U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent of the Southern District of Texas, who faces trial Jan. 26 in Houston on three federal criminal charges, pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning to three additional charges just hours after they were lodged against him in a superseding indictment.
After Kent pleaded not guilty before 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Edward Prado, prosecutors from the U.S. Department of Justice asked Prado to consider two issues at sidebar. Kent’s defense attorney, Dick DeGuerin of Houston, objected, but Prado overruled him and had the courtroom cleared for the 55-minute hearing.
