HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas judge has dismissed the last remaining charge against two California anti-abortion activists who made undercover videos of themselves trying to buy fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood.
District Judge Brock Thomas dismissed the charge of tampering with government records against 27-year-old David Daleiden and 63-year-old Sandra Merritt upon the request of the Harris County prosecutor's office.
The pair's attorneys had pushed to have the charge dismissed, saying they never should have been indicted. If they had been convicted of the felony charge, each could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors alleged that Daleiden and Merritt used fake driver's licenses to conceal their identities while dealing with Planned Parenthood. The videos accused Planned Parenthood of illegally selling fetal tissue to researchers for profit.