By McKenzie Romero | Editor
Former Rep. Trevor Lee has had his (first) day in court as he faces felony charges alleging he forged documents to get a mortgage.
Known for his controversial and inflammatory legislation while on Capitol Hill, the Republican who represented areas of Layton and South Weber for almost four years made no comment to reporters and onlookers at the courthouse.
In today’s Dispatch we update you on Lee’s initial hearing in what could be a lengthy judicial process, Utah’s criminal charges against Kalshi and why a former Utah Supreme Court justice says voters should retain her former colleague on the bench.
“Gambling is illegal in Utah, whether you place the bet, run the game, or promote it. Calling it a ‘prediction market’ doesn’t change what it is, and being federally registered doesn’t put a company above the law.” — Utah Attorney General Derek Brown in a statement announcing criminal charges against Kalshi and its co-founders.
Former Utah Rep. Trevor Lee arrives with his defense attorney Kathryn Nester as he makes his first court appearance on felony fraud charges at the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
By Annie Knox and Katie McKellar
Former Utah Rep. Trevor Lee did not enter pleas to four felony charges of forging employment documents to obtain a home loan. Prosecutors said Lee’s loan documents secured him a $1 million conventional loan structured as a refinance, returning more than $317,000 in cash to Lee.
He lost his reelection bid during the June primaries prior to the charges being filed, so he already wasn’t returning to the Legislature next year before he resigned.
New felony charges against Kalshi and a new federal lawsuit against Utah joined a list of legal clashes between states and the platform. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)
By Alixel Cabrera
According to Utah’s charging documents against Kalshi, despite a federal court decision allowing the state to enforce its anti-gambling laws, an undercover agent with Utah geolocations was able to place wagers on multiple sports events.
Kalshi and its co-founders, Tarek Mansour and Luana Lopes Lara, are now facing 12 online gambling promotion felony charges, one felony count of pattern of unlawful activity, and a misdemeanor charge for general gambling promotion.
Justice Diana Hagen speaks at The Supreme Court of Utah in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Pool photo by Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)
By Katie McKellar
Ahead of Election Day, former Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen is urging Utah voters to retain judges in order to preserve an “independent, non-political judiciary.”
Following Hagen’s resignation, Associate Chief Justice Jill Pohlman is the only Utah Supreme Court justice up for retention this year — during a time of heightened tension between the state’s judiciary and the Republican-controlled Utah Legislature, in large part due to rulings against lawmakers in high-profile lawsuits over ballot initiatives, redistricting and abortion.
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