(Austin, TX) The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has reaffirmed a perjury conviction for a former undercover agent in the 1999 Tulia drug stings. Tom Coleman claimed that the trial court erred by denying his motion to recuse the "Special Prosecutors" who ran the case during the tenure of two District Attorneys. Coleman appealed his sentence of 10 years probation when a jury found him guilty of falsely testifying about his criminal background in a hearing. Coleman's testimony in the notorious "Tulia" narcotics sting operation resulted in 46 arrests. 35 of those who were found guilty or pleaded were later pardoned by Governor Rick Perry in 2003. In its ruling, the Court of Criminal Appeals said, quote: "We hold that the trial judge was not required to replace the attorneys in a case that was set for trial ten days after the new district attorney's investiture." The court said Coleman failed to show that the trial court abused its discretion or that he suffered any harm as a result of the trial court's action, and affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals earlier. (Copyright 2007 Newsroom Solutions, LLC)