DETROIT, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A Detroit political consultant has joined two former officials in trying to withdraw his guilty plea to corruption charges.
Sam Riddle filed notice of an appeal Tuesday of his 37-month prison term for bribery, tax evasion and extortion when he was a top aide to Councilwoman Monica Conyers, the Detroit News reported Wednesday.
Riddle asserts he was unable to object to a pre-sentencing report, the government treated him as a public official and the government lacked probable cause to wiretap him.
Former state Rep. Mary Waters, Riddle's ex-girlfriend, filed last week to take back her guilty plea in federal court in Detroit, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Waters, sentenced to probation Oct. 6 for filing a fraudulent tax return, says she is trying to restore her good name after having been indicted wrongfully.
And Conyers, who has been trying to withdraw her guilty plea to bribery since her sentencing in March, filed her formal appeal Monday with the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Cares and David Gardey urged U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani to rebuff Riddle, citing court rules that prohibit withdrawing a plea after sentencing.
