Larry Langford, Birmingham, Ala., Mayor, Convicted Of Taking Bribes
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A federal jury convicted Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford on Wednesday on all charges of accepting bribes in exchange for funneling $7.1 million in bond business to a prominent investment banker.
As a convicted felon, Langford was automatically removed from the office he won in a landslide in 2007.
Jurors deliberated less than two hours before returning their sweeping verdict on all 60 counts. It came after six days of testimony in which they heard Langford accepted cash and luxury items worth some $236,000 while serving as president of the Jefferson County Commission. In exchange, prosecutors said, Langford sent lucrative bond business to investment banker Bill Blount.
Langford, 63, showed no emotion when the verdict was read. He was allowed to remain free on $50,000 bond until his sentencing, which the judge said would be in about three months, and he agreed to forfeit $241,843. He was charged with bribery, conspiracy, fraud, money laundering and filing false tax returns. He could face years of prison and large fines when he is sentenced.
Outside the courtroom, Langford and his wife, Melva, blamed the conviction on race.
"They struck as many blacks off that jury as they could," he said.
Three of the 12 jurors were black.
"In Alabama, black people will never get a fair trial," Melva Langford said. "There should be a total investigation of the Justice Department."
Prosecutor George Martin said calling for such an investigation was "ridiculous" and he denied that race played a role in Langford's prosecution or the trial's outcome.
"It was a diverse jury. It was because of the evidence, not the jury," he said.
One of Langford's attorneys, Glennon Threatt, who is black, said he has done previous corruption cases with white defendants and race was not a factor in Langford's case.
The interim mayor is now Carole Smitherman, the president of the city council. It's not clear when or how a permanent replacement will be picked.
The verdict marked a long fall for Langford, who was mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate in the 1990s.
Known for his flashy clothes and idea-a-minute style of governing, the former TV newscaster drew both fans and critics with a series of plans for the state's largest city, including a bid to bring the Olympics to Birmingham in 2020.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamarra Matthews Johnson told jurors in closing arguments that Langford was heavily in debt and accepted the gifts from Blount, along with checks or loan payoffs through a middleman, lobbyist Al LaPierre. Both Blount and LaPierre pleaded guilty in the scheme and testified against Langford.
The defense claimed the payments were loans, but prosecutors called them bribes.
"This is the kind of loan people dream about. It's a fairy-tale loan," Johnson said.
The defense portrayed Langford as a chronic shopaholic who never considered Blount's largesse to be bribery, partly because of his own tendency to give away items large and small.
"This was not just one payment to the defendant. This was not just one shopping trip," Johnson said. "This was a deliberate course of action for almost five years."
Some of the bond deals made during Langford's term went sour in the credit crunch last year, and Jefferson County is now trying to avoid filing the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history over $3.9 billion in sewer bond debt.
Langford is a Democrat and longtime friend of Blount, a former chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party. LaPierre worked for years as the party's executive director.
Defense attorney Mike Rasmussen portrayed Blount as the real villain – "the $7 million man" – and wore a sports jacket made with cash-patterned fabric and golden lapels as a prop to make the point.
Government witnesses depicted Langford as buried in debt – with few assets and liabilities of about $650,000, including nearly $240,000 in credit card debt and more than $90,000 in car loans. An IRS agent said Langford owed $77,506 in taxes on unreported income.
The defense case consisted primarily of character witnesses. Langford did not testify.
Trying to explain Langford's massive debts and the repeated gifts from Blount – including more than $21,000 worth of items that Blount purchased for Langford during business trips to New York – Rasmussen said the mayor had a shopping "problem" and can't help it.
"He's a great politician, but he can't control his spending," Rasmussen said.
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JAY REEVES | 10/28/09 09:48 PM |