guilty

News

Public corruption unpunished, public left in the dark

Two former state public officials appear to be receiving extraordinary leniency, and the public should demand to know why. In one case, former Sumter County Sheriff Tyrone Clark pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges including ethics violations and drug charges. However, District Attorney Greg Griggers who oversaw the investigation announced after Clark’s plea that he … Continued

Bill Britt

December 6, 2018

Heading into the finish: Republicans look strong as Democrats hope for momentum

Mere hours ahead of election results, state Democrats are hoping some of the national momentum shows up in the Heart of Dixie. According to a new Morning Consult/POLITICO Poll, Democrats are motivated and angry, but in Alabama, so are Republicans. “Roughly three in five (59 percent) Democrats say they feel angry about the midterms, compared … Continued

Bill Britt

November 6, 2018

Republican State Rep. Randy Davis indicted in wide-ranging federal public corruption probe

A federal grand jury indicted another Alabama Republican lawmaker this week as part of an ongoing public corruption probe that has already seen the indictment of Rep. Jack Williams, R-Vestavia Hills. Rep. Randy Davis, R-Daphne, who is 66, was arrested and indicted Wednesday on charges of conspiracy and bribery. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office … Continued

Chip Brownlee

July 26, 2018

Rep. Jack Williams: “I have done nothing wrong”

Alabama State Rep. Jack Williams, R-Vestavia Hills, who was arrested Monday on federal bribery charges, said Tuesday that he’s innocent and will finish his term and continue his campaign for Jefferson County Commission. “I have done nothing wrong, and once the facts are presented, I expect to be found innocent by a jury of all … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 4, 2018

Opinion

Commission for “Ethics Reform and Clarification” is pure fantasy

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter A Senate joint resolution creating The Code of Ethics Reform and Clarification Commission sponsored by Republican Senators Arthur Orr, President Pro Tem. Del Marsh and Majority Leader Greg Reed has been submitted to the Rules Committee and could be making it’s way through the Senate soon. Creating a commission … Continued

Bill Britt

January 26, 2018

What’s taking so long with the Mike Hubbard appeal?

By Josh Moon Alabama Political Reporter On Oct. 5, 2016, former House Speaker Mike Hubbard, two months removed from being found guilty of 12 felonies, officially filed an appeal in his case with the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. Thirteen days later, in a Baldwin County Circuit Court, Justin Shawn Miller went on trial for … Continued

Josh Moon

January 24, 2018

A year after his felony conviction Hubbard remains free, ethics laws in jeopardy

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter As the word “guilty” rang out twelve times in a Lee County courtroom on the evening of June 10, 2016, Alabama’s political world was rendered breathless as if dropped to the canvas by a body blow to the liver. The conviction of Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard, who … Continued

Bill Britt

June 13, 2017

Here’s a closer look at Robert Bentley’s plea agreement, sentence

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The scene was set: Alabama’s Legislature was ready to conduct its first impeachment hearings since 1915. The House’s special counsel had released his bombshell report. He had begun presenting his case. But then it turned out all to be for nothing. Or was it? Instead of being impeached, Gov. Robert Bentley decided to bow … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 11, 2017

Mosses Mayor pleads guilty to ethics charges

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—A former Lowndes County mayor agreed last week to plead guilty to charges that he used his office for personal gain, marking another court victory for the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division. Mosses Mayor Walter S. Hill pled guilty to using his office to direct town money, in the … Continued

Chip Brownlee

January 10, 2017

Opinion

Political Revenge, Schemes, Blowback

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter What do a conviction in New Jersey and a Montgomery Special Grand Jury have in common? That is a question worthy of consideration, given recent events surrounding an ongoing investigation that appears to target Governor Robert Bentley and others in his political orbit. The latest indication is that the … Continued

Bill Britt

November 7, 2016