Attorney general candidate and longtime Utah lawyer Frank Mylar charged with bribery

Frank Mylar speaks during the attorney general GOP primary debate between Derek Brown and Rachel Terry, at the KUED Studio, on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. (Pool photo by Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune)

Frank Mylar, a Republican candidate for attorney general and longtime Utah-based criminal and civil prosecutor, was charged with bribery on Wednesday for offering another candidate a job in exchange for an endorsement, according to court documents. 

Filed in Utah’s 3rd District Court in Salt Lake County, Mylar is charged with one count of bribery in elections, a third-degree felony. 

Mylar was one of three Republican candidates, though he ultimately lost after receiving about 24% of the vote in the state’s Republican primary.

His attorney, Nathan Crane, responded to a request for comment Wednesday telling Utah News Dispatch Mylar “adamantly denies the allegations that have been made against him.”

“Frank did not bribe or attempt to bride anybody. Frank was simply seeking support for his campaign. Shortly after sending the text message, Frank followed up with the recipient to ensure his original text was not misunderstood. Frank looks forward to defending himself in court. He will be entering a not guilty plea to the one count,” Crane said.

On April 19, a few days after the Republican nominating conventions in Davis and Weber counties, Mylar allegedly sent a text message to fellow GOP candidate for attorney general Trent Christensen. 

“Hey Trent. In my last day of trial and by Gods grace my campaign has picked up more steam. I won in Weber and was only there 10 minutes. Overwhelmingly won Davis. If you could endorse me before the convention I would definitely include you in my office. Think about it for a few days,” Mylar said, according to a probable cause statement. 

In a May interview with the Deseret News, which first reported on the investigation, Mylar said the text was a “mistake.” 

“In the morning, just before heading to court, I was drafting a text, that was sort of a stream of consciousness statement about the campaign and in that text, I asked him to endorse me before the state convention and I would find a place for him in the office,” Mylar told Deseret News. “I did not know whether I had actually sent that text because I was going into court again.”

When Mylar realized he sent the text later that day, he told Deseret News he retracted the offer. 

According to the charges, Christensen did not respond — later that day, Mylar sent another message reading, “Please disregard that text. I’m internal. Didn’t mean to send it. Sorry to bother you. It is not an offer etc.” 

Prosecutors with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office said Mylar sent two additional texts that day apologizing and “indicating that he believed Christensen had withdrawn from the Attorney General race at that time.” 

Christensen then contacted the Murray Police Department, reporting that he “received a bribery offer from another candidate.” 

“We appreciate Mr. Christensen coming forward with the information about this alleged crime in a timely manner to law enforcement. We also appreciate the Murray Police Department for conducting a thorough investigation,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “All persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.”

Court documents show that Mylar was served, but no hearings have been set for the case. 

The post Attorney general candidate and longtime Utah lawyer Frank Mylar charged with bribery appeared first on Utah News Dispatch.