Former Georgia Rep. Charged in Connection with Illegal Campaign Contributions

A former Georgia congressman has been charged in connection with illegal campaign contributions during a 2005 Atlanta city council election.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard says former Rep. Pat Swindall and two business associates were charged with one count of felony conspiracy to commit a crime and four felony counts of false statements.

Swindall was a two-term congressman whose political career ended in 1988 after he was convicted of perjury charges linked to a federal money-laundering investigation.

Prosecutors say the three men sought political favors by contributing $8,000 to the campaign of Atlanta City Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd in her run-off bid for re-election. The law allowed a maximum contribution of $1,000 at the time.

(AP)

Prison for former lawmaker

A former state lawmakers has a 63-month prison sentence. Ron Sailor Jr. will spend time in federal prison for defrauding his church and for money laundering. Federal agents arrested him Dec. 19 and took $300,000 in cash that they say he planned to launder. Sailor took out a fraudulent $250,000 loan and used his southwest Atlanta church as collateral without the church's knowledge.