Langford and the Supremes

The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled a conference for Jan. 13 at which the panel will decide whether to allow former Jefferson County Commissioner Larry Langford’s appeal to go forward.

Langford appealed to the high court after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta refused to reconsider its ruling upholding his conviction in October.

Langford in 2009 was found guilty on 61 federal counts of bribery, money laundering, mail and wire fraud, conspiracy, and filing a false tax return.

Most of the charges relate to Jefferson County’s defaulted sewer refunding warrants, which Langford spearheaded while in office to delay huge rate hikes. The refunding debt, mostly in variable- and auction-rate mode with associated swaps, collapsed in the market freeze.

In early November, the county filed for bankruptcy after failing to reach a restructuring agreement with creditors.

Langford is serving a 15-year prison sentence in Kentucky. He is among dozens of elected officials, contractors, and others working on the sewer system and the financings who have been convicted of corruption.

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