Former state Rep. Trevor Lee appeared briefly in court Wednesday morning, his first court date since he was charged last month with fraud and forgery related to his efforts to get a $1 million home loan.
Lee did not enter a plea in the hearing that lasted just a few minutes and only spoke to acknowledge he has received a copy of the charges against him.
The Layton Republican was charged in September by the Utah attorney general with four felony counts — communication fraud, mortgage fraud, forgery and possession of a forged document — and promptly resigned his Utah House seat.
Third District Court Commissioner Melissa Stirba set Lee’s next hearing for Nov. 23 at 9 a.m. before Judge Joel Ferre.
“The last thing we need to address,” Stirba told Lee, “is [that] you do still need to be booked on this matter.
Lee’s attorney, Kathryn Nester, told Stirba that he had been booked and fingerprinted, but then Stirba said the information had not arrived from the jail. “Otherwise,” she said, “you’re good to go.”
Lee and Nester left the courthouse without speaking to reporters, as did the prosecutors from the Utah Attorney General’s Office, Stewart Young, the head of the criminal division, and Bruce Pickett.
Read the full article by Robert Gehrke at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.