PHOENIX – A federal judge has denied a motion for a mistrial by the wife of the former member business loan chief at Tucson’s AEA FCU, who in February was convicted of laundering bribes and kickbacks paid to her husband.
Rhonda Liddle, who was convicted on 36 counts of fraud and money laundering, is scheduled to sentenced May 21 with her husband, William Liddle, who was convicted of accepting bribes to approve tens of millions of dollars in MBLs that sunk the one-time $410-million credit union.
“There was no government misconduct,” ruled U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton in her order denying the request for mistrial. Liddle’s attorney argued that testimony by an FBI agent who approached her in a parking lot in an effort to implicate her husband misled the jury.
The Liddles were paid more than $1 million in cash and merchandise, including new cars and a home rental, in exchange for William Liddle’s approval of millions of dollars in MBLs to finance local real estate deals that eventually went bust.
Judge Bolton has scheduled a restitution hearing for May 11 for both Liddles and developer Frank Ruiz, a participant in the scheme who turned state’s evidence to testify against the Liddles.
As the scheme unfolded, NCUA took the former credit union for the Arizona Education Association under conservatorship in December 2010. The credit union had negative $13 million of capital at year end and is only operating because of an emergency $20-million loan from NCUA.
