Posted on 06/29/2006 1:26:35 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Former Gov. Don Siegelman and former Health South CEO Richard Scrushy were convicted Thursday in a bribery scheme that derailed Siegelman's campaign to retake his former office.
Siegelman, 60, was accused of trading government favors for campaign donations when he was governor from 1999 to 2003 and lieutenant governor from 1995 to 1999.
Scrushy was accused of arranging $500,000 in donations to Siegelman's campaign for a state lottery in exchange for a seat on a state hospital regulatory board.
The case was tried as Siegelman sought the Democratic nomination for governor, and the trial put him in court during the final weeks of the campaign. He lost to Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley in the June 6 Democratic primary and blamed the charges for his defeat.
Siegelman and Scrushy sat on the edge of their seats but showed no emotion as the verdict was read. The governor's former chief of staff, who was acquitted, bowed his head and nodded "thank you" to the jury.
Prosecutors described a "pay-to-play" scheme in which campaign donations were necessary to participate in government projects.
But defense attorneys said the case was based on the testimony of former Siegelman aide Nick Bailey, lobbyist Lanny Young and toll bridge developer Jim Allen, who they called "scam artists and liars."
Defense attorneys said that Young and Bailey, who have both pleaded guilty, lied on the witness stand in hopes of getting light sentences, and that Allen lied to keep from being charged.
Prosecutors claimed Siegelman and his chief of staff, Paul Hamrick, received gifts, including a Honda motorcycle for the governor that he allegedly tried to conceal from investigators. Hamrick reportedly received $25,000 for a new luxury BMW automobile.
The verdict effectively ended any future political ambitions for Siegelman, a prominent Democrat who was elected secretary of state, attorney general and lieutenant governor before winning the state's top office in 1998.
The trial also came one year after Scrushy was acquitted of criminal charges in a massive accounting fraud scandal at his former company in Birmingham.
The jury returned the verdicts after 11 days of deliberations, convicting both men of bribery, conspiracy and fraud. Siegelman was also convicted of obstruction of justice, but was acquitted on 25 other counts, including racketeering and extortion.
Hamrick and former state transportation director Mack Roberts were acquitted on all charges.
Your welcome....odd thing is right now I am staying in an apartment immediately across the street from the federal building where all this was going on....been alot of press there and I see them going in and out every day.....anyway, take care GE and God Bless
Currently, Richard is working diligently to clear his good name of the false accusations being made against him in connection with the alleged fraudulent activities of HealthSouth. He also focuses on the real-estate development business, Marin, Inc., and assists his wife Leslie with her company, uppseedaisees.
From acj.com:
These days, Scrushy's rags-to-riches acumen is used helping his wife run her pajama company, Uppseedaisies. He also runs Marin Inc., his real estate development company. .....and lots more dish!
Looks like Scrushy's going to jail this time. This article says he faces up to 30 years.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a7WsKGRt.yoQ&refer=home
The convictions are punishable by as much as 30 years, according to U.S. prosecutors.
LOL!! ...Repblican who MET Disgraced Republican Jack Abramoff at the Republican NRA Convention.
Even after I was supporting primarily Republican candidates, which wasn't possible before the 1990's, I continued to support Siegelman. My personal opinion is that the two people who were let off were the people who the book should have been thrown hardest at. It was complete nonsense to let Hamrick and the other guy off. Then again, my family has known the Siegelmans for a long time, so I have a bit of a prejudice here. Siegelman should have gotten something, but I just didn't think he was the main player here, I think he was being led along by someone and I think Hamrick was doing the leading.
But you're right, after the lottery failed, he was basically dead in the water, he assumed for whatever reason that the lottery would pass with the same margin he won by, not realizing that alot of those people in N. Alabama voted against Fob because Fob really did do that bad a job as governor, both times. The only thing he gets credit for in my book is the conceal carry permit law, otherwise, he was pretty useless as a governor.
Two of the most slimiest crooks ever in Alabama. They have out crooked George Wallace, and that is some what like the Russian Mafia.
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