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QUICK CLIPS: Congressman Marshall Used Political and Business Connections to Erase Conviction

A bombshell report this week revealed that Kansas Senate candidate and Congressman Roger Marshall used his political and business relationships to erase a reckless driving conviction and replace it with a minor traffic violation, in an arrangement described as “bizarre” and “very unusual.” The Kansas City Star revealed that the county prosecutor who requested the reckless driving conviction be erased was the son of Marshall’s neighbor, business partner, and campaign donor. Now, Marshall is facing increased scrutiny of his shady record — check out some of the increasing media coverage below:

WATCH: KSNW

WATCH: KSCW

AP: Partner’s son helped reduce charge for future Rep. Marshall
June 23, 2020

Key Points:

  • A local prosecutor who was the son of one of Roger Marshall’s business partners helped the future western Kansas congressman and U.S. Senate candidate reduce a misdemeanor reckless driving conviction in 2008 to a conviction for a less serious traffic infraction.
  • Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, has called on him to release a sealed affidavit in the case that details why prosecutors believe they had probable cause to charge Marshall with reckless driving. Marshall’s camp has not done so.
  • Marshall initially was charged with both battery and reckless driving, both misdemeanors, but the county attorney’s office dropped the battery charge. Marshall negotiated with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to the reckless driving charge. District Judge Don Alvord sentenced Marshall to five days in jail but suspended the sentence, imposed a $150 fine and ordered him to pay $75 in court costs.
  • The formal court record of the plea and sentence dated Dec. 11, 2008, was signed by Marshall, his attorney, Assistant County Attorney Carey Fleske and the judge. Then, on Dec. 24, 2008, Fleske asked another district judge, Mike Keeley, to issue an order normally used to correct the court record to change the charge to a traffic infraction, failure to exercise due care in regards to a pedestrian, with a $45 fine. Keeley approved the request.
  • Fleske, now a Kansas City-area defense attorney, is the son of Leonard T. Fleske, a Great Bend orthopedic surgeon who in 2000 founded a surgical center with Marshall and other physicians. Business records show Marshall and a living trust named for the elder Fleske’s wife both had ownership stakes of 9.4 percent at the time of the 2008 case.

Read the full story here

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