A Republican candidate for Congress in north Alabama is facing a criminal charge as he enters the campaign.

Daniel Boman of Winfield, a former state representative and disbarred attorney, was indicted in November 2021 for first-degree theft in Lamar County. Boman pleaded not guilty in April 2022. Circuit Judge Allen W. May Jr. granted a continuance of the trial in October and has not set a new trial date.

The indictment says Boman knowingly exerted unauthorized control or obtained control by deception over more than $2,500 from an estate. The crime is alleged to have happened between October 2019 and April 2020. First-degree theft is a Class B felony, punishable by a sentence of two to 20 years.

Boman qualified with the Alabama Republican Party to run in the 5th Congressional District, challenging the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville. Qualifying ended Nov. 10. Strong and Boman are the only two candidates in the March 5 primary. No Democrats qualified.

In an interview with AL.com on Friday, Boman declined to comment on his case but talked about his return to politics after almost a decade since leaving elected office.

Boman was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2010, representing District 16 in west Alabama. He was elected as a Republican but switched to the Democratic Party in 2011. He lost his reelection bid in 2014 after the Republican Party changed the district boundaries during reapportionment.

“It’s just something I love,” Boman said. “It’s something that I follow daily. It’s something that I miss. I enjoy the debating of bills. I enjoy being part of laws that are passed. I enjoy helping people.”

In 2012, Boman was the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 4th District. He lost to U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, in the general election, receiving about 26% of the vote.

Boman caused controversy during that 2012 campaign when he implied Aderholt was gay by posting a hypothetical question on Facebook, although he did not use Aderholt’s name.

Asked about that on Friday, Boman said it was a dumb decision and one of the reasons he got out of politics. He said he called Aderholt’s field office and Washington office a couple of years later to apologize.

“It was one of those things that was absolutely unnecessary and uncalled for,” Boman said. “Made a mistake. Made a horrible mistake.”

Boman said he won’t let past mistakes or tough circumstances keep him from seeking office. He noted that former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination next year, has his own legal problems.

“I don’t carry grudges and realize politics can be an ugly thing,” Boman said. “It’s one of those things. I’m not going to let those things deter me — anything that somebody wants to hold against me for anything that I’ve said or done. Realistically, we’ve got a gentleman running for president that’s almost in an identical situation.

“I just genuinely miss it. I miss being involved in that. That’s just an arena that I just have a passion for.”

Boman’s home in Winfield is not in the 5th District. Candidates for Congress are not required to live in the district they run for, only the state. But Boman said he is moving to Athens, which is in the 5th District, for business purposes.

Boman said he is eligible to reapply for his law license in January 2025, the end of a five-year disbarment period. He said the disbarment is related to the theft case. Since losing his law license, Boman said he has worked in personal investing, buying and selling property, and other things.

Despite the circumstances, Boman said he is glad to reenter the political arena.

“If you retire from it or get out of it and you don’t miss it, it was probably the right decision,” Boman said. “But there hasn’t been a day goes by in the last 10 years that I haven’t missed it.”