Posted on 06/28/2007 6:57:07 PM PDT by LdSentinal
Former Gov. Don Siegelman and HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy were taken into custody tonight after being sentenced in federal court, and a prosecutor said they would be held overnight in a "local facility."
Leslie Scrushy cried on the shoulder of a friend as her husband and Siegelman were escorted out of the courtroom by U.S. Marshals, and former first lady Lori Siegelman left the courthouse visibly shaken.
U.S. District Court Judge Mark Fuller sentenced Siegelman to seven years and four months in prison, three years of probation, restitution of $181,325, a $50,000 fine, and 500 hours of community service for bribery, conspiracy and mail fraud.
The judge sentenced Scrushy to six years and 10 months in prison, three years of probation, a $150,000 fine, $267,000 in restitution, and ordered him to pay the costs of his prison stay. The judge said the costs of incarceration Scrushy would have to pay are $1,952.66 per month and $3,450 per year for supervision.
Siegelman lawyer Vince Kilborn left the courthouse carrying Siegelman's suit jacket and belt, which had been taken from him by marshals. He said the former governor was in leg shackles in a holding room in the federal courthouse waiting to be moved to a jail.
He called it "a scary situation, a dangerous situation," and said the defense team will file an emergency appeal in the morning asking an appellate court to release the former governor pending a full appeal.
As he was leaving the courthouse, Scrushy attorney Art Leach described his client as upbeat and confident. He said he was not shocked that his client was taken immediately into custody because the case was high profile. He said Scrushy's defense lawyers would ask for an expedited appeal and believed Scrushy would be exonerated.
During the sentencing, Fuller told Siegelman he had done many good things for the state and for the people. He said he'd received 720 letters asking him to be lenient on the former governor. Fuller called the sentencing an unpleasant responsibility but told Siegelman, "You and I both took an oath to uphold the law. You have violated that oath."
I would love to see a pic of a Leftist doing the perp walk.
They were crooks and deserve everything they get and more.
Put ‘em in Marion. They look fairly dangerous to me.
Sounds like this judge was SERIOUSLY bent out of shape. What was it about?
Bribery, mainly.
Officer Barbrady
Yeah, right after Scooter Libby.
Can you imagine the outcry if Scooter Libby goes to jail while his appeal is pending, while a Democrat former Governor gets to stay home during his appeal?
I expect the silence to be deafening.
-PJ
Cousin of Benny Hinn?
There are several Liberal DC politicians that should be going with them.
The can investigate the DeLay case while they are at it.
I read a description of what they did once. It was fairly conveluted. I don’t trust prosecutors any more than Democrats.
720 letters in support? And the population is....?
Culture of corruption? Naaaw! Surely not.
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