Oh, this is rich. You’re under investigation for potential fraud. But you’ve given heavily to certain political causes. What to do, what to do. Why not take a breakfast meeting with your state’s Attorney General, make your case and pass along some “evidence” on your behalf. Mark Shurtleff of Utah is the AG in question in this case – video at link. His office has already done one fast shuffle and changed its story.

Lo and behold, Shurtleff’s office indicts the guy’s associates, but the guy gets a pass. And another pol who set up and attended the meeting now claims to have had his face in his eggs and didn’t pay attention to what was said. I think Shurtleff must have had his head down, too. He’s the one left with egg on his face, now. The feds have now charged the guy with allegedly setting up a $100 million dollar ponzi scheme.

Utah AG Mark Shurtleff: Crime Buster, NOT!

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s attorney general is speaking out on why his office didn’t prosecute a man who federal investigators now accuse in a major fraud case.

Mark Shurtleff tells KSL 5 News a meeting he had with Utah County businessman Rick Koerber, who was under state investigation, had no influence on a decision by his office not to prosecute.

Earlier this week, federal prosecutors indicted Koerber, alleging he defrauded investors of millions. He has been well-known by Utah officials for years through seminars, radio programs, Web sites and contributions to a favorite conservative cause, the pro-school voucher campaign, and as a sharp critic of state securities investigators, who were investigating him in 2007.

KSL filed records requests with both the Division of Securities, which was investigating Koerber, and the attorney general to see if we could verify that. Late Thursday afternoon, the Attorney General’s Office changed its story. Its spokesman now says he “misspoke” and “the Division of Securities had drafted a civil action against Koerber,” but the Attorney General’s Office didn’t pursue it, citing a lack of “evidence.”