Spiro T. Agnew resigned as vice president of the United States on Oct. 10, 1973, after pleading no contest to a federal income tax evasion charge. He was fined $10,000 and sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation.
The following year, Maryland’s highest court disbarred him, ending his ability to practice law in the state.
Agnew’s resignation came after a federal investigation uncovered evidence of corruption linked to his years in public office. Rather than face a long court battle, he reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. He agreed to plead no contest to the tax charge and leave office.
The case shocked Washington and created an urgent need to find a new vice president. It also marked a rare moment in American history: Agnew became only the second vice president to resign. Per EBSCO, his departure came less than a year before President Richard Nixon also left office because of the Watergate scandal.
Spiro Agnew, vice president of the United States, as he speaks from a podium at a news conference in the auditorium of the Executive Office Building, denying allegations of a kickback scheme, Washington DC, US, 23rd August 1973.Photo by UPI Color/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Before becoming vice president, Agnew held several elected positions in Maryland. He became Baltimore County executive in 1961 and was elected governor of Maryland in 1966, taking office in 1967. In 1968, Nixon selected him as his running mate, and the two won the presidential election.
Agnew served as vice president from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He was known for strong speeches supporting law and order and criticizing opponents of the Vietnam War and liberal political leaders. He and Nixon won a second term in the 1972 election.
However, a corruption investigation in Maryland soon placed Agnew under growing pressure. Federal prosecutors led by U.S. Attorney George Beall examined payments made by contractors seeking public work. Investigators found evidence that some contractors paid money to public officials in exchange for business deals.
In 1973, prosecutors uncovered evidence linking Agnew to payments received during his time as Baltimore County executive, governor of Maryland, and vice president. The investigation included allegations of bribery, extortion, conspiracy, and tax fraud.
Agnew denied the broader corruption allegations and publicly insisted that he had done nothing wrong. He also resisted calls to resign while the investigation continued. President Nixon and other officials, however, faced growing concern about the effect of the case on the government.
Attorney General Elliot Richardson oversaw the federal investigation. Prosecutors said they had strong evidence that Agnew had failed to report income for tax purposes. The government focused on $29,500 in payments he received in 1967, when he was governor of Maryland.
Agnew ultimately agreed to a plea deal. On Oct. 10, 1973, he submitted his resignation and appeared before a federal judge in Baltimore. According to The New York Times, he pleaded nolo contendere, a legal term meaning “no contest,” to one charge of federal income tax evasion.
A no-contest plea does not directly admit guilt, but it allows a court to enter a conviction on the charge. In court, Agnew acknowledged receiving payments in 1967 that were not used for political purposes and that he knew were taxable income.
Judge Walter E. Hoffman fined Agnew $10,000 and sentenced him to three years of unsupervised probation. Agnew avoided prison under the agreement with federal prosecutors. He maintained that he was innocent of wrongdoing beyond the tax charge and said he wanted to prevent a lengthy legal fight.
Agnew’s legal troubles continued after he left the White House. In May 1974, Maryland’s Court of Appeals disbarred him, preventing him from practicing law in the state. The ruling added another consequence to the scandal that had ended his political career.
His resignation also triggered a constitutional process for replacing a vice president. Under the 25th Amendment, Nixon had to nominate a successor who would receive approval from both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Agnew’s departure was especially significant because the vice president stood next in line to the presidency. His resignation showed how a criminal investigation involving a senior government official could lead to a sudden change in national leadership.
The first vice president to resign was John C. Calhoun, who left office in 1832 after political disagreements with President Andrew Jackson and an opportunity to take a Senate seat. Unlike Agnew, Calhoun did not resign because of a criminal case.
Agnew later withdrew from politics and pursued private business interests. He continued to deny the wider corruption allegations in his later years. He died on Sept. 17, 1996, at the age of 77, according to History.
Related: Martha Stewart began a 5-month prison sentence in West Virginia on October 8, 2004, for lying about her ImClone stock sale; less than a year later she was starring in two new TV shows
Hence then, the article about spiro agnew resigned as vice president in 1973 after pleading no contest to federal tax evasion he was fined 10 000 given three years probation and disbarred in maryland was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Spiro Agnew resigned as vice president in 1973 after pleading no contest to federal tax evasion; he was fined $10,000, given three years’ probation and disbarred in Maryland )
Also on site :
- Boston’s Skinny House is about 10 feet wide at the street and just over 6 feet wide inside in places; in September 2021 it sold for $1.25 million
- ‘Two and a Half Men’ Creator Says Charlie Sheen Made Show a ‘Nightmare’: ‘I Had No Choice But to Shut Down’
- Taylor Swift Shows Up on ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Set With a Surprise—and Mariska Hargitay Can’t Stop Talking About It