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Court upholds conviction, sentence of disgraced former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman

Former Ala. Gov. Don Siegelman
Former Ala. Gov. Don Siegelman

ATLANTA, Ga. — The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld the conviction and 78-month federal prison sentence of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

In 2005, Siegelman was indicted on corruption charges alleging he had accepted campaign contributions in return for political favors. A year later, a federal jury found Siegelman guilty on seven counts, including bribery, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud and obstruction of justice.

The disgraced governor was released from prison in 2008 while he appealed his conviction, claiming that he had been convicted unjustly. In 2009, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the charges against him and refused to grant him a new trial.

He has continued to maintain that the charges against him and his conviction were politically motived attacks by Republican operatives.

Federal judges on Wednesday again said there was no evidence supporting those claims and saw no reason to grant a new trial.

He is scheduled to get out of prison in 2017.


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