BOSTON (AP) – Thomas Finneran once strode the Statehouse hallways as the most powerful lawmaker on Beacon Hill, speeding some bills, blocking others and helping decide how to dole out billions in tax dollars.

Now the former House speaker is fighting to preserve his political legacy – and stay out of jail.

On Monday, Finneran was charged with lying to a federal appeals court about his involvement in a legislative redistricting plan that minority groups said would hurt black and Hispanic candidates.

The federal indictment charges Finneran with three counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.

The charge is a blow to Finneran’s political reputation. Although Finneran ruled the House with a tight fist, he had largely avoided ethics allegations. He resigned last September to head the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.

Finneran vigorously defended himself Monday, citing what he called “the questionable motives and machinations of the U.S. Attorney’s office.”

U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan is a Republican and Finneran one of the most prominent Democrats in Massachusetts.

“My response to the charges brought against me today is NOT GUILTY. My family and I look forward to my day in court,” Finneran said in a statement.

Sullivan denied any political motivation, but said elected officials should be held to high standards.

“It is a severe breach of the public trust and serves to diminish confidence in government and undermine the integrity of our judicial process,” Sullivan said. “What’s important is when someone raises his hand to tell the truth, he tells the truth.”

Finneran is due to appear in court on June 14.

Each perjury count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while the obstruction charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine.

The indictment stems from Finneran’s testimony last year before the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in a lawsuit brought by a coalition of minority groups.

The groups claimed that a new map of legislative districts would hurt minority candidates and protect incumbents, including Finneran.

He told the three-judge panel he had no role in drafting the map beyond appointing members of a redistricting committee.

In its ruling, the appeals court said it found his testimony hard to believe.

“Although Speaker Finneran denied any involvement in the redistricting process, the circumstantial evidence strongly suggests the opposite,” the judges wrote. The court threw out the map and ordered a new one drawn, saying lawmakers sacrificed “racial fairness” to protect incumbents.

Once dubbed “King Tom” for pushing through a rules change that removed term limits for House speakers, Finneran served as head of the 160-member House from 1996 to 2004.

Under state law and the House’s own rules, Finneran was free to take part in the redistricting process, which made his denial even more baffling to some.

When the appeals judges asked him if he knew what was going to be in the plan before it became public, he said “No, I did not.”

And when asked when he first saw the map, Finneran said, “It would have been after the committee on redistricting filed its plan with the House clerk.”

But the indictment points to several meetings Finneran conducted before the formal release of the redistricting map.

On Sept. 18, a full month before the map’s release, Finneran met with the head of the House Redistricting Committee to discuss the redrawing of districts in the Springfield area, according to the indictment.

He also met with lawmakers to discuss the redistricting of the Lowell, Worcester and Newton areas – all before the map was made public.

The indictment also says Finneran obstructed justice by denying knowledge of proposed changes to his own district and by providing “misleading and false responses” when asked to turn over documents related to the investigation.

“The defendant Thomas M. Finneran, did knowingly and willfully make misleading and false declarations while under oath,” the indictment reads.

Egbert, whose clients have included an array of embattled public officials, including convicted former Providence, R.I., mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, has said the former speaker acknowledged in his testimony having about “half a dozen” conversations with leaders of the redistricting committee.

Several lawmakers have acknowledged testifying before the grand jury investigating Finneran, and investigators seized Statehouse computers that were used in the redistricting process.

AP-ES-06-06-05 1817EDT