ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland jury has overturned convictions of two political consultants accused of not identifying the sponsor of a robocall in a county council race.
The Anne Arundel County jury on Thursday overturned the convictions of Dennis Fusaro and Stephen Waters.
Prosecutors charged Fusaro and Waters last year, after obtaining evidence that they said tied the two to a pre-paid cellphone that sent out about 5,000 robocalls in an Anne Arundel county council race.
Fusaro was a consultant and campaign manager for Republican Michael Peroutka, who defeated Democrat Patrick Armstrong.
The calls were attributed to "Marylanders for Transgenders," and linked Armstrong, who is gay, to gender identity anti-discrimination legislation in the General Assembly.
The call urged people to congratulate Armstrong for "coming out of the closet" and supporting transgender people.
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