"It was open and notorious that people in the IOC were treated like royalty," Max Wheeler, Johnson's lawyer, said in an early hearing.

The defendants twice rejected the government's offer of a plea deal on a single count of tax fraud.

"I'm not looking for a deal and I don't expect one. Nor do I want one," said Welch, a business consultant.

Welch and Johnson could face up to 75 years in prison if convicted of all charges, though any actual sentence would likely be far shorter.

In 2001, Sam threw out the case, sparing Salt Lake City the embarrassment of a courtroom spectacle leading up to the 2002 Games.

Then in April of this year, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver reversed Sam's order and said the bid leaders must stand trial.

Welch and Johnson, 44, received financial settlements from the Salt Lake Organizing Committee after their firings. The committee's insurer is paying millions of dollars for their legal fees.