BRADENTON, Fla. - Albert LaPierre today will enter a guilty plea in Alabama federal court to one count each of conspiracy and filing a false tax return stemming from last December's 101-count, pay-to-play criminal indictment related to Jefferson County, Ala's sewer bond deals.
LaPierre, a lobbyist and former executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party, has agreed to testify against his long-time friends - former Jefferson County commission president Larry Langford, now mayor of Birmingham, and Montgomery bond dealer William Blount - also named in the indictment.
In return for the prosecution dropping numerous counts and a reduced sentence, LaPierre will testify about his role in the case, which shows how Langford allegedly received $235,000 in cash, loan payoffs, expensive clothing and jewelry, and how others received fees related to the county's bond deals.
LaPierre's
The federal case, as well as the pending trial, have weighed heavily on LaPierre's mind, his attorney, Tommy Spina of Fawal & Spina, said yesterday.
"In making this decision to plead guilty he decided it was in his best interest to close the door, begin the healing process, and try to move forward with the least amount of damage to himself and to others around him," said Spina, who described LaPierre as a decorated war hero who has done good things in his life and who has many community supporters.
"I am hopeful, in the long run, those good things will outweigh the bad thing that is represented by this case," Spina said.
Langford told the Birmingham News yesterday that LaPierre's testimony should help his case.
"All he can testify to is he made a loan to me and I have never taken a bribe from anybody," Langford told the paper.
Last December, then U.S. attorney Alice Martin announced that a federal grand jury returned the indictment against Langford, LaPierre, and Blount. Charges against them included conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns.
Martin said the men were involved in a long-running bribery scheme related to bond deals and other financial transactions in Jefferson County, which have threatened to bankrupt the county.
Most, if not all, of the alleged illegal activities relate to Langford's tenure as president of the Jefferson County Commission when $3.2 billion of debt was sold to finance rebuilding of the county's sewer system.
Calling it a "classic pay-to-play" case, Martin said that Langford sold out his public office to his friends Blount and LaPierre for about $235,000 in expensive clothes, Rolex watches, and cash to pay his growing personal debt.
The trio has been awaiting trial since their arrest and release on bond. Last week, they asked a federal judge to postpone their trial a second time in order to sift through the evidence they received from the prosecution.
Judge Scott Coogler on Tuesday denied their motion for a postponement and ruled that their trial remained on schedule to begin Aug. 31.
While a federal grand jury has been investigating Jefferson County's bond financings, the Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Langford, LaPierre and Blount with securities fraud and related charges in a separate federal civil suit filed in April 2008. That suit was placed on hold while the criminal case proceeded.
