BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The three members of the Western New York Progressive Caucus all pleaded not guilty to the same four felony election law violations Wednesday.

"We are confident, all of us, that this matter will be resolved favorably for all defendants," defense attorney Joel Daniels said.

The defendants are former Erie County Democratic Committee Chairman Steve Pigeon, and political operatives Kristy Mazurek and David Pfaff. The State Attorney General's Office accused them of coordinating with candidates for three county and town offices during the 2013 primary election season.

'It's kind of like going through a maze," Daniels said of election law. "There's a lot of twists and turns, but essentially that's what we're going to be dealing with here."

According to the complaint, the independent expenditure committee raised and spent money on behalf of candidates in order to circumvent contribution limits and also falsified its report to the state Board of Elections. Pigeon is described in the complaint as the committee's fundraiser and primary decision maker.

Attorney Mark Sacha is one of three people who originally filed a complaint against the committee.

"I thank for everybody's attention here today but I have to say 'I told you so'," he told reporters in court.

While he's happy the state is finally bringing charges, he's suspicious of the timing. Pigeon is preparing for another felony trial, accused of bribing a State Supreme Court justice.

"Personally, I think they brought the charges today because he demanded the trial and they wanted to, quite frankly, pressure him into taking a plea or pressuring his cohorts into testifying against him," Sacha said.

All three defendants were released on their own recognizance Wednesday.

"The reality is, these were felonies that they're being charged with and nobody's asking for any bail. I mean it sounds to me like nobody's going to ask for jail time, and that disturbs me," Sacha said.

The case won't be back in court for at least a few months as all parties figure out how to move forward.

"We'll figure out what the next steps will be," Daniels said. "Either the matter may be resolved, there will be some discussions, if not, most likely an indictment will be returned. The case may be presented to a Grand Jury. We're not sure."

Daniels, who specifically represents Mazurek, said he doesn't expect her to take a plea deal.