Led by E. Stewart Jones Jr. of Troy and Stephen Coffey of Albany, the 10 lawyers claim the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District has constructed charges on a flawed premise using the theft of honest services statute with dangerous disregard for fairness.

"This prosecution is unwise, unwarranted and . . . unwinnable," Coffey said in a news release. He did not return a call.

Coffey has represented witnesses in the case against Bruno. He is working for Susan Bruno, the oldest daughter of the senator, whose job with the Research Foundation of the State University of New York has come under scrutiny because of FBI inquiries about her assignments and her spotty attendance at her office at the foundation.

Jones, who also has represented witnesses who testified during the grand jury probe of the senator, said the group has reached out to non-lawyers as well to join in supporting Bruno.

"As citizens of the Capital District we stand by Joe Bruno," Jones said. "As officers of the court we are appalled at this indictment because of its fundamental legal flaws."

The group includes Michael D. Assaf, Jack Casey, Jim Crane, Harry Dagostino, Patricia DeAngelis, Marc Ehrlich, Andrew Martin and James Towne. Many "Lawyers for Bruno" members have benefited from business or political ties to the ex-senator.

"I don't think people appreciate just how amorphous this allegation is and how lacking in substance it is," Jones said. "It is a non-disclosure crime he's charged with here; he's accused of not disclosing information that did not help or hurt anybody. There's no quid pro quo, no crime charged."

William Pericak, assistant U.S. Attorney in the Bruno prosecution, said: "we have no comment on that." His office has defended the charges against Bruno as part of anti-corruption legislation passed by Congress to keep public officials honest.