Judge Nixes Langford’s Request To Remain Free Pending Appeal

BRADENTON, Fla. — A federal judge in Alabama has denied former Jefferson County Commission president and Birmingham mayor Larry Langford’s request to remain free on bond while appealing his federal conviction on pay-to-play charges.

Langford was found guilty on 60 charges last October relating largely to his time as county commission president when he spearheaded the refinancing of Jefferson County’s now-failed sewer debt, causing an ongoing financial crisis for the county since early 2008 when the credit markets collapsed.

In a 15-page ruling last week, U.S. district Judge Scott Coogler rebutted arguments Langford made as to why he should remain free pending his appeal.

Coogler concluded that Langford “failed to carry his burden … to establish his eligibility for release on bond pending appeal.”

Langford is supposed to report to the federal correctional institution in Ashland, Ky., today. However, his attorney asked for a one-week delay for Langford to report to prison.

Attorneys said the prison is a nine-hour drive from Birmingham and Langford’s wife planned to accompany him, but her father was scheduled to have surgery last Friday to remove a mass from his thyroid.

Prosecutors were not sympathetic and objected to the delay, saying that the surgery was three days before Langford had to report to prison and other family members could tend to Langford’s father-in-law after the surgery.

“The defendant’s situation is no ­different than that faced by many others whose day of reckoning comes at an inconvenient time,” prosecutors argued.

Coogler on Thursday gave Langford until 4 p.m. Wednesday to report to prison. The judge said he would not grant any other extensions.

Langford, 63, was found guilty on 29 counts of bribery, four counts of money laundering, one count of conspiracy, five counts of mail fraud, 18 counts of wire fraud, and three counts of filing a false tax return.

In addition to a sentence of 15 years, he was order to pay restitution of $119,985 and to forfeit $241,843.65 to the United States.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons Web site, Ashland is a minimum-security facility that is actually called a “camp” for male inmates. The facility is located in the highlands of northeastern Kentucky, about 125 miles east of Lexington.

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