Son: Don Siegelman held in solitary in La. prison [View all]
Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman has been held in mostly solitary confinement in a Louisiana prison since mid-October, his son said Thursday.
“He is not allowed to see any family or speak to anyone including family,” said Joseph Siegelman, serving as one of the former governor's defense attorneys, in a phone interview. “He is completely and utterly in isolation.”
Calls seeking comment from officials at the Federal Correctional Institution in Oakdale, La., where Siegelman is serving out a sentence for his 2006 conviction on corruption charges, were unsuccessful Thursday afternoon. An email sent to the prison was not immediately returned.
Siegelman served as governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003. A jury convicted Siegelman and former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy of bribery charges stemming from $500,000 in donations Scrushy gave to Siegelman’s 1999 campaign for a statewide lottery. Following the contribution, Siegelman appointed Scrushy to the state’s Certificate of Need (CON) board, which oversees hospital improvements and expansions.
Prosecutors said Scrushy’s contribution was a bribe to win back the seat on the board. Siegelman and his attorneys say the contribution was a normal part of politics. The governor was also convicted on a separate obstruction of justice charge related to payments involving a motorcycle.
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More at http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/local/alabama/2015/12/10/son-former-alabama-governor-held-solitary-prison/77111936/
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