Siegelman Won’t Pay Restitution On Acquitted ChargeFormer Gov. Don Siegelman (D-AL) won’t have to pay $118,000 in restitution on charges of which he was acquitted, the judge overseeing his case decided.
Originally, Siegelman had been ordered to pay the money to reimburse the state for losses based on a warehouse scandal. A jury acquitted Siegelman of charges relating to that scandal, but the prosecution pressed for punishment during the sentencing portion of the trial. The judge changed his mind yesterday, siding with Siegelman’s lawyers.
The prosecution’s decision to push for a harsher sentence based on the warehouse scandal and a variety of other charges of which Siegelman was acquitted sparked outrage from the defense lawyers. Siegelman’s supporters pointed to the decision as more evidence of a political vendetta behind the initial investigation.
Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) has sent a letter to the head of the House Judiciary Committee asking that the case be looked into as part of the broader investigation into the politicization of the Justice Department.