Former Teamsters President Ron Carey is on trial for perjuring himself by denying he knew of fund-raising illegalities in his 1996 re-election campaign.

Carey narrowly defeated current Teamsters President James P. Hoffa in the 1996 election. His victory was later overturned after investigators found that Carey's campaign improperly benefited from donations made by the union. He was ousted from the union, which later filed suit against him.
The indictment, on seven counts, could mean up to 35 years in prison. Carey has pleaded innocent. Opening statements in the trial began Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Carey lied to election officers, investigators and a review board about his knowledge of a scheme in which the union contributed $885,000 to a variety of liberal organizations. In exchange, other donors to those groups gave to his campaign.
"Ron Carey came to power in the name of reform," prosecutor Deborah Landis said during opening arguments, according to the Associated Press. "He lied to be sure that he would not be implicated in a scheme to defraud the union."
Three of Carey's campaign aides, the union's former political director, a fund-raiser and a campaign lawyer have already been convicted in the case.