A former high-ranking Democrat in the Pennsylvania House who served jail time for misusing a nonprofit for his own benefit was awarded a new trial Tuesday after a state high court justice called his conviction a “criminalization of politics.” The state Supreme Court ruled a Dauphin County judge erred when he told jurors hearing the case against former Rep. Mike Veon of Beaver County that Veon did not have to gain financially to be convicted of violating the conflict-of-interest law. The Supreme Court’s main opinion said the crime must involve a financial benefit, and that intangible political benefits are not sufficient. The court ordered a new trial on the conflict of interest charge but did not say that also included the nine other counts for which he was convicted. His lawyer, Joel Sansone, argued the decision means a new trial is required on all charges and predicted prosecutors will not have the appetite to retry his client. A spokesman for the attorney general’s office said only that it was reviewing the decision.