Tuscaloosa, AL (WIAT)- Former Jefferson County commissioner Gary White has been sentenced to 120 months in prison in Tuscaloosa. White must pay restitution of $22,000 and a $900 fine.  White was convicted of accepting bribes in relation to the Jefferson County sewer project. CBS 42's Phillip Ohnemus was there, and you can read his minute-by-minute reports of the courtroom proceedings on twitter.

Here is the AP report on the sentencing:

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Former Jefferson County Commissioner Gary White was sentenced to 10 years in prison on conspiracy and bribery convictions for his role in the county's sewer debt crisis.

U.S. District Court Judge Scott Coogler handed down the sentence Thursday in Tuscaloosa.

Prosecutors had asked Coogler to sentence White to at least 15 years in prison. White's attorneys asked for an alternative sentencing plan in which White could perform community service at the Birmingham Zoo, Botanical Gardens or Humane Society.

White was convicted in 2008. The conviction was later overturned on appeal, but in December the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals re-instated the original conviction.

The judge also ordered White to pay $22,000 plus interest in restitution.

 

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