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A former U.S. congressman from Arizona was sentenced to three years in prison Monday for convictions of public corruption.
Rick Renzi, once a three-term Republican in the House, was fined $25,000 in addition to the prison sentence.
Renzi’s co-defendant and business partner, James Sandlin, a 62-year-old real estate investor, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Both men are scheduled to begin their sentences in January.
U.S. District Judge David C. Bury levied the sentence in a federal courtroom.
"I'm not wise enough to know why good people do bad things — I think character and avarice have something to do with it," Bury said. "That's what happened here. Two good men committed bad acts."
In June, Renzi, 55, who represented Arizona's first Congressional District from 2003 to 2009, was found guilty on 17 felony counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy, extortion, racketeering, money laundering and making false statements to insurance regulators. He was acquitted on 15 other charges.
The charges stemmed from various dealings involving real estate deals, financial kickbacks and fraud.
An investment firm agreed to a deal involving Sandlin, paying him $4.6 million. For forcing Sandlin’s inclusion, Renzi received a kickback of $733,000, according to the indictment.
Additionally, the indictment said that Renzi embezzled $460,000 from a family-owned Arizona insurance firm to his congressional campaign fund in 2002..
And assholes here scream for LESS regulation?????
Did you vote for this guy, Z?
Birds of a feather..........
"Ya said y'all found them WMD's???"
