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Trial date set for ex-school board member Murgio

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A trial date was set for former Palm Beach County School Board member Mike Murgio in a New York federal court for October 31.

He entered a plea Tuesday of not guilty to bribery charges.

WPTV asked Murgio about the hearing before his early-morning flight to New York, but he didn’t want to talk on camera.

He and his son are accused of trying to hide an illegal business that converted cash to virtual money like Bitcoins.

Michael Murgio was arrested at his home by the FBI last month.

The indictment claims that Murgio, his son Anthony, and two other men, ran an illegal Bitcoin exchange that laundered money for operators of ransomware schemes.

Ransomware restricts access to a computer system and demands the user pay a ransom to remove the restriction.

Anthony Murgio is accused of starting the business while in college at Florida State University. Mike Murgio stepped down from the school board after he was indicted in April.

The school district has received 14 applications to replace him.

It’s unclear when his vacant seat will be filled.