Don Siegelman

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on Friday was ordered back to prison for his conviction on bribery and other charges, ending years-long appeals in the case. “I apologize to people for the embarrassment my actions have caused,” Siegelman said, according to media reports of the proceedings. District Court Judge Mark Fuller in Montgomery, Ala., sentenced Siegelman to 78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Siegelman, 66, and former HealthSouth Chief Richard Scrushy were convicted in 2006 of arranging $500,000 in contributions to Siegelman's campaign for a state lottery; the governor later named Scrushy to the state's hospital regulatory board.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on Friday was ordered back to prison for his conviction on bribery and other charges, ending years-long appeals in the case. “I apologize to people for the embarrassment my actions have caused,” Siegelman said, according to media reports of the proceedings. District Court Judge Mark Fuller in Montgomery, Ala., sentenced Siegelman to 78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Siegelman, 66, and former HealthSouth Chief Richard Scrushy were convicted in 2006 of arranging $500,000 in contributions to Siegelman's campaign for a state lottery; the governor later named Scrushy to the state's hospital regulatory board.

Don Siegelman, a Democrat who served as governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003, was sentenced Thursday in Montgomery, Ala., to more than seven years in prison and fined $50,000. He was convicted of bribery and obstruction of justice last year in a trial that he said was engineered by Bush administration officials who wanted to eliminate him as a threat to Republican dominance in the South. U.S.

It's usually difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a campaign contribution influenced a public official to take an official action. That's why other ways to limit the influence of money in politics, such as disclosure rules and limits on contributions, are so important. But sometimes the link between cause and effect is so clear that a politician can be convicted of criminal bribery. The Supreme Court last week wisely refused to make such convictions harder to achieve. The justices refused to hear the appeal of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who was convicted of reappointing a healthcare executive named Richard Scrushy to a state hospital board as a reward for Scrushy's $500,000 contribution to a campaign fund backing a statewide lottery to fund education.

WASHINGTON - Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was charged with bribery and sent to prison because, prosecutors said, a wealthy hospital executive gave him $500,000 in exchange for appointing him to a state hospital planning board. But this half-million-dollar "bribe" did not enrich Siegelman. Instead, the disputed money was a contribution to help fund a statewide referendum on whether Alabama should have a state lottery to support education, a pet cause of the governor's. The Supreme Court is set to decide as soon as Monday whether to hear Siegelman's final appeal, which raises a far-reaching question: Is a campaign contribution a bribe if a politician agrees to do something in return, or is it to be expected that politicians will do favors for their biggest supporters?

WASHINGTON - TheU.S. Supreme Courtrefused to hear former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman's challenge to his bribery conviction, preserving rulings that say prosecutors and jurors can decide when a favor linked to a campaign contribution amounts to a bribe. Monday's decision means Siegelman is likely to be sent back to prison. In 2007, a judge in Alabama sentenced him to seven years, but he was released a year later to appeal his conviction. He had won the support of more than 100 former top state attorneys as well as prominent election law experts.

Former Gov. Don Siegelman pleaded not guilty in Montgomery in a political corruption case, saying he will be "proven totally innocent." A federal grand jury indicted Siegelman and two former Cabinet members along with HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy in what prosecutors described as "a widespread racketeering conspiracy."

Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman asked U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson for permission to resume handcuffing inmates to hitching posts in the hot sun when they refuse to work. Thompson ruled last year that the practice was unconstitutionally cruel. The new policy would include videotape monitoring to make sure inmates get hourly water and restroom breaks, and would allow an inmate to be unhitched and to sit down the moment he agrees to go to work.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was released on bond from a federal prison Friday, saying he remains upbeat despite serving nine months for corruption. Leaving the prison in a black sport utility vehicle, he stopped on a road outside the lockup to comment. He wore a ragged shirt that appeared to be prison clothing. "I may have lost my freedom for a while, but I never lost faith," Siegelman, 62, told reporters.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison and former HealthSouth Chief Executive Richard Scrushy got nearly seven years Thursday in a bribery and corruption case that the judge said damaged public trust in state government. Siegelman was ordered to pay a fine of $50,000, plus $181,325 to a state agency where prosecutors said kickbacks were made.

WASHINGTON - TheU.S. Supreme Courtrefused to hear former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman's challenge to his bribery conviction, preserving rulings that say prosecutors and jurors can decide when a favor linked to a campaign contribution amounts to a bribe. Monday's decision means Siegelman is likely to be sent back to prison. In 2007, a judge in Alabama sentenced him to seven years, but he was released a year later to appeal his conviction. He had won the support of more than 100 former top state attorneys as well as prominent election law experts.

WASHINGTON - Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was charged with bribery and sent to prison because, prosecutors said, a wealthy hospital executive gave him $500,000 in exchange for appointing him to a state hospital planning board. But this half-million-dollar "bribe" did not enrich Siegelman. Instead, the disputed money was a contribution to help fund a statewide referendum on whether Alabama should have a state lottery to support education, a pet cause of the governor's. The Supreme Court is set to decide as soon as Monday whether to hear Siegelman's final appeal, which raises a far-reaching question: Is a campaign contribution a bribe if a politician agrees to do something in return, or is it to be expected that politicians will do favors for their biggest supporters?

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was released on bond from a federal prison Friday, saying he remains upbeat despite serving nine months for corruption. Leaving the prison in a black sport utility vehicle, he stopped on a road outside the lockup to comment. He wore a ragged shirt that appeared to be prison clothing. "I may have lost my freedom for a while, but I never lost faith," Siegelman, 62, told reporters.

Forty-four former state attorneys general have sent a petition to Congress asking legislators to investigate the Justice Department's prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on corruption charges. "We urge the Congress to take immediate action to investigate this entire matter so that the public may be assured that the outcome is just," the former officials wrote in a letter sent Friday to the House and Senate judiciary committees.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison and former HealthSouth Chief Executive Richard Scrushy got nearly seven years Thursday in a bribery and corruption case that the judge said damaged public trust in state government. Siegelman was ordered to pay a fine of $50,000, plus $181,325 to a state agency where prosecutors said kickbacks were made.

Don Siegelman, a Democrat who served as governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003, was sentenced Thursday in Montgomery, Ala., to more than seven years in prison and fined $50,000. He was convicted of bribery and obstruction of justice last year in a trial that he said was engineered by Bush administration officials who wanted to eliminate him as a threat to Republican dominance in the South. U.S.

Forty-four former state attorneys general have sent a petition to Congress asking legislators to investigate the Justice Department's prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on corruption charges. "We urge the Congress to take immediate action to investigate this entire matter so that the public may be assured that the outcome is just," the former officials wrote in a letter sent Friday to the House and Senate judiciary committees.

As Don Siegelman, the former Democratic governor of Alabama, goes before a federal judge today to fight a recommended 30-year prison sentence, he's telling anyone who'll listen that his prosecution was engineered by White House strategist Karl Rove. It may be a long shot as a legal argument, but at least one influential Republican and a number of Democrats are questioning whether politics may have played a role in the case.

As Don Siegelman, the former Democratic governor of Alabama, goes before a federal judge today to fight a recommended 30-year prison sentence, he's telling anyone who'll listen that his prosecution was engineered by White House strategist Karl Rove. It may be a long shot as a legal argument, but at least one influential Republican and a number of Democrats are questioning whether politics may have played a role in the case.

Former Gov. Don Siegelman pleaded not guilty in Montgomery in a political corruption case, saying he will be "proven totally innocent." A federal grand jury indicted Siegelman and two former Cabinet members along with HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy in what prosecutors described as "a widespread racketeering conspiracy."