Feds Coined 'Catchphrase' To Convict LA Pol, 9th Circ. Told
By Craig Clough
Mark Ridley-Thomas' attorney on Thursday urged the Ninth Circuit to overturn the former California politician's bribery conviction for scheming to indirectly donate $100,000 to his son's nonprofit and secure him a university position, saying prosecutors coined the "catchphrase" "funneling" to obfuscate that no bribe actually occurred.