SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A judge has acquitted a former Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy who was convicted last year of lying to fraudulently obtain federal assistance.
The Spokesman-Review reports U.S. District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson has thrown out the jury’s guilty verdict, ruling this week that prosecutors failed to provide sufficient evidence.
Donald B. Henderson was found guilty in September of stealing more than $650,000 in benefits from the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veteran Affairs for more than a decade after claiming he was legally blind and could not work.
Henderson’s attorney John Colin Prince says his client is “unquestionably innocent” and is now vindicated.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Harrington says prosecutors are reviewing the ruling and determining their next steps.
___
Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.