld the convictions in May 2018.
The Supreme Court on Monday denied their request to hear the case with no comment.
