Alabama Mayor Charged With Fraud
Birmingham, Alabama -- The mayor of this city, Larry P. Langford, was arrested by federal agents Monday and charged with taking bribes in exchange for doling out county financial business to a favored firm when he was head of the Jefferson County Commission from 2002 to 2006.
Mr. Langford, 62, was charged in the 101-count indictment with taking over $230,000 in cash, clothing and jewelry in exchange for ensuring that a well-known Alabama investment banker, William B. Blount, took part in lucrative bond deals related to the financing of improvements to Jefferson County's failing sewer system. Those deals, in turn, have led the county, which includes the city of Birmingham, to the brink of bankruptcy.
Mr. Langford, 62, was charged in the 101-count indictment with taking over $230,000 in cash, clothing and jewelry in exchange for ensuring that a well-known Alabama investment banker, William B. Blount, took part in lucrative bond deals related to the financing of improvements to Jefferson County's failing sewer system. Those deals, in turn, have led the county, which includes the city of Birmingham, to the brink of bankruptcy.
