SALT LAKE CITY -- A court hearing is scheduled for Thursday in federal court to determine how the case against John and Sue Ross will proceed, now that the pair have new lawyers. On Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Brooke Wells ruled that John Ross qualifies for a court-appointed attorney, because he cannot afford his own lawyer.

Sue Ross, on the other hand, has three lawyers, being paid for from what is being described as a "private," unnamed source.

Melodie Rydach, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah said prosecutors are accepting Sue Ross' word that her money is not coming from joint accounts belonging to the couple at this point.

The couple is accused of bilking the Davis School District out of $4.3 million in federal Title I monies while employed by the Davis School District.

The Rosses face 47 counts of fraud, theft, money laundering and copyright infringement, for selling textbooks produced by a company Sue set up at inflated prices.

Their assets were frozen when they were indicted by a federal grand jury.

The couple's longtime attorney Paul Gotay, was ordered removed from the case because of what prosecutors say is a conflict of interest and because he has $381,000 of the Rosses' money, which was later frozen by the FBI.

On Tuesday, Wells said the two need separate attorneys and that Gotay may be called as a witness because of the $381,000 the Rosses paid him.



mwilliams@davisclipper.com