Former democrat governor headed to federal prison will stop first at Democrat Convention to ask Obama to lighten his prison sentence for bribery-AP

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8/30/12, "Siegelman Gets Permission To Go Democratic CVN," AP, via NPR

"A federal judge has given former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman permission to travel to Charlotte, N.C., next week to attend the Democratic National Convention.

The convention is a week before Siegelman is to report to a federal prison in Louisiana to finish his 78-month sentence.

U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller said Siegelman can travel to Charlotte Sept. 3-6. Fuller ordered Siegelman to advise his probation officer of his flight plans and hotel plans.

Siegelman plans to lobby at the convention for President Obama to grant his request for clemency.

Fuller said Siegelman was not a flight risk and could go to the convention. But he repeated a concern he expressed at the sentencing hearing that Siegelman "continues to question the integrity" of the judicial system." via Free Republic

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Ed. note: The AP omits that the former governor is a democrat.

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8/3/12, "Ex-Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman heads back to prison for bribery," LA Times,
M. Muskal

"Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on Friday was ordered back to prison for his conviction on bribery and other charges, ending years-long appeals in the case....

Siegelman, 66, and former HealthSouth Chief Richard Scrushy were convicted in 2006 of arranging $500,000 in contributions to Siegelman's campaign for a state lottery; the governor later named Scrushy to the state’s hospital regulatory board.

Siegelman, a Democrat who was involved in Alabama politics for more than a quarter of a century, served in several top offices including attorney general and one term as governor, from 1999 to 2003....

Among the counts on which Siegelman was convicted were bribery and obstruction of justice."...

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