Judge Hears Dismissal Motion in Sen. Currie Case

A federal judge said he will rule as quickly as possible on a motion to dismiss the remaining bribery charges against a Maryland state senator accused of using his influence to benefit a grocery store chain.

U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett heard several hours of arguments Monday in the case against Sen. Ulysses Currie and said he would issue a written opinion on the dismissal motion. Bennett also ruled on several other motions, including denial of a motion to sever two charges and another asking him to review instructions given to the grand jury.

Prosecutors dropped nearly half of the charges against Currie in May, saying they duplicated others in the indictment. Afterward, his attorneys moved to have the rest of the bribery charges dismissed.