Former Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak, who served as his own counsel during a felony trial that ended in a hung jury last week, filed a motion Thursday to represent himself against related allegations of falsifying evidence. That trial, set to begin Feb. 11, centers on allegations that Bujak falsified an email from a watchdog blogger who had recently died and faxed that email anonymously to the special prosecutor handling the original felony charge against Bujak – misuse of $236,000 in public funds. That email, if genuine, would back up Bujak’s contention that county commissioners knew that their prosecutor planned to personally profit from a lucrative Nampa contract and approved of that plan. Bujak was arrested in July on charges of preparing false evidence and computer crime. In his new motion, Bujak asks to represent himself but with county-funded standby counsel – the same arrangement used in the public-funds trial that ended in mistrial when the jury couldn’t agree. Special Prosecutor Bill Thompson plans to retry Bujak on that original charge in March.

Bujak's license to practice law is suspended pending resolution of the various charges against him, but he is free to represent himself in court.