Gary White isn’t like all of the other corrupt politicians appealing their charges; he’s innocent. At least, that’s what his lawyer claims.

White, a former Jefferson County Commissioner in Alabama, was convicted in 2008 on eight counts of accepting bribes from a contractor following a federal investigation that implicated four Jefferson County Commissioners.

White was sentenced to 10 years in prison for charges related to the $3.2 billion sewer project. On Tuesday, however, White had another day in court.

Appearing before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, White’s defense lawyer, Susan James, argued that the government did not meet its burden of proof that White broke the law when accepting payments from a contractor, reports the AP.

White’s corruption conviction was previously overturned on appeal for improper venue, but the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the conviction in 2009, finding that White had waived venue.

If the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals denies Gary White’s latest appeal, perhaps he can swap stories with the other corrupt politicians who have recently run into problems with the circuit courts.

Last week, the First Circuit Court of Appeals denied bail for former Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DiMasi, whose defense included the theory that corruption is the “mother’s milk” of politics.

The Third Circuit was similarly unimpressed by corrupt politicians, ordering a new sentencing hearing for former Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Fumo’s sentence, (after determining that the district judge had been too lenient), and upholding former New Jersey State Senator Wayne Bryant’s conviction.

Related Resources:

  • Appeals court refuses to accept motion for prison release by former Jefferson County Commissioner Gary White (The Birmingham News)
  • Ciresi Appeals Conspiracy Charges Under Confrontation Clause (FindLaw’s First Circuit blog)
  • Recalculate: Feds Win in Vincent Fumo Sentence Appeal (FindLaw’s Third Circuit blog)
  • Odyssey’s Booty Plundered? Spain Wins Sovereign Immunity Appeal (FindLaw’s Eleventh Circuit blog)

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